Paper Money vs. True Wealth

Recently a very brilliant, very capitalist-thinking, friend of mine got into a debate with me about world economy, etc. He’s got incredible ideas that will bring third world countries in line with western economics. That’s where it started…

I first questioned the use of the term “developing country”. Developing into what? A baby U.S? Because we’re not the older sibling that all the others should be emulating. Our foundation is materialistic. The Anglo/Europeans populated this country by pillaging and decimating an entire culture. Barely anything is left of the Native American societies that flourished before the “white man” landed here. And we did it in the name of “progress” and God (and to avoid the King’s tax man). Because God forbid we should learn from aboriginal cultures to live in harmony with the planet. Instead we have created a lazy society that is virtually raping the earth - all in the name of “development” and “convenience”. We want everything to be convenient from our conveniently-packaged bags of chips, cheeses, meats, frozen foods, breads – everything we eat! – to our swift commute in gas-powered vehicles to our conveniently-packaged cubicles everyday. As a matter of fact, while I like shopping at Fresh & Easy, I came to the realization the other day that their produce, conveniently packed in plastics, is easy to purchase but just one more step in the WRONG direction.

Our selfish American conveniences are killing our planet. And while I most definitely have shattered windows in my glass house, I can see it for what it is. All you have to do is watch ANYTHING on network television for 30 minutes to find out. Commercials. Money. The absolute DE-EVOLUTION of the American mind. Ever see that movie Idiocracy? Not a far stretch from what I see occurring in our not-so-distant future.

What is our next generation founded upon? Celebrities (aka mini-gods), texting, mySpacing and reality television? REALLY????? This is what we’ve created for ourselves, for our children. And we want to bring “developing countries” into this fold?

But, he countered with a very real concern, that people in developing countries don’t have the same access to health care, etc. They are prone to high numbers of deaths for illnesses that are curable in the West by way of inoculation. This is true. But in the end, it’s a matter of natural selection. Cold as that may seem to some, death is as natural as birth – maybe even more so because in death, we give back to the earth (or at least, we’re supposed to, but formaldehyde and concrete-lined caskets delay the process.) In the West, we have a stigma that death is scary and something to be staved off for as long as possible. Personally, I’m almost 40… And I’m weary. I feel that I’ve lived many lifetimes in this one already. Once in a while, I hate to admit that, I long for the time when 30 was the average lifespan. Then again, my belief-system gives me the faith that my core essence will continue to live long after this material shell has decomposed and become a part of the planet again (ashes to ashes, dust to dust, eh?).

Ok. But what about education? Richer countries have smarter people. Um… smarter in what way? Let’s not place our public education up on a pedestal here (see previous paragraphs). I have children in school, and I live in a state that is in a dead heat for last place in the public education race. He explained that our collegiate efforts are stellar though. And yes, I had to agree, they are. But wait… college costs money. That’s not part of our PUBLIC education system. So, to gain knowledge, one must have money. I get it now. Though, last time I checked, knowledge was free. And if we were to only instill a thirst for, and a love of, knowledge we could see great leaps in understanding. But I don’t think that our next generation is going to learn these ideals from say, “Flavor of Love” or “Cheaters” (Yes, there is a reality show called Cheaters that I happened upon the other day… the channel was immediately changed).

Well, electricity and running water are needed. Creating a sound “infrastructure” will help any community. Absolutely it will. But local native tribes created a maze of canals hundreds, if not a thousand, years ago that are still in use in the greater Phoenix area to this day! And those were created without the almighty dollar at the helm of the project.

The human race survived eons without the use of electricity while we couldn’t imagine a world without it (especially in the 100+ degree heat of the Arizona summertime desert). But he said, with a light bulb, a child can learn to read at night. Well, children have been learning to read for years and years by another form of light – fire. Many people in history became quite learned without Thomas Edison’s gift to the world.

I was accused of romanticizing the developing world’s way of life. While I’m not romanticizing anything – I mean I know hunting/gathering for one’s own sustenance is MUCH harder than hopping in my car and going to the grocery store… there is something to be said for the hunt or the work involved with picking fruits and vegetables and converting them to something edible, even tasty. So why am I not running off to find my own thatched hut in a developing country? Because I have become rather complacent and lazy in my Western way of life. Like I said, many shattered panes in my glass house… I wouldn’t know HOW. I wasn’t born into that type of culture. I was raised on Gilligan’s Island and Brady Bunch afternoons after starting my day with a strong dose of Looney Toons.

That’s not to say that I don’t think of my options – ALWAYS. Where can I find cheap, fertile land that I may till and harvest for my body’s biofuel while not furthering the pillaging of my planet? At this time, I can’t afford land. The land that I can afford is in another country – far from the safety net of my “tribe” – often in a warring state. All the land on this planet is already taken and accounted for by someone or some state entity. What I wouldn’t give for a piece of Nicaraguan coastal property… but why would I place myself in the middle of a communist-driven country with an in-bred distrust of Americans?

So how do we change things? How do we start moving in the direction of fixing the meltdown of our planet? I say through a strong reorganization of our priorities. If we want a culture of strong, educated people, then we must instill that in our next generations. We remove the bullshit from our televisions and replace it ALL with PBS. We take our celebrity-fueled neurosis and start to expect said celebrities to lead us in the direction of real change. While our president talks the talk, in the end, it’s the people that we watch on television and read about in magazines every single day that really have the most influence on us. Wow – that’s a lot of pressure on a celebrity isn’t it? I mean, they just want to act or sing or whatever… but in this culture if you want the adorned, and adored, life of a celebrity then you should be aware of your power and use it for GOOD! If you want a big, or little, screen following, then you should be held responsible for all of the people held in your rapture.

KILL THE CORPORATION! Corporations have a single bottom line – money. Non-profits, cooperatives and individually-owned small business need to come back into play. Our need for mass-produced items is going to be the end of us. Whatever happened to craftsmanship and pride in one’s work over mass productivity? Our need for thneeds has gotten us nowhere (Theodore Geisel had no idea that what he was writing 1971 would be so much more relevant in 2009). We fill our homes with material goods to sate our true need for inner fulfillment. The Beatles said it best when they sang, “money can’t buy you love”. And it’s true… money can’t buy inner peace and fulfillment. Money makes things easier in our physical world, but nobody ever said living life easy is really living. It may seem like it on the surface… “If I had money, I could travel the world. I could buy a big house. I could buy a big car.” But in reality, you’re just caught back in that vicious circle where money is really only placing your BIG, FAT MONIED HUMAN FOOTPRINT on a dying planet… But what does it matter? We have what we need and what we want. F*ck the planet.