Is Money Slavery?

A friend of mine sent me an email containing an article in which the author posits that in the capitalist system we are all slaves, and assumes the conclusion that money itself is indeed slavery. What follows is my reply, with a few of my thoughts on the matter. Please forgive the tinges of saltiness, which are atypical for this blog.

This is all well known, and we accept it out of habit and laziness. The only way to make it in capitalism is self-employment/entrepreneurship and ass-breaking hard work. Everyone is a slave to some degree. Even those who have already made it are slaves to their own way of life.

As the writer says, the only way the system will become unseated is through the loss of confidence in our sense of place. When the shit hits the fan with the environment, everyone will become an entrepreneur simply to survive, or they will lose out completely. When we realize our unbreakable connection with the world and our need for a resurrection of civilization, there will be an opening to make things right for all time. If that doesn’t happen, get ready for another 4000 years of hell. Personally, I always hope for the best — and expect the worst.

Unfortunately there isn’t enough activist energy available to fix everything that needs fixing. I try to point out to people (even the “rich”) the necessity of having a sense of place, feeling one’s feet on the earth, and living the Golden Rule. Those simple things seem like our only hope other than waiting for a disaster; however most people react to the suggestion with quizzical disdain, a sense of foreignness. Quixotically, I keep hoping...

Namasté