today's realities....
Posted: Mon Jul 22, 2024 12:02 am
I come here, not to praise capitalism, but to bury it......
and even the defenders of capitalism wind up with a
'' it's the only way left to go'' belief.... it is the best of a bad lot,
and capitalism is agreed to be terrible, but what else is there?
Those are the ''robust'' defense of capitalism one see's these days....
it's bad, but better than the other choices.... and this defense isn't
really a ringing endorsement, now it is? Would I rather be shot, or hung?
and that is about how much enthusiasm capitalism brings about....
and the question becomes, why would we engage in a system that
clearly has very little enthusiasm? And I would argue inertia....
the general laziness of people....and how many of you, would
have the motivation to go out and protest in the streets, about
some current indignation? Inertia... the reason most people won't
do something about the current state of affairs....many around here
hate, absolutely hate liberalism, but how many would actually do anything
about it? spoiler alert, none..... and the same goes true for capitalism....
who here would fight against capitalism given they might lose their jobs?
again, none....
so, let us try a different tack..... how enthusiastic are you about
capitalism? on a scale of one to ten? for most people, it would barely
rise about a 3..... but Kropotkin, what specifically do you have against
capitalism?
there is actually very little positive about capitalism...
One might argue that with capitalism, we have the highest
standard of living the world has ever seen? But I ask,
is that a positive or a negative? the problem with capitalism,
as with most ism's and ideologies, is that few if any actually engage
in some sort of critical thinking about it.... it is just accepted,
that capitalism is the greatest thing since slice bread....
accepted but not proven... and certainly not given any type of
critical thinking that it ought to get.... for example, and granted,
it is a small thing, but I hold it is a relatively important thing,
does capitalism offer us hope? When you look at your life under
capitalism, does that offer you hope? Hope for a better future?
Well to be honest, it doesn't.... it only offers us more of the same,
more money, more fame, more material possessions, more titles.....
but does any of that give us a better life? a happy life, is a life with
more material possessions, really a life about hope?
there is a fatigue factor with possessions.... the more possessions one
has, the less excitement one has about the extra possessions.....
if I own three cars, how can any one of those cars really bring me to
increased hope or excitement about it? a basic rule of them is,
the more of something we have, the less excitement and thrills it
brings us....and that is all capitalism can offer us, just more possessions....
well, money can bring us peace of mind.... I have known a lot of
wealthy people and for most of them, the thought they hold is fear,
fear of losing or having their wealth stolen from them..... most wealthy
people have this fear... and where is the hope for the future within that fear?
and the same goes true of the other aspects of capitalism, fame, titles,
power, material possessions...... they lead us nowhere, especially toward
hope or a promise of the future.... that isn't capitalism......
there is no promise of the future, just more of the same.....
and that is the reality of capitalism....there is no hope for the future....
and the question that is capitalism is this, does wealth itself brings
us happiness or joy or love or the promise of a better future?
an honest look at capitalism gives us that answer.....
now, those who own the means of production, the owners of
capitalism, those are the ones who is enthusiastic about capitalism....
they are the ones who benefit the most from capitalism..... but even
their ''benefits'' are due to the acquisition of wealth.... to buy more things,
and that doesn't bring one to happiness or joy or a promise of a
better tomorrow.... it just brings us more crap.... nothing else.....
for life to become meaningful and have value, it must become
something more than the accumulation of material goods.....
it must become something more than capitalism.....
and what might that be?
and that becomes the philosophical problem of today.....
what ism or possibility allow us to become something more than
what we are today?
Kropotkin
and even the defenders of capitalism wind up with a
'' it's the only way left to go'' belief.... it is the best of a bad lot,
and capitalism is agreed to be terrible, but what else is there?
Those are the ''robust'' defense of capitalism one see's these days....
it's bad, but better than the other choices.... and this defense isn't
really a ringing endorsement, now it is? Would I rather be shot, or hung?
and that is about how much enthusiasm capitalism brings about....
and the question becomes, why would we engage in a system that
clearly has very little enthusiasm? And I would argue inertia....
the general laziness of people....and how many of you, would
have the motivation to go out and protest in the streets, about
some current indignation? Inertia... the reason most people won't
do something about the current state of affairs....many around here
hate, absolutely hate liberalism, but how many would actually do anything
about it? spoiler alert, none..... and the same goes true for capitalism....
who here would fight against capitalism given they might lose their jobs?
again, none....
so, let us try a different tack..... how enthusiastic are you about
capitalism? on a scale of one to ten? for most people, it would barely
rise about a 3..... but Kropotkin, what specifically do you have against
capitalism?
there is actually very little positive about capitalism...
One might argue that with capitalism, we have the highest
standard of living the world has ever seen? But I ask,
is that a positive or a negative? the problem with capitalism,
as with most ism's and ideologies, is that few if any actually engage
in some sort of critical thinking about it.... it is just accepted,
that capitalism is the greatest thing since slice bread....
accepted but not proven... and certainly not given any type of
critical thinking that it ought to get.... for example, and granted,
it is a small thing, but I hold it is a relatively important thing,
does capitalism offer us hope? When you look at your life under
capitalism, does that offer you hope? Hope for a better future?
Well to be honest, it doesn't.... it only offers us more of the same,
more money, more fame, more material possessions, more titles.....
but does any of that give us a better life? a happy life, is a life with
more material possessions, really a life about hope?
there is a fatigue factor with possessions.... the more possessions one
has, the less excitement one has about the extra possessions.....
if I own three cars, how can any one of those cars really bring me to
increased hope or excitement about it? a basic rule of them is,
the more of something we have, the less excitement and thrills it
brings us....and that is all capitalism can offer us, just more possessions....
well, money can bring us peace of mind.... I have known a lot of
wealthy people and for most of them, the thought they hold is fear,
fear of losing or having their wealth stolen from them..... most wealthy
people have this fear... and where is the hope for the future within that fear?
and the same goes true of the other aspects of capitalism, fame, titles,
power, material possessions...... they lead us nowhere, especially toward
hope or a promise of the future.... that isn't capitalism......
there is no promise of the future, just more of the same.....
and that is the reality of capitalism....there is no hope for the future....
and the question that is capitalism is this, does wealth itself brings
us happiness or joy or love or the promise of a better future?
an honest look at capitalism gives us that answer.....
now, those who own the means of production, the owners of
capitalism, those are the ones who is enthusiastic about capitalism....
they are the ones who benefit the most from capitalism..... but even
their ''benefits'' are due to the acquisition of wealth.... to buy more things,
and that doesn't bring one to happiness or joy or a promise of a
better tomorrow.... it just brings us more crap.... nothing else.....
for life to become meaningful and have value, it must become
something more than the accumulation of material goods.....
it must become something more than capitalism.....
and what might that be?
and that becomes the philosophical problem of today.....
what ism or possibility allow us to become something more than
what we are today?
Kropotkin
