Trust me, you'll be surprised by my answer. Keep on reading if you want to get an entirely new view of the world as you know it.
So what is capitalism? According to common understanding, capitalism is the use of money to make more money. First let's look at the things that are supposedly good about capitalism
- it seems fair, that people who do more should have more
- it seems fair, that people who take more responsibility should get a greater reward
- it seems fair, that risking what you have should result in a reward for you
but supposedly capitalism has very bad consequences too
- the "loosers" of the system, they end up with having nothing
- the "winners" of the system, tend to end up with more and more and more
- the majority of the participants tend to end up with less and less and less
In other words, 10% of the people have 90% of the wealth.
"So why do you call everything only supposedly good or supposedly bad", you might ask? This is where the actual journey begins. Those 6 points, the good and the bad, which are of course only the most important points about the system, they appear in places you would not expect them to appear.
The oldest known human city is Jericho, and its history goes back 12.000 years. In those 12.000 years many cities were built. And only 3000 years ago, we begin to see actual money (cowry shells, shekel, and the like) being used widely. And yet... in every excavated city around the globe, each and everyone that is older than 3000 years, we find the following:
There are 10% who have 90% of the wealth, while 90% of the people have 10% of wealth. And by riches of course we mean houses, cows, jewelry, and every other kind of things that people value, as well as influence and power.
Or let's look at every communist state: if you look close enough, you will find, that 10% of the people have 90% of the power. And they use all kinds of propaganda tools to keep that power, which more often than not results in them staying in their position of power for life. This is actually not common case in the countries that the communists call "capitalist", just as a sidenote.
And let's look at another horrible example of capitalism: in germany there are regulations, and there is exactly one product from one "capitalist" that is allowed to be used for a certain task in plumbing. Horrible right? Killing the competition... Let's look at the communist state: there is exactly one kind of product for one purpose being sold, and those at the top reap the fruits. It's exactly the same. Except it's not called capitalism there.
So, how come, that the bad consequences of "capitalism" are everywhere and in every time, before even the invention of money?
The surprising answer is the following: capitalism is not actually a thing. Or at least not that thing, that those who fight it, think it is. Instead, what we see here is an instance of human nature. It is not simply greed, that makes people be more successful. No, it is a pattern of nature, that some are more successful than others. This is nature. Not capitalism.
Hence, those who fight "capitalism" end up making things worse. Because they become blind to the actual problem. And this is the reason, why communist states are incapable of getting rid of the people who have taken power after the revolution. If you are blind against the actual problem you have no mechanism to counter what's really going on.
And this is why I am writing this, because the west is increasingly turning blind to what's actually going on, and fighting against windmills, while thinking they are giants. We will destroy those windmills (which are sustaining all of us), if this blindness isn't healed. And there is one way only, to heal it: show to people that what they fight are windmills. Show them, what the actual problem is. And... come up with actual solutions.
So... you might say: okay, I can see why you call this thing nature and why you call capitalism merely an instance of it. But, is it now good or evil?
Neither of course, or rather both. Human nature has good sides and bad sides. Every pattern in nature has good effects on us, and bad ones. And, yes, you are certainly right, we need to counter those bad effects. We need to implement something, to keep the 10% from getting richer while at the same time keeping the 90% from getting poor. But what could be the answer? If it isn't communism, then what might be the answer?
Well... I do have some ideas. And I will tell you... This here is the beginning of a few articles on my political thoughts. Maybe you do have some ideas as well. Don't hesitate to share them.
