It's not Them, it's Us.

This is in part a response to @denmarkguys's post asking why the most rewarded are often the most destructive and the answer is sadly simple. Us.

Should I stop writing at the conclusion?

Of course this over simplifies it as it is not necessarily clear why we are to blame but, it has to do with what we ourselves value and as a species, the core value is: more.

It doesn't really matter what it is but we just want a lot more of it always, which means the world financial system is based on consumption and those that are the wealthiest are those that provide what we want to consume. This sets up a plethora of economic systems that interact to create economies of scale and crush supply chains and engage in less than community spirited activity.

For us to get a cheap big screen TV or a pair of sneakers, some one has to find ways to make it cheaper and a human cost either through salary or automation is the easiest way. You know what happens when everyone is earning less? Yep, they want an even cheaper TV and those who can provide it are those who can crush the prices through scale, meaning, the people again most likely.

Because everyone is looking for some kind of price discount, the smaller companies can rarely compete with the large as they are unable to benefit from the huge crushing power of the conglomerates. In the end, they disappear or are bought up.

As a species in modern times, we have given up on believing being good at something is valuable unless that good helps achieve the gaining of more of something material. Good deeds and skills that don't provide material satisfaction or entertainment value are not worth our hard earned scratch.

As an illustration of this, Einstein died in 1955 with about a million dollars to his name. A million? Wow, back then that was huge! Well, it has an equivalent value based on inflation of 9 million now. Sure, no kick in the balls but ---- Einstein, and he was famous and celebrated. Look at the rich lists... and pay attention to what they provide the world.

People expect that things that help the world and communities should be provided for free or a bare minimum to the provider of the service but, things that help satisfy the material/entertainment demands, there is no ceiling. Look at this platform and see the struggle for those trying to grow it and the money flowing freely for someone raping the reward pool with tarot card trade analysis.

Now, look at the supporters of each and you will actually find similarities as they all want to increase their worth however there are differences in approach. One path looks to spread whereas the other pushes massive amounts of value to a narrow point for very little average gain. This is the world and why the rich get richer and the poor will always struggle. It is us who buy into this process and keep pushing the wealth to a few narrow points that happen to all feed the same supply chains.

It is no wonder there is so much FUD surrounding electric cars when you look at the companies and individuals who will suffer if they are mass adopted. There is no wonder that there is so much FUD surrounding cryptocurrencies when you look at many of the same groups.

But, they actually have nothing to fear because all they really need to do is, be patient. We, the average users will be the ones to fuck this up too as instead of working together to build something better and free ourselves of the body and soul crushing scale of economy conglomerates, we take our earnings, cashout to fiat and buy what we have always wanted. More.

People talk about how decentralized currencies are going to change the world, they are not, as we are going to use them to buy the same shit we are already buying. Lambo motherfucker! Is that an electric Lambo with zero emissions made out of recycled materials where all profits gained going to rebuilding the forests of the Amazon and cleaning up the oceans? Yeah... That's what I thought.

How Can We POSSIBLY Hope to Make Progress as a Species When... the majority of the people in the world are more interested in Kim Kardashian's ass or Donald Trump's latest twitter faux-pas than actually solving real issues that affect our collective future?-@denmarkguy

We are the majority, even when we feel we are not because we have nearly all been trained to desire and consume the same things which means, value the same things for what we consume, we purchase. You might think about your values as the things that keep your moral compass aligned but, have a look at your home, how much hasn't come through the hands of a multinational corporation and the banks that support them? You will probably find that the most expensive things you own are nearly exclusively for entertainment or material needs of some sort and are much less functional or used than the price should indicate. This is luxury.

The real poor though, the ones that are struggling every day likely do not give a crap what therealdonald whoever the hell is doing and unless they have a chance at being with Kim, do not care one iota about her as they are trying to survive. Well, that is until they miraculously make it into an income class that allows for such luxury and musings.

We have been hijacked, coerced, manipulated and lied to and for the most part, it hasn't taken much to convince us to follow the directions provided. All they needed to do is make us want what they have and we will support them and turn a blind eye to their behaviors for a chance at a taste.

Sure, we will make a show of kicking up a fuss from time to time in an exercise in virtue signalling but all in all, we will not change our own actions enough for to do so makes us feel as if we are missing out on what others are enjoying and that equates to suffering. It doesn't matter that having it makes no difference to our lives, we still want it.

We all want the world to be a better place yet we support the people who are systematically raping it. Is it their fault for doing it, or ours for patting them on the back in the hope they will throw us a bone?

We don't just want more either, we want more than others and when we think they are gaining too much on our position, we upgrade. It is this concept we have of wanting to have more than the neighbors that provides a secondary function to feed a ramping up of desires for more and more material heights.

How can we build a strong community with somewhat fair distribution when everyone wants more than everyone else in an economy of limited resources, even if those resources would actually be enough to provide a high standard of living for all? Where is the community when people are trying to shortcut their way to the top of the pile, repress others for personal gain, choose not to support quality for risk they compete or trade favors among small groups at the expense of the large.

There are so many sides to this but when we blame society we fail to look into the mirror and realize it is us who are society. Society and community is a concept created for individuals to work together for the greater good of all but when those individuals support only a very few to satisfy personal desires above the community needs, it gets quickly out of balance.

People talk of the free market deciding but again fail to recognize that the market is not free if we have already been brainwashed into all wanting the same things.

Taraz
[ A Steemit original ]

That was fun to write. Comments welcome.