The big picture. Is the earth actually governable?

I share everything, I own nothing. None of my possesions mean anything to me.
I give away the stuff I don't use or need, Ive barely sold a thing in my life. I share the money I have with charities, family, friends, homeless people. I used to share my food with a homeless guy I would sit and keep company, I'd make sandwiches or whatever and bring them with me. I share my cigarettes with strangers lol. I don't own a thing and I dont need to own a thing. I'd share the shoes on my feet and clothes on my back if I needed to, infact I have done before, if someone is cold I'd give them my coat and on holiday I gave my shoes to a girl whose feet were burning from the hot floor. I just believe that nothing I have is mine.

The problem with money is it segregates us, puts numbers over our heads and labels us. Rich & poor divides keep dividing even further. People are fucking dying every single day because they cant get food or water yet I have 3 taps of clean running water in my house, why do I need three? Do I even need 1 when the twelve other apartments in my block each have 3 too? It is unfair, fuck it all really, the system is screwed. I will continue to earn my money and share my goods until the day I die and I'll leave everything to a kid in Africa because he/she needs it a hell of a lot more than I do.

From what I can see, all money does is make greedy people greedier and needy people needier.

 

Very noble aims but sadly all such theories, be they the utopian idealogy of 'pure' socialism, Keynesianism or Randian free enterprise avoid one fact - human nature. Until and unless we conqueur our specie's inate desires for short term greed, zenophobia, lust for power and nationalism it will never happen.
In other words, the central problem is not ideology, it's us!

 

What are you on? I want some.

 

4: Nations states should set up public Government funded enterprises to roll out photo-voltaic cells (solar power) across the World.This would go a long way to solving future energy crises and pollution of the environment...The same for wind-farms and hydro-electric (wave power).Research and development in these area is I believe infinite and we've only just started.I know existing energy providers will try to stop this because the will lose billions,but this is the fate of the planet we are talking about here,and that's more important than any sum of money.If need be existing energy companies could enter the reusable energy business in partnership with government funded public projects.

 

Yes! Thank you!

The end of money is the end of ONE POSSIBLE WAY of signifying class.

 

You people scare me

 

Really...Please explain? We're just voices in the wilderness...Someone really has to try and check the excesess of the curent sytem...THIS IS WHY YOU ARE WRONG.

 

The world could easily be ruled by a one world government. Just assemble a large army, forcefully confiscate all privately owned gun, eliminate free speech and rule with an unforgiving, crushing hand.

 

MamaPeace: There is obviously a difference between earning, paying for, buying, giving and sharing.
It's great that you give to others and you share your time [You are a good samaritan] - but you had to earn, pay for and then give.
What do the people that you give to have to share?
How do they fit into the loop?
Like you say: it would need to include every single person on the planet to want it and live by it, otherwise it wouldn't work.

Why do you think you can have 3 taps and some in poorer countries have to share one with a whole village? It is unfair, and I share your frustration. The system is screwed. That's what I was getting at. We make the systems we have or know about work for all rather than some. Imho, the solution is above this post somewhere. What process do you think is attempting to get us out of the mess we are in (financially speaking)?

 

I would like to see the end of nation states too.

 

But none of that would change the fundamental nature of humans, so it wouldnt solve anything.

 

While it is true that humans in our culture do seem to be fundamentally selfish, how can you be sure culture is not at least part of the cause also?

 

You speak truth!

But maybe the reason we're so cut-throat is due to the self-absorbed capitalistic media-driven culture of me. So maybe it's media-driven culture that's the problem too.

 

Oh, certainly! Look at society now versus society 50 years ago. Back then they really didn't want much violence on TV. And if there was any, TVs were not in as many home, average per capita, as they are now. And parents had responsibility as well. That explains why a lot of our kids are so fucked up.

As for the adults, again, point the finger at the parents. They are a primary issue here. Parents that still stay in contact with their kids, still give their kids pointers and advice and even ridicule if needed, they are still parents even when the kid hits 18, or 24, or 32, or 45, man the list goes on. They are parents until the day they die.

The rest of society is a group issue. We have greed as the largest societal dysfunction. Greed breeds so many other dysfunctional traits.

 

Kill off about 4 billion of them. Short of that, I got nothing.

 

Nahh. That's just enabled individuals to foster silly dreams about being cutthroat. Before that we did it on societal levels. Rome wasn't exactly moon beams and soft squeezable bunnies, you know. The only person who killed more Jews than Hadrian was Hitler after all, and he just had the benefit of modern industry.

 

Well sure it's culture too.

Removing money and nation states doesn't change culture though. Not straight away. And not without a lot of mess first.

 

Yeah that's the problem, one that ive spent almost half my life thinking about and getting annoyed at, the fact that nothing will work until every single person is willing and unfortunatley many people in this world fear change of any kind. Literally, it keeps me awake every night.
The people I share with, I don't expect anything in return, especially the homeless people, I get enough out of knowing that they have a full stomach or have been able to be treated as somewhat equal and not looked down on or feared. But again, that's another problem, too many expect too much, if you didnt expect a thing in return after sharing/doing a good deed or favour then you are actually gaining reward from yourself.

Financially speaking, I think as a world we have dug ourselves into a massive hole that is going to take some serious and time consuming work to get us out of. Not only have we created and emphasised poverty and famine in poorer countries, we've also made richer people richer. Our economy is crashing, more are out of work and relying on hand outs, poverty (although not as seemingly extreme) is alive and screaming in our own countries but hardly anyone recognises it. We blame everybody else left, right and centre instead of stepping back and accepting blame ourselves. Sure, its not my fault I was born into a wealthy and privileged country, its not my fault that the government give out excessive hand outs, its not my fault that I was born with a roof over my head with the means to a full stomach everynight, none of that is my fault but really, who's fault is it? We can't put all the blame on the government, after all they do only exist because we allow them too. We can't put all of the blame on anyone, because in my opinion, no one is to blame, we are all just doing what we know to be normal but its anything but normal! We are slaves to money, even those in the most comfortable of positions wouldnt be there without money. Born with nothing, die with nothing, so why do we need to fill the inbetween with everything?
We have more than enough to go around, but its not going anywhere, its staying with the wealthy because we are selfish. I just don't think we are living a sustainable or fair way of life. Life is not unfair, we make it unfair, life is what you make it.

 

Before we start bandying around the word ‘greed’ let’s attempt to define what it is, and what it isn’t.
From my perspective what greed ISN’T :-
Hard work resulting in an earnt reward.
Wanting to provide for your loved ones.
Wanting to live under a system where the fruits of your work cannot be arbitrarily taken from you.
Putting aside resources for a rainy day, either for your family, loved ones or immediate community.
What greed IS :-
A desire to own the un-earnt.
A desire to take arbitrarily from others.
A wish to possess more material goods, money etc than you can possibly use for yourself or your loved ones.
A desire to control others through what you own.
I’m sure a more detailed definition can be worked out .
Having said that we must face the facts of history that tell us the accumulation of wealth ,either by the state, businesses or individuals has facilitated investment in projects benefiting humanity in ways we’ve come to take for granted. Greed has also financed and induced wars, and the creation of weapons of mass destruction.

Greed can also be found in unexpected human behaviors. You may think your desire to have a large family isn't greedy if you yourself can provide them with a decent living. However, on a planet where resources are limited, ecosystems are being destroyed and selfishness is about to threaten the actual suvival of our species I suggest mindlessly increasing the population can be seen as a form of greed. Rome disagrees but then they believe JS will come again to save us all at the last moment. . . . and that's another contentious subject.

 

Most of us here live in very individualistic countries.
If you live in the lovely place known as the U.S.A - even more so.
So much so, vast swathes of your fellow citizens can't even share healthcare.

http://blog.lib.umn.edu/keilh001/architecture/2008/02/blog_prompt_2_to_hell_with_the.html

To be fair, it might be a little draconian to expect everybody to follow one particular way of life.
But I like the word 'sharing'.
I like the word earning and spending, too.
But, you are right, we should be sharing more - in small ways.
I was talking about a little bit of a larger idea of sharing, though.
As some sort of replacement for money.
That might be going too far - and is unworkable.
But we should learn to share as much as we can - your three taps for e.g D).
Another idea: There are a lot of shops here in the UK that have empty spaces above them - nobody lives there.
They could be shared with people who have no home.
Those people could act as security. Win Win. (They could work something out with regards to utilities)
There are many ideas that we could both come up with - I'm sure.

I would hope the current global financial crisis is a massive wake up call for as many people as possible.
I hope the austerity measures that are being put in place, remain - resource saving in particular.
I hope it forces as many people as possible that you can't live beyond your means.
I hope it teaches governments that they have to save while times are good and not borrow, borrow and borrow some more.
Imagine the extra that could be done if countries spent their money more wisely.
Instead of the pitiful 0.7 Millennium Development Goal (repeated commitment of the world's governments to commit 0.7% of rich-countries' gross national product (GNP) to Official Development Assistance.)
http://www.unmillenniumproject.org/press/07.htm - it could be 2,3 - heck 7%.
Imagine how many issues that would solve for poor countries.

I agree. Collectively we are not doing a very good job.