I'm Not Alone! ...Just Undiscovered

essay

I suppose it's my own fault. It's my ego which tells me I have 'invented' a new social system, and my ego which desires the credit. Plus, I prefer to muse on a subject rather than exhaustively research same, and that's the flaw which bursts my prideful bubble.

I could scold myself for my inaction, but I like myself too much to be very stern. So I'll let myself off with this little pearl:

I'm a big believer in 'parallel design'-- many of the factors which urge invention from the creative human mind exist all over, as do creative minds themselves-- so it's not at all unreasonable that different people could arrive at similar concepts, having never met each other or read their philosophies. And that's what's happened here.

My 'Perfect World Theory' is a copycat. I won't even try to call them copycats... they've got an earlier publishing date than I. It doesn't matter that these thoughts have been rolling around in my head for years before familiarity with the 'blog' helped me disseminate them.

They were first.

And I'm okay with that. I'm just glad it's already a movement. What matters to me is the eventual turnaround of the human condition, not getting the credit for being the one who did the turning. That very thought is anti 'Perfect World'.

But as it is true with differing cartoonists, separate theorists will have entirely different approaches when trying to make their concepts understood. And I'm no different. In reading other theories, even as I can see the similarity of thought, I realize how different our varying approaches are.

I'll be honest, I like my approach best.

It's folksy and homespun. It speaks directly to you as coming from me. It's casual and humorous (if I do say so myself) and tries not to use too many long words. But I admit that approach has a problem, even a fatal flaw:

Too many types of people reading my blog will not take it seriously.

They will view it as coming from a science fiction writer trying to flesh out an alternate reality, one which could never work in the here and now. The other social designers are serious and dignified, spitting out all manner of fact and figure in an attempt to draw in those very readers who find my writing only slightly above pap... or slightly below. More power to them, I say.

I've always believed that each man and woman are born with certain inherent talents. I base my 'Perfect World' theory on the premise that those collective talents appear in the exact right amount on the planet, to provide all the necessary labor in all the necessary fields in such a way that each person is practicing their favorite skills. That's right... everyone would be happy and content in their chosen field. Optimistic? Probably. But as you will soon read, other futurists tend to agree with me.

I mention that fact because I believe many types of writing will be necessary to ultimately draw in enough of the population to make this wise change a reality. I tend to draw in the optimists, the hearts and flowers crowd who read my heartfelt words and exclaim, "THIS is how life should be! I'll begin living this way immediately!" Other writers will entice the 'numbers' crowd, who never make a move without first whipping out a calculator. Still others will (kind of) interest the skeptics and pessimists, who might get on board for no other reason than to experience, firsthand, an economic disaster of Brobdingnagian proportions (although they would hesitate to use that particular term in their own descriptions, it being a made up place from a fairy tale and all).

Lots of people types, lots of writer types. I've long ago stopped criticizing myself for my conversational style, especially after reading the crap that I produced when trying to 'sound smart'-- there is a market for me, out there, somewhere.

Enough about me. What you are about to read is a very similar plan to mine, only written at the college level. Maybe it's dull, maybe it's fascinating-- you have to decide. One thing for certain is true: It is written in such a sober, factual way that more readers will take it seriously than not. The concept is called the 'Venus Project' and they are pushing a 'resource-based economy', and describe it clearly. I'll be back:

What is The Zeitgeist Movement?

Started in late 2008, The Zeitgeist Movement exists as the communication and "Activist Arm" of an organization called The Venus Project. The Venus Project was started many decades ago by Social/Industrial Designer Jacque Fresco and his life's work has been to address and overcome the lack of sustainability existing currently across the world and work to incorporate new methods and values before it is too late. The basic pursuit of The Movement is to begin a transition into a new, sustainable social design called a “Resource-Based Economy”. This term was first coined by Jacque Fresco of the Venus Project and refers to an economic structure based exclusively on strategic resource management as the starting point for all decisions.

Basic Observations:

In the view of The Movement, the world today has become very detached from the physical world, with techniques of production and distribution that have no relationship to the environment. Our use of a profit based, “growth” driven monetary system has become one of the greatest destroyers of the natural world, not to mention sustainable human values. It is important to understand that the entire global economy requires “cyclical consumption” to operate, which means that money must constantly be circulating. Thus, new goods and services must be constantly introduced regardless of the state of the environment and actual human necessity. This "perpetual" approach has a fatal flaw, for resources as we know it are simply not infinite. Resources are finite and the Earth is essentially a closed system.

The true goal of any economy is to preserve - or "economize" - this is not occurring and cannot occur in a monetary driven system where labor for income requires consumer demand. We actually live in a global "anti-economy" by all rational standards.

Also, the intents inherent within a monetary system are counter progressive and derive a strategic edge from scarcity. This means that depleted resources are actually a positive thing for industry in the short term, for more money can be made off each respective unit. This is known as the basic law of supply & demand and hence “value” in economics. This creates a perverse reinforcement to ignore environmental problems and the negative consequences of scarcity, for it literally translates into profit. There is little intrinsic motivation to "solve" any problem or to make things that last in the current model. It is much more beneficial for jobs and hence profit to "service" things- not resolve them.

In other words, the system requires problems/constant consumer interest in order to work. The more people who have cancer in America, the better the economy due to expensive medical treatments. Needless to say, this generates an inherent disregard for human well being. The monetary arrangement, whether in the form of capitalism, communism, socialism, fascism, free-market or the like, is utterly detached from natural resources and thus human well-being. It is erroneously assumed that the incentive to seek money is also the incentive to help society. Nothing could be further from the truth. For example, every single product created by a corporation today is immediately inferior by design, for the market requirement to cut creation costs in favor of lowering the output "purchase price" to maintain a competitive edge, automatically reduces the quality of any given item by default. In other words it is impossible to create the “strategically best”, long lasting anything in our society and this translates into, again, outrageous amounts of resource waste. This is entirely and provably unsustainable as a social system and the world you are beginning to see emerge around you, with growing starvation, poverty, unemployment; along with the growing scarcity of water, food and arable land, is the result.

Likewise, most occupations are not directly related to the actual necessities of life. Rather, they are artificial concoctions in order to keep people employed so they can acquire purchasing power to keep cyclical consumption going. The very reality that each human being is required to be put in a position of servitude to a corporation or client in order to gain income to purchase the necessities of life also perpetuates extreme, needless waste... however, this time, it is the waste of the human mind and human life. In the modern world, advancements in science and technology have shown that we can automate a great deal. In fact, statistically speaking, the more we have applied mechanization to labor, the more productive things have become. Therefore, it is not only negligent for us to waste our lives waiting tables, working at a bus station, fixing cars, or other repetitive, monotonous jobs, it is also entirely irresponsible for us not to apply modern mechanization techniques to all industries possible for, apart from strategic resource management, this is a powerful way to achieve balance and abundance for all the world's people, reducing crime generating imbalances.

In other words, it is time to update society to present day knowledge, taking the carrying capacity of the earth into account and realigning our methods based not on the reward of monetary gain..but the goal of social sustainability as a whole.

Even with our current, destructive methods, the Earth is still abundant with resources. Today our practice of rationing resources through monetary methods is irrelevant and counter-productive to the well-being of people. Today’s society has access to highly advanced technologies and can easily provide more than enough for a very high standard of living for all the earth’s people. This is possible through the implementation of a Resource-Based Economy.

A Resource-Based Economy utilizes existing resources rather than money, and provides an equitable method of distribution in the most humane and efficient manner for the entire population. It is a system in which all natural, man-made, machine-made, and synthetic resources would be available without the use of money, credits, barter, or any other form of symbolic exchange. A Resource-Based Economy would utilize existing resources from the land and sea, and the means of production, such as physical equipment and industrial plants, to enhance the lives of the total population. In an economy based on resources, conservation and the most advanced methods of science and technology, we could easily produce all of the necessities of life and provide a high standard of living for all. To do this, we have to overcome our current, outdated, establishment practices. This is the purpose of The Zeitgeist Movement- to create a global awareness to thus transition into a new, sustainable direction for humanity as a whole.

Wow. Wowee wow-wow. That is some good stuff, there. I feel humbled.

Okay, done feeling humble. I still think my blog is more interesting, and I'll tell you why (as if you didn't know, dear reader): It's fun! I say fun things, write fun short stories and take you on an excursion through the carnival in my head. Where else are you going to read about God having a press conference, or a story about the super-secret meeting of the super-secret rich, learning of the plan to abolish money and deciding exactly how to crush it? Or go on the road with me as I ask difficult questions of difficult people and learn just how hard this changeover will be?

I definitely take an approach the others do not, envisioning each period of time during which 'Perfect World' seeks to entrench itself, imagining both the positive and negative energies affecting its outcome and relating them in fictional form. I have recurring characters, such as the mysterious 'founder' who wrote the Aden Codex, a set of directions for attaining and keeping Perfect World. While some readers assume the founder is me... you have to wonder how it can be that our two lives have taken such divergent turns as to still be considered 'similar'. I wonder.

Many characters are 'big brains', people who have undertaken the challenges set before them and succeeded where scores of others have failed, and do so with a humor and lightness I wish all scientists possessed. Some are born of the new system and can't imagine life any other way than it is, making it interesting to watch how their thought processes differ from our own and even more so, how they are similar. Others are imports, normal people living abnormal lives. I have BLUR trains, secret cities, Spooge guns and human sounding computer programs. I even have a Fuckatorium... and who doesn't want one of those?

To conclude this love fest, I leave you with an important thought: In the future world, whether it be my Perfect World or their 'resource-based economy' or any other idealistic view of the future of humanity, almost all competition will likely be ruled as harmful, except for competing with your own talents to refine them, and cooperation will be hailed as the new human condition.

In the spirit of that future time, I encourage you to read every piece of literature you can find about this particular type of society, not just mine. Read everyone. We're all on the same page. When raised properly, EVERY human has equal value in the puzzle of humanity, and each can lead a life well-lived in peace and harmony, health and happiness.

I only hope it happens before I leave this mortal coil.

Get crackin,' people!

Copyright 2011 Bruce Ian Friedman