The BIG Question

Poverty is an issue our world has faced since the beginning of human civilization. Subsequent lack of money has been linked directly to drug abuse and crime(for more info on its correlation click here). If money has been an issue for centuries why hasn’t an effective plan been laid out to solve it once and for all?

We forget to look at the bigger picture. I don’t mean this in a cliche way, but really, why is poverty never solved? There must be some basic underlying cause. I have came to believe our system is flawed. WOAH HOLD YOUR HORSES! Don’t dismiss this as some crazy anarchist idea where the government is sitting in a large pile of money rubbing their hands together with an evil maniacal laugh while we all suffer. I think the problem is beyond governmental policies. So what exactly do I mean by “system”?

By system I mean the idea of the economy. The idea of an economy is the most archaic idea we cling onto today. The economy’s basic function is to serve as a system of incentives. If we do something good or we have a skill deemed valuable then we are rewarded with money. Think about it. Someone a thousand years ago determined that the amount of money a person has determines their worth and consequently the outcome of their life. Maybe that worked in a society of a few people but that just isn’t the case today. Poverty continues to major issue today. Heck! It was a major issue back then too! But people are to numb headed to think of any other system to live in.

The question I propose won’t be a typical one. In fact it will be far from it. Let me tell you what it’s NOT gonna be:

1) It’s not gonna be to lay out huge taxes to give extra money to the poor. It’s been done. And there’s still poverty.

2) It’s not gonna be some insane rational to enact communism because it will create equality for all. Those living under communism are often the poorest. Keeping everyone in poverty is a lame excuse to say you have an equal society.

3) It’s not going to be to have everyone participate in community service effort, even though it is commendable.

I’m going to propose will seem a bit radical to say the least, but none the less it’s worth being put out there. Like I said, I’m thinking about the bigger picture. The question I am going to suggest is the following: What other incentivized can we come up that doesn’t deal with a currency? A system in which we can still function in, but no currency determines the outcome of someones life. I did not write this to give you the answer to this question. It is a question whose answer will be complex. A question I quite frankly couldn’t pinpoint an answer to, but a question that is worth thinking about. A question whose answer has the potential to change the lives of future generations.