Why Have We Made Money More Important Than Life Itself?
As we look at the collective “behavior” of humankind, both at present and down through our history, it appears to be saying, really rather fervently, that “money is more important than life itself”. It just sort of really feels that our collective foot has been on the accelerator pedal for the last hundred years or so and now reaching a fever pitch.
The degree and rate of environmental degradation is truly astounding. There appears to be a “disconnect”. We don’t feel responsible for the planet. We don’t see its relevance. We appear to be “mentally disconnected”.
At this point, one may now notice that this behavior is highly irrational. Why would something knowingly kill itself for something that requires being alive to use and enjoy??
Why do we continue to “knowingly” engage in such brutal, irrational, and illogical behavior??
Culturally, we are scared senseless of death as all we know about it is that it must be avoided at all costs, yet our actions appear to nothing but encourage it.
Why do we not collectively explore how it is we’ve come to take an abstract, fleeting, and ephemeral substance that is a mental construct of thought and make it more important than life itself???
It is truly utterly astonishing.
When the author poses this point to others he usually here’s statements to the effect of “It’s just human greed”, or “It’s in our wiring…in our DNA”, or just the general refrain of “there’s nothing that can be done.”
This pretty much sounds like a death sentence.
It sounds like there is absolutely no choice and no alternative BUT for us to destroy ourselves. How bleak of an outlook is this the author implores?
No wonder we’re presently experiencing epidemic levels of violence, depression, anxiety, fear, substance abuse, and all manner mental disorders driving suicide and murder. We pretty much have always been, and are still living in a state of constant conflict, both internally and externally.
(The author knows for a fact that humanity DOES NOT have to be living the way it has been for the past ten thousand years or so and up to the present. He is attempting to convey this fact in these series of articles. It is true, if it does not change by moving in a completely, dramatically, and radically different direction, then we are indeed done for.)
Humanity often seems to love billing itself as “the most intelligent species to ever walk the face of the planet, in the solar system, universe, yada, yada, yada”.
Is this the sort of behavior one would really expect from such a supremely intelligent life form?
Killing itself to stay alive??
How have we come to the point of being so culturally cold, callus, and indifferent to the planet that gives us life??
We basically treat the Earth like our toilet. The only problem with this is we live on, and in that toilet, and depend on it for our sustenance.
Why don’t we ever think to enquire into why is it that humanity just can’t seem to figure out what its problem is? It’s just a “given”, “implicit operating assumption”, or forgone conclusion that it’s just “our nature” and so nothing can ever be done.
That’s it.
So sorry.
It’s been a nice ride.
So long and thanks for all the fish.
Are we really completely incapable of rational, logical, observation and behavior??
There would appear to be ample evidence that we are indeed capable of being rational and logical. All one has to do is marvel at the space shuttle roaring into space(when they’re not blowing up) or any marvel of man’s creation(behaving properly) demonstrating mans mastery(ok… sometimes highly questionable) of science, mathematics, engineering, etc., that work correctly most of the time(but boy, when they go wrong they REALLY seam to go wrong don’t they?).
Or again, are we just forever doomed to repeat the same, confused, contradictory, and conflicting behavior until ultimately, we cause not only our own ghastly and horrific demise but also that of all the other planet’s inhabitants(which also destroys us since all life is a web)?
At present scientists tell us the planet is currently undergoing its “sixth mass extinction” called “The Anthropocene” which is due to the activities of mankind.
Nice job brought to you by “the most intelligent species the planet and entire cosmos has ever known”. It seems the other life forms we share this planet with would be better off without us.
We appear to be operating like a cancer on this planet, taking, taking, and taking and giving nothing in return but toxicity and death.
Very nice indeed.
This matter obviously pertains to our present “collective” existence, and therefore to our “collective” daily lives which intern translates to our “individual existence”. This fact alone is enough for the author to make this subject one’s singular preoccupation in life.
What is life going to be worth living for on this planet 10, 20, 30 years from now? If the reader has children or even grandchildren what will life be like for them in the not-too-distant future?
Will there be life for them??
Unless we undergo a completely and totally new radical transformation in our consciousness, the only thing that will be left of this planet when we’re done with it is trash and ash.
Why after thousands of years have we still not solved this problem? Why is it that we continue to repeat the same irrational behavior generation after generation after generation???
How did we ever come to create something so divisive and just plain toxic as money and have it rule all our lives like some sort of man-made gravity??
The popular sentiment appears to be: “If you have money, you stay out of trouble”. However it may readily be seen that money itself… its very existence, invites trouble. Lets just look for a moment at how it works.
It appears to basically boil down to the flow of either pain or pleasure, reward or punishment, into and out of each of our lives as the amount of money we may possess at any given moment. Yet, it’s seen as the answer to all problems.
Money causes us to live in constant conflict because it punishes us for not having it. Money causes us to have to constantly be concerned with getting it, holding onto it, acquiring more of it, etc.. It fans the flames of desire and fear in a same behavioral manner as an addiction.
Money is a dependency, and therefore an addiction.
Money is not something to be “acquired”, “accumulated”, and “possessed”, but instead “consumed”. It then turns around and consumes us by consuming our lives with the concern for it.
Why is this??
We have to look even more closely at how money works and see how it is an addiction due to its very nature as a creation of thought. This then will give us a tremendous insight into the way thought itself works. Which is the true root of the problem.
Let’s take a moment to look at exactly what this mental creation called “money” is and what it does. What is this thing that so warps, deforms, and twists the human mind and life on Earth??
A government issues money determines its value and passes along with it rules, regulations, laws, etc. regarding it’s creation, usage, destruction, etc.. It says “here’s money… you shall use it for all your physical needs and thereby require it for all aspects of your security”, “It is only to be obtained and used in certain ways, and not others. For those who do not abide there is a penal system”.
So what ends up happening? We get a job and earn money and spend our days in endless toil to provide for our physical needs such as food, clothing, shelter, medical care, etc.. We typically don’t just stop working when our physical needs are met but instead continue and then store the extra money away in a bank or whatever. Theoretically, as we continue to accumulate more money we then begin to feel increasingly “psychologically secure” in that we have a “safety net” in the event that we may encounter hard times at some future date.
So then, it would appear that governments issue money for the purpose of our using it to provide security for ourselves, both physical and psychological, within the framework of the “system”.
So generally, the popular sentiment is that the more money one has the better-off they are in life in just about every way. It provides the sought after sense of security, not only physically but also psychologically in the forms of accumulation, freedom, control, influence, and ultimately… power.
So we have a situation where we are “dependent” on money in that when we have it we have security.
Therefore “money = security”.
Now, the flip side is also present as one side cannot exist without the other as this is the nature of all concepts in that they divide and create “dependencies” between those divisions which, in general, really permeates all of life.
The flip side then being “no money = no security”, or “no money = insecurity”.
So money would then appear to operate much like a “switch”. When it’s “ON” and money is present then all is good. We’re OK. We’re secure.
However, when its “OFF” and money is absent we’re NOT OK as we then typically experience some form and degree of insecurity which then equates to a whole host of negative human emotions such as fear, anxiety, envy, greed, anger, etc..
Now, after observing the way in which this concept, or creation of human thought, is intended to operate, what human in their right mind would not want to feel as secure as possible as often as possible? Which is to say, what human would not want to have more money all the time?
This makes complete sense.
If we can see how it operates like a switch and that everybody is constantly looking to have it in the “ON” position as often as possible, we then may also now notice something more.
This tendency for humans to desire security results in a constant demand, or “pressure” to always have the “money switch” in the “ON” position. This “constant pressure” to be “ON” then has the following effect:
Since everyone is constantly looking to have more money, this provides an impetus for them to engage in all manner and manifestations of nefarious behavior in an effort to obtain more of it by “any means necessary” and obviously “at all costs”. This intern leads to some pretty egregious atrocities being committed by humans against every living thing on the planet, including the planet itself.
Again, our greed for money acts upon the earth in the exact same way as cancer does in the human body, or in any life form for that matter.
This fact alone would seem to provide enough incentive for any human to endeavor to understand the source, or root cause of the whole problem.
Here are just a few examples of this phenomenon…
Oil companies have known about the potential and probable devastation of the planets climate for over forty years as even their own scientists have reported, but because of this desire for money, they have continued unabated to engage in this highly irrational behavior.
They have made their Trillions, or Zillions, or whatever over the last 100 years or so by selling their product to a world to run on. In order for this world to run properly, that is in a way that ensures a strong and steady demand for their product, it requires stability. Therefore oil companies themselves also depend on stability.
Now, that they’ve created global climate destabilization, the world which depends on stability to live and run on their product, is intern becoming increasingly unstable as a result of the oil companies own actions. This instability intern, looks sure to impact the production and demand for oil in some way.
So in effect, by continuing to operate and thus continuing to contribute to the impending doom of global climate destabilization, they are causing their own demise as this global climate destabilization will ultimately affect their own bottom line more than likely in some adverse way.
So one can see how this irrationality is currently at work and operating.
The destabilized climate is now effecting more people than ever before all around the world who are not only loosing their homes and everything they own to these “unnatural” natural disasters due to extreme floods, winds(tornados, hurricanes), fires, mudslides, etc., but also their lives. If this is not a direct threat to physical security the author does not know what is.
Another example are the shenanigans that Wells Fargo was embroiled in a while back where they got their hands caught in their customers cookie jars. This is supposed to be an institution sanctioned by the government to serve as a “safe haven” for us to keep our hard earned money in and we also have to worry about them trying to steal it from us too? So we’re even preyed upon by those who are supposed to protect us by safekeeping/safeguarding our money.
Then there are governments, notoriously known for pilfering the wealth and lives of their own populations not unlike the way a farmer uses and exploits their live stock for personal profit. Depending on the farm, it may be argued that the live stock live better than we do.
Whole industries have even arisen out of this such as certain types of insurances, security services, etc.. So we even try to capitalize on the ill effects of money itself!
The level of depravity is astonishing.
So here we have a situation where money, the thing that is supposed to provide us with security, in actuality, is constantly also creating insecurity.
These “insecure effects” of money are constantly being felt all the time. We must constantly contend with the massive pollution of our air, water, and soil and the overall environmental destruction of our planet occurring in the name of profit. This pollution, intern more than likely resulting in record numbers of people and other life forms developing cancer and other life-threatening diseases (which we then, intern need more money to treat). Not to mention as the climate warms there will likely be further break outs of pestilence. Pandora’s box has been opened, and the four horsemen are riding.
The author will leave it to the reader to sight more examples as this shouldn’t be too terribly difficult for one to do.
Indeed… as long as there exists a profit motive, no one and no thing is safe.
Just the mere fact that money exists places a potential target on the backs of all of us as we all run the constant risk of being robbed or harmed in some way by someone else who is hell-bent on getting it (too bad the “penal system” does not appear to be a deterrent).
So again, does money provide security or insecurity?
As it is now hoped can readily be seen, the pressure created by the system for everyone to have as much money as possible all the time, in actuality, creates a situation where there is a constant voracious and insatiable appetite for it.
Since the total amount of money is supposed to be finite, as this is theoretically what gives it its “value”, humans constantly find ways to take it from each other(or just create more of it, which is still like taking it from somewhere else). Again, this activity ultimately gives rise to THE EXACT OPPOSITE of its original mandate which is to provide security.
This phenomenon creates the need for even more money and a viscous cycle ensues.
At this point, the author would like to take a step back from this exploration of the concept of money and note that MONEY ITSELF IS NOT THE PROBLEM. This would appear to be yet another statement that flies in the face of popular sentiment as embodied by the common expression “money is the root of all evil”.
If we just look we can easily see that money IS NOT the root of all evil. Since money is a creation of the human mind it would then appear that money itself is instead only a pointer to the root of all evil.
What it appears to be “pointing” too is the conceptualizing ability of human thought.
Therefore, it would then appear that human thought is the culprit.
To further illustrate this point one may now go on to also notice that this SAME PATTERN IS CONSTANTLY REPEATING EVERYWHERE as we attempt to find security in multitudes of other creations of thought.
As things currently are, every time we earn and use money, or use it as it’s “intended”, we are continually perpetuating the pain, suffering, death, and destruction it causes.
By continuing to participate in this system of money we are perpetuating that hurt it produces. Perhaps now we are aware of what is happening and the grip of money on us has eased up a bit.
After all this the reader might say to themselves “Wow…, ok yeah I see it. What can we do about it?”
To which the author would reply “Nothing”. The “seeing” IS the “doing”.
See and understand how it is at work everyday in our lives. The seeing will then guide and instruct us on what to “do” about it.
The System of money appears to create feelings of the form “every human for themselves” which basically translate to feelings of isolation, separation, loneliness, fear, anger, hatred, etc..
The author does sincerely and most earnestly hope that readers might now see the sheer absurdity of this whole thing. How hurtful we LIVE. Our lives are constantly hurting as a result of this misperception, though some may be more keenly aware of it than others.
When the whole thing is truly and completely seen for what it actually is, then at the moment of this seeing saneness and rationality are given an opportunity to come into being. This seeing revealing how utterly absurd our present way of life is with its constant struggle between the opposites as the movement towards one side ALSO PRODUCES THE MOVEMENT TOWARDS THE OTHER. There is only ONE MOVEMENT. When this is SEEN, then this movement has a chance of ceasing.
In this cessation there then arises the possibility of a completely and totally new dimension of human existence to come into being on this planet for the first time as freedom from the bondage of this seemingly eternal conflict where we can then rise anew like the Phoenix from the ashes.
Is any of this true?
Please examine this for yourself without any motive, for if you have a motive it will dictate the answer.
