In every corner of our society from a very young age, money holds a dominant place in our lives.
From leaving school to retirement, the accumulation of money is encouraged as our life’s goal. But in modern society, is this the best that humanity can do?
There are those who thrive in a competitive workplace and are cut-throat enough to make their way to the top and some entrepreneurs certainly create products to try and help mankind.
But there are others who reject this current system, whether it be a result of mental or physical health problems or simply being reluctant to work mundane jobs for little wages.
I have personally suffered from depression and anxiety from a young age and, being in my late 20s, now find it very difficult to get back on track with work that makes me feel fulfilled as opposed to being poorly paid and used to better someone else’s profit margins. Is this really our only solution or are there other plans that could be implemented for the betterment of all humankind?
The alternative that I favour the most is known as The Venus Project. It proposes an alternative path for humanity using what we already know and have at our disposal to redesign our future away from the inadequacies of war, poverty, hunger, debt and unnecessary human suffering.
It is time to give up on our current failing system. Jacque Fresco, an American born in 1916, was a futurist and self described social engineer. Fresco directed The Venus Project, which he refers to as a resource-based economy.
He stated that with current technology we could create a system in which no human being would experience debt, hunger or homelessness. Fresco put forward new designs for cities which, using space correctly with nature and technology, would make better use of the whole area of our planet. Technology could push forward current systems so food and shelter would be available to all human beings. The idea was first suggested in the 1990’s and, twenty years later, we are still under the current monetary system with things continuing to decline.
“Only when the last tree has been cut down will we realise that we can’t breathe money.”
This saying truly speaks to me about the destructive path we are currently on. With hemp being a cheap alternative to oil and plastic, deforestation could end. It is unfair for future societies to suffer and correct our ongoing mistakes. The monetary system needs to be abandoned and all its problems with it.
Some people would have you believe that if this change happened and technology was used to take over food production and all the mundane jobs society has to offer that people would stop working altogether. In fact, it would give the people a chance to focus on jobs that would advance our species as a whole.
Productivity is inevitably increased when people are pursuing their strengths rather than work they need to do to get by.
Money is the source of much of our daily sufferings and should be removed completely from our current systems. All knowledge of alternative ways of living should also be shared freely to every person on the planet. Education is key.
It must therefore be the goal of the ruling powers to be humble enough to admit when a system is failing and push for the betterment of us all. Change is possible.