On January 16, 2017, Oxfam International published a report that had the world’s “99%” screaming mad.
Their report, entitled “An economy for the 99 percent“, essentially concluded that 8 businessmen owned the same wealth as the 3.6 billion people who make up the poorest half of humanity. Oxfam intentionally released the report to coincide with the 4-day meeting of the World Economic Forum that is held annually in late January in Switzerland, perhaps with the hope that it might have some influence on the monetary policies that will be drafted by the business, political, academic, and other leaders of society who usually attend.
Sadly, I don’t see such reports making much of an impact on meeting participants since they are working within the paradigm of world trade being dictated by money. As long as they continue to think that way, then humanity is a century away from a solution — if an ethical and equitable solution is even possible.
So, given the very clear evidence that “our broken economies are funneling wealth to a rich elite at the expense of the poorest in society” (as per Oxfam), do we continue to carry on as before and expect a different outcome? To do so would be the very definition of insanity.
What is the solution to this unchecked rise in global inequality?
It’s quite simple: Pull out the delusive thread that has weaved itself over the centuries throughout the now-tattered tapestry of human history, but that has provided no real value in the end.
In other words, remove money from the scenario and these 8 businessmen have no wealth and their 3.6 billion fellow humans have no poverty. Talk about a great normalizer.
Of course, there are the 1% who would scream: “What about all the riches and abundance I have accumulated over my lifetime? Do I not deserve to keep it after all the work I have done rather than see it erased?”
I would answer: “Why did you seek to accumulate wealth in the first place? Was it to help humanity or just yourself and those closest to you? Pursuing the accumulation of riches with your eyes closed to the poverty of others is not sharing the abundance that this world has to offer. We all deserve equal access to this abundance without the artificial barrier that money puts in our way.”
As I have said earlier in this blog, we now have the infrastructures in place to harvest and convert this planet’s resources for everyone to consume equally. If shopping could be about “just grab and go” without having to pay for it because humanity has evolved to the point where paying for anything doesn’t make sense, then we will no longer have the 99 versus the 1% … we will have 100% of humanity finally sharing what was meant to be from the very beginning.
In the words of David A. Bell, the defining feature of modern times is “equality itself … a great force that swept over kings and presidents as surely as it did other members of society.”
It is my sincere hope that humanity will finally realize the threat which money represents to real and lasting equality, and that our collective realization will forcefully sweep over kings, queens and presidents who will yield to the truth that the Age of Money is over.
