CHAPTER V
THE GREEDY LIE
I recall discussing the topic of global hunger with my relative, a staunch conservative and someone I always considered “wealthy”. I kept insisting to them we needed to find ways to feed and take care of everyone’s basic needs in the world. They startled me with these words, spoken softly, almost as if they were sharing a secret: “There just isn’t enough for everyone.” I was so shocked by this seemingly ignorant response from a learned college graduate I didn’t respond. It also caused one of the rusty cogs in my brain to turn. It was almost pure excitement as I realized the answer to my question about motivations for greed.
If you truly believe there is not enough for everyone, it follows that you would want to ensure there was enough for “you and yours”. What about your descendants? Surely if there’s not enough now, there will be even less later on. Populations are obviously growing, and we see the travesty of starvation and hunger around the world on a daily basis, so you must make sure that “you and yours” are taken care of in the next generation, and so on. In this scenario, how much is really enough?
If this lie of scarcity has already been accepted, there is never enough. Abundance is not a possibility to those under the influence of this belief. The more one looks to the future, the more one realizes an omnipresent feeling of dread, of need, of the fight or flight response. I have to get more and more – always more – greed prevails.
The truth is, as we currently produce enough food in the world to feed 10 billion people we can unequivocally state there is enough! The truth is also that a meat-based diet requires seven times more land than a plant-based diet. It requires ten to twenty times more energy per edible tonne than grain production. Excess animal waste often ends up in rivers and groundwater, where it contributes to nitrogen, phosphorus, and nitrate pollution. The truth is that cutting down significantly or eliminating farmed animals as a food source can significantly contribute to our climate change fight. The truth is that roughly one third of the food produced is currently wasted, in both advanced, industrialized nations and “Third World” countries.
The truth is that there is more than enough.
What is lacking is often the infrastructure needed to get food (as well as clean water, shelter, and healthcare) into the hands of those in need. What is lacking is the will to ensure food and supplies arrive in the hands of those in need. What is lacking is the influence to secure the food and other supplies from those who would steal humanitarian aid for monetary profit.
After removing money from the equation, we can immediately focus more efforts on infrastructure to easily solve the significant problems we face feeding the world.
So, if there is enough for everyone, why do we constantly fight, struggle, starve, hate, wound, and kill? It is the societal constraints we currently live in, where money is king and imaginary lines dividing us are everywhere.
When you feel the hate, the division, differences, jealousy, and the weight of our current societal flaws, remember to tell yourself “there is enough, only love!” We can only save the world by working together, not as one nation, not as one religion, but as fellow humans sharing, building, solving, inventing, creating, caring – loving. Because that is the truth and it is our path to preservation. Arguing about it will not change the truth, nor discount it. We actually can save the world, but not by fighting, trade wars, “spreading democracy,” and spending our lives in fear of each other.
Our differences are actually what make us stronger, not weaker. If everyone wants to play cello, we will never have a symphony. When everyone has the same vision in building design, all structures will look the same. It is our differences that make life interesting. Multiple viewpoints from differing heritages/cultures/environments help us all to grow and understand our world better. The blinders to differing viewpoints caused by isolation keep us all a little more ignorant.
Unfortunately, messages of hate, like nationalist rhetoric, with Adolph Hitler’s Nazi regime being a prime example, have been on the rise in recent years in nations like Greece, Italy, and the United States of America. Nationalism and the inherent racism it espouses is a powerful tool of hate and fear, used to divide and conquer. It is based in the fear of those who are different. Nationalism is just one example of bigotry used by people who all strive for sameness. This fear, too, is a lie. Fear of those whose skin color is different, fear of those who worship differently, fear of those who love differently, and fear of those who identify differently are all emotions taken advantage of to oppress not just those who are different but to manipulate others through their fear and hatred.
Luckily for us, a world where we are all the same doesn’t exist, and humans are extremely diverse in their backgrounds, environment, genetic makeup, hopes and desires, goals and passions, and physical appearance. This is what gives us the ability to innovate and learn. Harnessing the resources of our diversity and working together as a people is what gives us the ability to manage and conquer the global threats we all face. Instead of fearing those who are different from us, we would all be so much further ahead by embracing and learning from those differences.
I, for one, have absolutely no interest in living in a world where everyone looks, thinks, acts, and feels the same as I do. What a bland and boring outlook! Nationalism is just one of the many problems the existence of countries creates. War is another, and likely the largest waste of both natural and human resources on our planet:
- The monetary costs of war are astronomical.
- The true cost of war is not just loss of life, maiming and scarring. The money and resources spent on war are not spent on health care. Money and resources spent on war don't get spent on social services. These costs to society run longer and deeper than the immediate impacts of war – potentially eroding the foundations of society for decades to come.
- On top of all of these costs, war is often extremely harmful to our environment.
- Humans fighting humans accounts for over 50 percent of the US government budget. This is the most egregious example in our world. Over $1.7 trillion was dedicated to the military in 2017 alone. The U.S. has 2.1 million military personnel worldwide.
- It would take just one-tenth this amount ($170 billion) to end extreme poverty worldwide.
- In 2011 there were as much as 6.1 million people employed both directly and indirectly in U.S. military defense.
- The consequence from Iraq dumping thousands of barrels of Kuwaiti oil into the Persian Gulf during the Persian Gulf war to weaken Kuwait was climate devastation.
- Over 6,303,847 metric tons Aluminum, 2,388,600 metric tons Copper, 2,195,000 metric tons Explosives, 1,621,000 metric tons Lead, 115,500 metric tons Nickel, 74,502 metric tons Tin, 2,438,000 metric tons Zinc, 733,006,633 metric tons Steel, and a staggering 8,242,000,000 metric tons Oil (equivalence) were used in WWII.
Many fellow humans insist to me that war and conflict are “just human nature,” and we will never be able to stop the cycle. I strongly disagree, as anthropologists are sharply divided on the matter. Is war truly a “natural progression” of events based on our current socio-economic constructs? It is when only a few own the world and get us to fight for them when they create conflict. It is when we tolerate abusive dictators. It is when authoritarian regimes manipulate, corrupt, and intimidate for world dominance. It is not, however, “human nature” to fight wars or even to fight at all.
The problem is, we are extremely short on time to enact the changes needed. We must move quickly, or we will realize our chance at survival on our planet has passed. Will it be easy? Absolutely not, at least not at first. But, in less than a single generation, I believe our new societal norms will become not just obvious but practiced and natural.
Arthur Schopenhauer wrote, “All truth passes through three stages: First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as self-evident.” Let us all move swiftly through the first two steps to self-evidence! How? Start with discussions – with family, friends, coworkers, the person next to you in line, your elected officials. We need to have these discussions, now and globally!
CHAPTER VI
ABOUT THAT NEW DIRECTION…
If we don’t do something different, we face not only natural and economic devastation, but likely the complete extinction of humans in the near future. When will we see the first low-lying countries collapse from the climate emergency? How soon after the first two or three countries collapse will we see the start of a domino-effect of other countries in the world imploding? Will we see this in the next five to ten years? Twenty to thirty years? More? I believe twenty years is an overly optimistic projection. Based on a recent report by the United Nations, I am not alone in this thinking. Continuing down our current path will likely bring complete collapse to civilization as we know it. We will, in all likelihood, become a world of every person for themselves, a species in lawless abandon. We’ll likely be at war with each other fighting for resources to survive, and there’s likely to be wave after wave of pandemics as healthcare becomes almost nonexistent.
Continuing down our current path is not an option. Anyone who truly believes that we are fine with the current state of society is ignorant of our situation, delusional, gullible, or corrupt. No, we cannot continue with hope that someone else will figure it out for us. We all need to work hard, together, to heal our planet and save ourselves. I don’t know how long the United States of America will endure, but, as long as it does, I believe it is likely one of the best forms of government currently in existence. We can do better.
I do not look forward to or advocate for the demise of any country in the world. Based on current trends, however, I believe governments, countries, and their monetary systems will start collapsing, possibly by 2030, if not sooner. As more and more countries face economic challenges from climate related weather events, infestations, disease, and migration, how many more years before even the richest and most secure nations succumb to catastrophic crises? Do any of us believe this future holds any silver linings? I see none. I do, however, see the chance to secure our future by knowing about these consequences and changing our path forward so we can deal with them.
A society which devolves through collapse of the very structures and framework which support itself is a society in turmoil and failure. With no government to manage basic needs, our food, water, shelter, and security become the individual’s responsibility. Monetary collapse will drive panic, hoarding, and lots and lots of death. Humans killing humans could see the largest increase ever recorded in our history. Suicide will likely become anything but unusual.
This is not a future I can embrace. It is not a future I would wish upon any of my fellow humans. This is a future I hope will largely remain the stuff of fiction. Unfortunately, humanitarian crises continue throughout the world, including wars in Syria, Libya, Iraq and Yemen, and the crisis at the U.S. border with Mexico among others. The mass migrations coming will likely be due not to war but climate change. This will increase the likelihood of conflict and the possibility of more war as a result of climate change displacement.
I believe an alternative exists which is not only the appropriate logical solution, but at the same time can reverse the course of climate change, as well as address almost all of the societal problems facing humans and our fellow inhabitants on this planet. I understand if that sounds a bit utopian, but please hear me out.
As noted, stark lines of division are the root cause of defense buildup and wars. They typically come in the form of national boundaries (countries), but also appear as religious and other ideological divisions. The net result of wars is not the advancement of humanity, given the huge amounts of both human and natural resources consumed. With the collapse of civilization as we know it looming, perhaps we should take some time to evaluate the importance of these man-made constructs like money and countries. What could our lives be like without them? It is likely we won’t have them for long.
Can you imagine a world with no countries and no monetary systems? Can you dream of a future without wars, famine, and inequality? Would your grandchildren be better off in an environment free of harmful pesticides, where antibiotics are no longer part of the food chain, and access to healthcare is a right of every human being?
This diary is from my new book: "A Revolutionary Solution" and companion website: https://arevolutionarysolution.com where you can explore more on this topic, and download your free copy. For a free paperback copy please KosMail me.