Is Money So Evil?

Sometimes conversations I have inspire a blog post. The content has already been written and because it’s a real conversation it provides something unique.

There is a friend of mine from back in my internet marketing days that I recently reconnected with. I invited him to a group chat where some friends and I share ideas and talk about cool stuff.

Back when I met my friend we were involved in something called Empower Network, it was an incredible experience except for the fact that it turned out to be a scam in the end. I still don’t believe it started out that way. The intentions were good and everyone from the top to bottom except maybe a few believed we were going to positively change the world.

I learned a lot over that time and now a days my entrepreneurial pursuit has not ceased but only changed directions into the world of trading cryptocurrencies. I wish to be free and have an unlimited existence, crypto is a realistic path I see to that realization.

In our chat we talk a lot about crypto as it’s something some of us are passionate about figuring out. My other friend however seems to have some blocks around the idea of creating wealth even though he has pursued financial freedom in the past.

He appears to me to be of the mindset that we can change the world not through capitalism but through minimalism. Honestly I’m probably not entirely accurate on what his mindset is and I’m sorry in advance if I butcher your perspective if you are reading this. But I’ve noticed a lot of his questions and comments almost seeming to be in opposition to our desire to create wealth in our lives.

He has mentioned the concepts of Universal Basic Income and Resource Based Economy which are both two things I am very much for and believe in. But I think there is more to transitioning from our current capitalistic world then than just handing everyone money every month to survive. Work will have to be put in to recreate this world into one that works for everyone. The current system is in high opposition of any recreation of it’s current self. I don’t see it going away quietly.

So here are some thoughts I shared in response to some questions, keep in mind there is a longer stream of conservation before this where we were talking about inflation, the system, feeling like an underdog in this world, etc.

My Friend wrote:

What if the lawmakers made a rule that anyone who provides food, water, shelter can no longer raise prices? And then threw in a UBI. Wouldn’t that effectively end poverty?

I don’t think the whole system needs to crash and burn. Just the shitty parts.

The selfish and inhumane parts

What do you think ‘earning a fortune in crypto’ will allow you to do that you can’t currently do?

Being the underdog requires there being someone else who is the favorite. Who would you say has been the favorite while you’ve been ‘the underdog’?

And going back to my original question, what if the ‘free market’ is actually the very thing that creates poverty/starvation to begin with? Since people aren’t incentivized to keep prices affordable, many price services so high that only the middle-upper class can afford them. What do you think then happens to the lower class?

IMO it becomes a rat race where the lower class try their hardest to get into the middle-upper class, just so they can afford the things that they were priced out of. In this scenario the lower class is ‘the underdog’ and statistically most will never get out of that underdog status. But what if they were never priced out of their basic necessities to begin with? Would they even play that game or ever feel like the underdog? What if they just had a better quality of life living in relative poverty, but they at least had their basic human needs met? What would be the harm in that?

What if, having nothing to prove and having no underdog story to actualize, they simply did what they wanted to with their lives?

How much better of a world do you think we’d live in, if everyone was doing what they wanted to do, rather than what they felt they HAD to do?

In response I wrote this:

It would be an absolutely beautiful world, one I dearly hope we can achieve. Escaping this current paradigm of survival; I feel one needs there oxygen mask fully secured before the work to create this new world can be done. Being so limited as the majority of us are stifles creativity and the ability to work for the greater good of all. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs; base needs must be met before we can thrive… How do we shift into a world where that is reality for 100% of our population?

My friend then wrote:

IMO like I’ve said before, with UBI & thru embracing simplicity/self-reliance. My monthly cost of living has been consistently between $500-$1000 per month for the last 3 years. If everyone learned to live on less plus a UBI, all needs would be met indefinitely.

The thing about an oxygen mask is people confuse wants with needs. If people actually figured out what ‘enough’ is for them, they’d find it’s a lot less than they think…and therefore the oxygen mask usually costs less than they initially think.

And in response to that I wrote:

Not everyone wants to live with less and I’m one of them. I do believe your message could inspire people to live a more simple route the way you choose, especially if you show them it’s possible by doing so through example… A lot of minimalist inspire me by their ways of living, and I do what I can to minimize the clutter in my existence. There are a lot of unnecessary things money can buy we don’t need in our lives. But personally I feel very limited living on so little. I don't want to leave Colorado, I have to pay to stay here. Oxygen masks are different for everyone. I need a large expansive one, I’m grateful for unemployment, it’s basically welfare at the moment and its enabling me to finally have my oxygen secured in a way I’ve never known. But it’s not going to last, the extra benefits have now expired and a part of me feels a lot more pressure to ensure my survival asap. In a way, this recent unemployment blessing has been a form of basic income that I was fortunate to receive. Everyone deserves this, a basic secure source of income, I almost feel guilty for being so fortunate while so many others are hurting right now. I’ve used this security to work on myself and further secure myself for the future ahead. Even having a basic income, I’m not content, I need to do more and I feel most people would pursue more out of life if they had a basic income, I doubt most would just settle for $1000/month or whatever it is. If the world falls apart, I personally do not want to be on the side of the people who didn't work hard to prepare themselves. It’s going to be hard for a lot of people. And if the world does not fall apart, I don't want to be one of these poor souls in there 70's and 80's forced to work to continue to surviving. It breaks my heart when I see elderly people forced to work at such a late age because the system fucked them and they were unable to prepare themselves accordingly. We do need to recreate the system, but I just don’t see that happening from being powerless. As much as I want to care about everyone in the world, it’s ultimately my existence I’m experiencing from this body and mind. I have to take care of me first before I can help anyone. In EN I was of a mindset of trying to help other people, yet I was neglecting taking care of and helping myself, it didn’t work. I know poor very well, I know lack, I know struggle, and I’ve been in hand cuffs more times than I care to admit, the system is certainly designed against us. It’s shaped me and really shown me what I do not want in my life so I’m determined to create ABUNDANCE and FREEDOM for myself in this lifetime so I can live a more free, less limited existence where I can thrive in my own creativity. Hopefully through leading by example I can inspire others as well. I don't know the true direction we are headed as a species and society, I cant see the future, but I was fortunate enough to spend 10 years in Boy Scouts where the scout motto of “Be Prepared” was instilled into me during my adolescence. I’m doing all I can to be prepared so my mind, body and infrastructure are well in place for the rest of the time I must spend on this planet. I went so hard in EN, cause I thought we were running out of time. I believe now everything is right on time and that I can’t know for sure about anything. I don't want to be caught with my pants down if shit hits the fan. Thats the realist in me, we have a long path to recreating this world. I’ve had to accept I may not even be alive for it. But I will do all I can in this lifetime towards it. I realized many years ago after a long talk with my little brother and many psychedelic adventures; We have to fuck this system up from the inside out. We have to play the game. We can’t make the changes we want by removing ourselves from the system, we have to evolve within the system to replace it.

I then realized another question that needed addressing from one of his previous posts:

What do you think ‘earning a fortune in crypto’ will allow you to do that you can’t currently do?

So I provided an answer:

It will enable me to evolve beyond the system from within the system. My vision for years is to build and live in a fully sustainable earthship. Self sufficient in all ways, from generating power to growing food. Though it may be off the grid, I will still live in this world and be apart of the system and replace the ways of the system I no longer wish to incorporate in my life. The more people finding new ways to live will inspire future generations to do so as well. Even using all the recycled materials, It still cost over $200k to build a good one. I can’t do that without money, and working a basic ass job making $30k a year will never bring me there. I’ve tried and failed at a lot of things to make the money that will create the life I desire. Crypto is what I see having the most potential do to bring me there.

In wrapping this up, I just want to address a common belief that our current system of capitalism is doing more harm than good and I would have to say that I agree. This system is against us not for us.

But if you look at the direction of this world, disconnecting from it and living with hardly anything just because you can, is that going to help you in the long run?

If that’s what an individual chooses for themselves I respect their decision entirely.

I can see how some people would be happier this way, and sure living in the moment is a powerful concept but will being poor and telling yourself you are happy truly bring happiness when we live in a world we must survive in?

The system we live in is exactly that, the system we live in, until we replace it we cannot escape it and I feel in my heart that securing one’s self for the unpredictable future is a better move for the duration of one’s time here on Earth.

I believe we can create a world that works for everyone but we can’t do so with nothing to build on.

I’d love to hear some thoughts on this if you have read this far!

How should we create a new world?

Is money not something we should strive for?

Are we strengthening the capitalistic empire by acquiring more of it?

Is it selfish to take care of one’s self first by acquiring money?

Or are we further creating an infrastructure for ourselves to expand from through utilizing resources in a constructive manner for the greater good?

I believe we can’t expand to serve others with out first securing our foundation.

Again, I would love to hear some thoughts on this.

Thank you for reading,

~Matty Boom Boom Ruzindla