Three things bedevil the modern world so completely that we must urgently sort them or continue down our road of self-destruction.
First, what we think of as democracy is NOT democracy.
Second, the way we create money puts power in the wrong hands.
Third, the dominance of corporations de-activates the role of human conscience in what we do.
I give a paragraph here each to these three topics, just to show how simple it is to understand what we are currently denying.
- Democracy.
Electoral representation was for centuries thought to be the very opposite of democracy. This makes sense: democracy means the people rule themselves, not choosing between powerful interest groups to rule them. The consequences of electing oppositional parties are (1) a constant stirring of conflict instead of cooperation, (2) endless short-term promises and (3) appeals to the lowest of human appetites, rather than to our highest aspirations. Short-termism makes climate change difficult to deal with; ‘more stuff’ appeals to our appetites, and long-term considerations are put to one side.
- Money creation.
Creating money as debt was invented about three thousand years ago as a method of putting all the power and most of the money in the hands of very few people: in other words, it creates massive inequality. The method was recognised as disastrous even then. Money created as debt gives assets to the rich and debts to the poor, because rich people borrow to make money and get richer whereas poor people borrow money to pay bills. People greedy for money are the worst people to have in charge. Their appetites are insatiable; they aim not at healthy societies, but at getting more and more money and power.
- Corporations.
Corporations aim at getting bigger and bigger; it is their legal obligation to increase in power and size. Human prosperity, which is a by-product of individuals working hard to satisfy human needs in the best way possible, is a casualty in the rush to power and profit. The natural desire of people to make a better world gives way to the corporate culture of ever-increasing power and profit.
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By ignoring these three simple truths, we create a world where the worst in human nature is encouraged and the best discouraged. Conflict, greed and lies dominate over cooperation, generosity and truth. The three points above are elaborated on in my three books: In The Name of the People; Democracy, Fascism and the New World Order; and Bank Robbery.
