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I have been attending The Good Men Project’s Political Activism Social Interest Group ConvoCast (call-in talk forum) for some time, now. This is a reflection of my on-going commitment to my personal growth as a man but also my commitment to the growth of all who are concerned with the importance of healthy masculinities.
My ideas will no doubt be seen as extreme or idealistic. Yet I felt they needed to be said, and then positioned as a goal to work towards over time. My opinions stem from long-held frustrations where our society places all value for our human abilities on the amount of money that can be made from them; money is the only value that matters. In reality, this is an inexcusable waste of human potential. In my ideal city, three important areas would be eliminated by one big philosophical change: Money, power, and coercion. My suggestion is based upon the writings of Karl Marx, where he said:
From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs.
Now how do I intend to pursue this in the real world? Here is what we would have to do:
Abolish all forms of financial dealings, including stocks, bonds, mutual funds, investment brokers, banks, and money. Abolish all forms of trade or bartering in the exchange for any and all goods and services. Property would lose all value, and people would be free to move where ever they desired so long as they respected other people’s privacy. The love of sharing our gifts is all the government we would need.
Replace the Money System
It is very simple: Give what you love and take what you need. (Karl Marx’s famous quote slightly re-written).
Here is how it would work:
From birth, each and every person on Earth would be educated with their sole learning outcome being the acquisition of personal knowledge of what they love to do, the skills by which to do it and the resources to enable their chosen gift to be given to the world available to them for life. In return, the greater culture of others doing what they love would provide all their individual needs for life.
So, in practice, by doing what you love and giving it away for free you give the very best of your life to others and fill important social needs as a builder and as a selfless global citizen. Your return is, of course, that you may go anywhere at any time, taking what you need when you need it from others who love to give what you need because it was in their learning outcomes to do this.
This will not be a hot transition topic, for sure and there would be a fairly difficult transition period.
People would need to adjust and not hoard goods. Eventually, citizens would realize hoarding only burdens them and as they develop the faith that others would love to make their shoes, or their clothes or their cars or fly them in aircraft, hoarding would cease. Laziness may be another problem that would eventually be solved by the fact that we all love to do our favorite things that probably have some redeeming value for others. All we have to do is do what we love and give it away for free. Easy, right?
With everyone receiving their needs freely and as soon as possible, citizens would eventually no longer need borders, police forces or the military. Hence prisons would slowly be transformed into educational centers where inmates would be encouraged to do what they love. This may be a very difficult transition for some of them due to their negative socialization and because of personality problems they may not be able to live freely in the greater society just yet. Some inmates may never be freed yet may find ways to be happy with the gifts they have found. These inmates would be treated as guests and given a comfortable lifestyle, education and the support they need. All inmates will be given freedoms they are capable of maintaining in a responsible manner. All remaining prisons would be run by people who care about the inmates and their personal growth.
With a cultural shift towards doing what you love and taking what you need, gender would eventually cease to be an issue since all citizens would be free to find the companions they wish and the occupations they desire. All gender definitions would be accepted as it goes along with the first principal, do what you love.
Elections would no longer be needed as long as citizens remain free to do what they love and take what they need without hurting others. There may be periods of extreme social upheaval until the philosophy is accepted and lived out by one complete generation.
Healthcare would be free, of course, and universally available by caring professionals who love what they do. All education, including adult education, all literature, sciences, philosophy, mechanics, and food production to name just a few would be available online and of course freely provided by people who love to provide this to us.
Challenges
Many cases of abuse will occur. People doing what they love may not be able to always find the resources they need to do what they wish. However, people who love to solve problems will be on hand to assist these people to find ways to achieve their dream occupations. Some of these helpful citizens may also love to cook and keep the waiting citizens well fed and entertained until their materials arrive. Many others will love to repair cars and do gardening or build houses of all shapes and sizes. Everyone has some skill that they wish they could give to others-just think of your own life and see if there is something you have not found a way to openly give to others, now’s your chance! It is a fundamental human need to be loved and to give love in return. Many of us just need the right excuse or reason to develop it-and this takes time, hence a transition period of time will be required. Maybe a hundred years, hard to know for sure.
Some citizens may decide to do nothing but golf for ten years, but inevitably, they would get bored and possibly then decide to become the greenskeeper at their favorite course. Citizens will find their best-loved occupations especially if the culture is geared that way from the start. Another person might love to travel and do so for many years, only to find a cute little bed and breakfast on the Scottish coast and decide to take care of guests in ways only they know how. It all works out in the end even if it takes a while to get there. Another might be a police officer who decides to help young people beat their addictions to drugs by helping them to find and develop their dreams. As I’ve said it will take time to work out the details. Assisting citizens to shift from one gift offering to another will also require competent trainers and skills training seminars. We do not want people who love to fly doing so without the proper skills.
So, what it comes down to is this: What is your gift that you would give for free and not expect anything in return? That is all it takes to make this city of the future a reality. I believe that if everyone did this there would be enough to go around for all. Imagine that.
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Reference:
Marx, K. (1875). “Part One”. Critique of the gotha program, Retrieved from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/From_each_according_to_his_ability,_to_each_according_to_his_needs
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