I worry that it will continue to be a world under the sway of those who measure success by dollar signs. A world that measures success by how much one person can own.
And that is the fundamental problem, at least in the U.S. Yet it is a problem we refuse to face seriously. Because to face it, is to shake the foundations of power and success (at least as such things are currently defined).
Success is ownership. It has been that way since the founding of the nation when only free, male, landowners had a say in the way government was run, or could even be members of the government. What made it success was that you could be free, vote, and determine your own destiny.
Over the course of time, some of those barriers have come down. And others, such as slavery, have been nearly eradicated. Yet the basis of success and power has remained—ownership.
Ownership as success inserts an Oligarchy over any other form of government. Because the government becomes corrupted by those who have the ownership that those within the government crave for themselves—so they too can become obviously successful.
Sometimes the corruption is overt. Sometimes the corruption is subtle. Always the corruption remains. As long as there is ownership—and therefore power—to be earned and used.
Make no mistake, those who have the most ownership don't want to give it up. They hide trillions of dollars from their governments in order to keep them. They aren't interested in using their wealth to keep war, famine, pestilence and death at bay—except perhaps for themselves. Their interest is in retaining their wealth, expanding their ownership, and having more control. And with that control, they amass more wealth to continue the cycle.
The nations of this world could benefit from those trillions that are hidden. In fact, the dollars that are hidden are more than most nations ever produce.
Sadly, taking the money from them and redistributing it solves nothing. It would merely change the players but not the game.
So if these gluttons of wealth are determined to keep their monies, and if shuffling it to someone else would merely change the names/faces of the gluttons, there isn't a solution that is readily apparent. Until you look at the entire problem from a different point of view.
Stripping ownership of its power is the key to changing the rules.
Over the course of time, some of those barriers have come down. And others, such as slavery, have been nearly eradicated. Yet the basis of success and power has remained—ownership.
Ownership as success inserts an Oligarchy over any other form of government. Because the government becomes corrupted by those who have the ownership that those within the government crave for themselves—so they too can become obviously successful.
Sometimes the corruption is overt. Sometimes the corruption is subtle. Always the corruption remains. As long as there is ownership—and therefore power—to be earned and used.
Make no mistake, those who have the most ownership don't want to give it up. They hide trillions of dollars from their governments in order to keep them. They aren't interested in using their wealth to keep war, famine, pestilence and death at bay—except perhaps for themselves. Their interest is in retaining their wealth, expanding their ownership, and having more control. And with that control, they amass more wealth to continue the cycle.
The nations of this world could benefit from those trillions that are hidden. In fact, the dollars that are hidden are more than most nations ever produce.
Sadly, taking the money from them and redistributing it solves nothing. It would merely change the players but not the game.
So if these gluttons of wealth are determined to keep their monies, and if shuffling it to someone else would merely change the names/faces of the gluttons, there isn't a solution that is readily apparent. Until you look at the entire problem from a different point of view.
Stripping ownership of its power is the key to changing the rules.
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