When I was in officer training school, we were taught about "National Power". This included a nation's economic/industrial output and military power as two pillars.. guess which one was the third? The People! Both in terms of total population and the basic metrics of said population. In other words, a nation that truly takes care of it's people, ends up with more National Power over all. This makes total sense when you consider that it is the people who make up the economy, industry, military and society. If you educate them and keep them healthy, then they can work and innovate etc. If you don't, they don't.
Very interesting about the Inca's. It certainly shows what can happen if you let the powers that be, become all powerful!
I'm happy to hear about Iceland. The way things are going here in the US I'm starting to look for a new place to be!
A big part of the solution, to me, is recognizing that power can only be given. The more educated we all are, the more we can take conscious actions that promote people and systems that proactively create the world we want. I love Sorelle's YT channel because she's doing a fantastic job educating the masses in ways that equalize the playing field and drawing attention to those seeking to centralize power. I'm watching many of her videos with my three teenage boys so that they also understand these concepts and the reality of how our current system works, as well as how our own minds can work for or against us depending on what kinds of presuppositions we seed them with. When I had kids I did so with the very conscious goal of raising them to be part of the solution rather than part of the problem. So far they're making me exceedingly proud! We're investing together, talking about the kind of future we're likely to have and how to "adjust our sails" for what's coming, as well as talking about what kind of world we want and how to best influence that in our own little ways.
It seems to me there's a "perfect" amount of socioeconomic disparity that also balances personal autonomy with collective stability. You want just the right amount of disperity to encourage people to work harder, because they'll see an improvement in their quality of life if they do, plus working harder will benefit the society as a whole, but not so much disperity that you get rediculously rich people and people that can't get by. And you don't want too little disperity because then there's no incentive to work hard and excel - you'll just get a society of people all trying to get away with doing as little as possible and the only way to get them to pull their weight is with drastic punishments like the Inca did.
I like your article. It's true that the communities represented as ideal living environments mostly hide some very dark habits and power structures as well. It's something that is way too little talked about. So thank you for your article and research!
However I do not agree about the idea that current systems (be it capitalistic or communistic, ...) are capable of creating true harmonious societies. I think even though on paper everything seems to be taken care of by the social services etc. of those system, in reality those social systems care more about numbers than about people. And a lot of the news and statistics just give a comforting but wrong idea about the whole situation.
I think we need a totally new system and totally new structures, which are good for all the people.
Partially decentralized, to give people back their power and prevent corruption, partly centralized to guaranty the protection of everybody’s rights & also to prevent power abuse … (A lot of those ideas are explained on the Avalon project forum, amongst others, under the thread "A new justice system for our new world".)
The more people think about solutions, for current world issues, the better.
I would love to hear your opinion on the previous ideas I already posted there as well.
It also seems to me you'd want as much natural consequences as possible governing the range of income, eg making more money let's you live a better life, being more competent and having better work ethic will naturally lead to better job offers, etc. - you don't need society or the government adding extra, artificial incentives. However the top and bottom end the income spectrum is where it would be appropriate to add artificial limitations on how rich or poor you can get - increasing tax on the wealthiest and social support for those one the bottom. These artificial limitations on how rich or poor you can get should also be focused more on advantages and disadvantages that are outside a person's control, eg more tax on generational wealth and no private schools so being born to rich parents doesn't give you an artificial advantage, but if you are smart and work hard there's less artifical barriers to success - you can grow your wealth and assets with minimal interference. Similarly, if you're just lazy there should be less help from society since that's on you, but if you have legitimate mental or physical health issues or are born into poverty that's not your fault and you'd get more help from society. I live in Canada where there are too many lazy people who take advantage of social programs and scam the system, while people with true mental health issues don't get near enough help. Also, people born poor, or immigrants (especially those coming with skills not recognized here - the classic example being the surgeon who comes here to drive a taxi) have a hard time rising in our country and that's a huge loss to our society.
Personally I believe that the various tax schemes need a radical overhaul. Taxes are the simplest way to fund the state to provide infrastructure but regardless of what fantasy stories are told the very rich do not effectively pay any, this is why good accountants make so much. The general taxpayer also effectively funds large multinational companies.
Far more efficient to pick an arbitrary figure, say 75% of median income and make it tax free with a 1% across the board no rebates transaction tax.
Tax rebates would be on a percentage of costs to produce wealth i.e. buy tools of trade, upgrade/new equipment to expand a business etc. This would put everyone on a level playing field.
The banking cartels need to be routed as well. Usury is one of the biggest impediments to advancement.
One of the things that I find very depressing is our inability to identify and stop despots before they cause maelstrom and mystery. Even since WW2 the human experience has been besmirched by profoundly wicked individuals and their sycophants. Pol Pot, Mao, Ceaușescu, Sadam and now Putin.
For these reasons alone we need rigorous institutions that prevent people like these grabbing power and, with that far away look in their eyes, stop them from implementing ‘new Jerusalem, year one’ ideas that inevitably take peoples liberties away from them reducing them to enslaved, desensate automata.
What kind of solution do you propose? My first thought is just better education. There are a lot of good, well-meaning people who vote for these kinds of people because they lack the education needed to recognize the signs and understand the dangers these dictators pose. I don't think it's a coincidence that the US is the democracy flirting the most with authoritarian dictatorship while also having the worst-rated education system among developed countries. Any other thoughts on solutions?
I guess it’s a case of the electorate being educated and empowered and the elected being held to account more meaningfully and their terms in office limited.
Of course contemporary phenomena make this even more difficult because the levers of power are often in the hands of the unelected and seemingly unaccountable. Citing the US and indeed the UK in this regard we see the power of global entities being greater than that of nation states. Can it be right that a private entity wields unreasonable control over for example mainstream media , equity markets, pharmaceuticals et.al.
Perhaps things are no worse now than they’ve ever been and we simply know more about these matters. That said it seems not unreasonable to believe in the ‘ascent of man’ as an evolving process that values education, free access to healthcare at the point of need and clean water as a bare minimum.
How about take the most successful business people and make them the senior bureaucrats and political leaders - at the minimum wage with basic accommodation and the are not allowed to go back to their old life unless they do a good job of fixing problems?
Interesting point that certainly has some merits. Still seems like a central power controlling people's lives, though. You'd be taking people out of roles where they're doing a good job and forcing them into a different role where their strengths may not be as applicable and where they have no passion and no personal reward other than to get out of what is essentially a prison. In the long run, it also disincentivises people from becoming successful business people. If we look at those who have done the best in business, they've been some of the worst politicians when it comes to passing laws that benefit the few at the expense of the many, so I'm not sure you'd be picking the right people with that approach anyway. I would think picking from people who work for successful NGOs and charities doing really great work would be a better source of talented people with sound morals and a drive to help the common good.
People who work for successful NGOs and charities are generally self serving communist elites, at least when it comes to management - Its all about the dollar. Even street collectors are paid on a commission basis. I'll go even further and say that if you want to deep dive into the majority of NGO's and charities they are decidedly anti-West and exist to perpetuate,(and exacerbate), problems to justify their existence.
Not all but the majority of successful business people have done well by being efficient, innovative and maximizing every rort for tax ad regulation loophole there is. Making thee people put their skills to use for public good would streamline services, many of which are unnecessary makework for someones relatives.
Their incentive to do well is to get out and knowing they have done a great job. I threw the idea out here as anything has to be better than what we have now.
When it comes to a "central power controlling peoples lives ", how so? Some form of government is necessary to co-ordinate large works and infrastructure but it does not have to be centralised nor have control over peoples lives. In fact giving overpaid, under-worked frustrated maniacal nameless, faceless unelected bureaucrats power over anything is what got us into this mess.
Perhaps teaching civics in schools from an early age would help.
"Sad[d]am and now Putin."/ Why not throw Qaddafi in there too? You display a very American education. Want to talk despots well recently in North America there have been the Bushes, Clinton, Obama, Biden. I sincerely suggest thee take a long hard dispassionate review of your history and who rules your life along with who actually owns and controls North America lock, stock and both barrels.
Alas more pressing matters limit my ability to discuss further but be assured my perspective is not founded upon an American education. Really appreciate you’re points of view, regardless.
I don't think their list was meant to be exhaustive, just list a few examples of some of the worst offenders. Also, you could have framed your post as being helpful and constructive rather than as an attack. We're all here to learn and expand our awareness and override a lot of the programming we've received, and I'm sure VW would welcome insights into the biases they may have that they're currently unaware of since that's pretty much the whole point of subscribing to this newsletter.
My "attack" as you pit it was pointing out that most people and North Americans in particular have basically zero knowledge of global politics and generally parrot whatever their local media tells them.
I am no expert and what I know is vastly outweighed by what I do not but here is an irrefutable fact: North America has since the end of WW II been waging war around the globe using multiple means. Banning trade between free nations is a favorite usually by sanctions, freezing/ceasing existing trade deals and refusing to facilitate payment through the Petrodollar which it controls. Speaking of which I look forward to seeing becoming defunct.
Removing ANY government they don't like if they can is another. Right now Ukraine being front and center as an example, thank Obama and Victoria Nuland for that one.
"Also, you could have framed your post as being helpful and constructive rather than as an attack."
My facts couldn't care less about your feelings. The world is a harsh place. Get over it and stop taking every you don't like or agree with as an "attack".
Facts are fine. The aggression and condescension and arrogance and hostility they're delivered with are the issue. I can tell you're very angry with the world as it is, but coming to a site where people are specifically coming to educate themselves to make their lives better and to hopefully take action to make the world a better place, and infusing it with all that negativity just puts people off. You can't convince anyone of anything if they want nothing to do with you. I'm specifically drawn to this site because of Sorelle's positivity and enthusiasm and that makes want to keep coming back and hearing more and makes me open to what she has to say. She's advocating for more education and empowerment for the masses, and making that sound exciting and amazing and possible and like a world we should all want and strive toward. She's doing all that while also pointing out many of the issues you raise, just without the attitude. I'm sharing my observations because I want you to be happy in your own life, to empower yourself, to educate yourself, feel joy and stability and abundance, and that will draw others to you who want that and they will listen and it will spread. And that's what I want to be spread. You're not going to heal your hurt and anger by making others hurt and angry. Peace.
Clearly you live in kumbaya land. I am not "angry" I just have zero time for idiots spewing nonsense. Take a hike somewhere and don't bother making up la-la stories of peace love and happy places and rubbishing others with a condescending holier than thou attitude when you fee-fees get ruffled.
Water off a ducks back to me. I cal it as I see it and if someone starts spewing crap I'll call them on it.
North America and its tame NATO started a war with Russia to deflect from its pending demise. If some idiots want to start calling Putin a despot then they had better be living in Nepal because he is a lot better as a leader than anyone in Western politics right now. Zelenskyy is a queer child sex trafficking murderer installed by North America - the Democrat party to be exact. Obama and Nuland installed Poroshenko but he wavered and got caught out in his corruption, Zelenskyy is his replacement.
You have jumped in as if this is your site and your word is law. Is it? No, don't bother answering I'm just not interested in anything whatsoever that you have to say.
When I was in officer training school, we were taught about "National Power". This included a nation's economic/industrial output and military power as two pillars.. guess which one was the third? The People! Both in terms of total population and the basic metrics of said population. In other words, a nation that truly takes care of it's people, ends up with more National Power over all. This makes total sense when you consider that it is the people who make up the economy, industry, military and society. If you educate them and keep them healthy, then they can work and innovate etc. If you don't, they don't.
Very interesting about the Inca's. It certainly shows what can happen if you let the powers that be, become all powerful!
I'm happy to hear about Iceland. The way things are going here in the US I'm starting to look for a new place to be!
Wonderful Article as always!
A big part of the solution, to me, is recognizing that power can only be given. The more educated we all are, the more we can take conscious actions that promote people and systems that proactively create the world we want. I love Sorelle's YT channel because she's doing a fantastic job educating the masses in ways that equalize the playing field and drawing attention to those seeking to centralize power. I'm watching many of her videos with my three teenage boys so that they also understand these concepts and the reality of how our current system works, as well as how our own minds can work for or against us depending on what kinds of presuppositions we seed them with. When I had kids I did so with the very conscious goal of raising them to be part of the solution rather than part of the problem. So far they're making me exceedingly proud! We're investing together, talking about the kind of future we're likely to have and how to "adjust our sails" for what's coming, as well as talking about what kind of world we want and how to best influence that in our own little ways.
It seems to me there's a "perfect" amount of socioeconomic disparity that also balances personal autonomy with collective stability. You want just the right amount of disperity to encourage people to work harder, because they'll see an improvement in their quality of life if they do, plus working harder will benefit the society as a whole, but not so much disperity that you get rediculously rich people and people that can't get by. And you don't want too little disperity because then there's no incentive to work hard and excel - you'll just get a society of people all trying to get away with doing as little as possible and the only way to get them to pull their weight is with drastic punishments like the Inca did.
UBI and property ownership can exist in harmony!
If anyone wants to know what totalitarianism looks like, just read Thomas Moore's "Utopia" and Alexander Solzhenitsyn's "Gulag Archipelago."
@Abundantia:
I like your article. It's true that the communities represented as ideal living environments mostly hide some very dark habits and power structures as well. It's something that is way too little talked about. So thank you for your article and research!
However I do not agree about the idea that current systems (be it capitalistic or communistic, ...) are capable of creating true harmonious societies. I think even though on paper everything seems to be taken care of by the social services etc. of those system, in reality those social systems care more about numbers than about people. And a lot of the news and statistics just give a comforting but wrong idea about the whole situation.
I think we need a totally new system and totally new structures, which are good for all the people.
Partially decentralized, to give people back their power and prevent corruption, partly centralized to guaranty the protection of everybody’s rights & also to prevent power abuse … (A lot of those ideas are explained on the Avalon project forum, amongst others, under the thread "A new justice system for our new world".)
The more people think about solutions, for current world issues, the better.
I would love to hear your opinion on the previous ideas I already posted there as well.
Wishing you the best. Keep up the good work.
All is one
Great Article
It also seems to me you'd want as much natural consequences as possible governing the range of income, eg making more money let's you live a better life, being more competent and having better work ethic will naturally lead to better job offers, etc. - you don't need society or the government adding extra, artificial incentives. However the top and bottom end the income spectrum is where it would be appropriate to add artificial limitations on how rich or poor you can get - increasing tax on the wealthiest and social support for those one the bottom. These artificial limitations on how rich or poor you can get should also be focused more on advantages and disadvantages that are outside a person's control, eg more tax on generational wealth and no private schools so being born to rich parents doesn't give you an artificial advantage, but if you are smart and work hard there's less artifical barriers to success - you can grow your wealth and assets with minimal interference. Similarly, if you're just lazy there should be less help from society since that's on you, but if you have legitimate mental or physical health issues or are born into poverty that's not your fault and you'd get more help from society. I live in Canada where there are too many lazy people who take advantage of social programs and scam the system, while people with true mental health issues don't get near enough help. Also, people born poor, or immigrants (especially those coming with skills not recognized here - the classic example being the surgeon who comes here to drive a taxi) have a hard time rising in our country and that's a huge loss to our society.
Very thought-provoking as usual.
“Those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” Winston Churchill.
So how does it work in Iceland? What do they provide exactly? And to whom? Lastly, which other countries run similarly?
We are leaving in Noah days
The future is DAO :)
Personally I believe that the various tax schemes need a radical overhaul. Taxes are the simplest way to fund the state to provide infrastructure but regardless of what fantasy stories are told the very rich do not effectively pay any, this is why good accountants make so much. The general taxpayer also effectively funds large multinational companies.
Far more efficient to pick an arbitrary figure, say 75% of median income and make it tax free with a 1% across the board no rebates transaction tax.
Tax rebates would be on a percentage of costs to produce wealth i.e. buy tools of trade, upgrade/new equipment to expand a business etc. This would put everyone on a level playing field.
The banking cartels need to be routed as well. Usury is one of the biggest impediments to advancement.
One of the things that I find very depressing is our inability to identify and stop despots before they cause maelstrom and mystery. Even since WW2 the human experience has been besmirched by profoundly wicked individuals and their sycophants. Pol Pot, Mao, Ceaușescu, Sadam and now Putin.
For these reasons alone we need rigorous institutions that prevent people like these grabbing power and, with that far away look in their eyes, stop them from implementing ‘new Jerusalem, year one’ ideas that inevitably take peoples liberties away from them reducing them to enslaved, desensate automata.
What kind of solution do you propose? My first thought is just better education. There are a lot of good, well-meaning people who vote for these kinds of people because they lack the education needed to recognize the signs and understand the dangers these dictators pose. I don't think it's a coincidence that the US is the democracy flirting the most with authoritarian dictatorship while also having the worst-rated education system among developed countries. Any other thoughts on solutions?
I guess it’s a case of the electorate being educated and empowered and the elected being held to account more meaningfully and their terms in office limited.
Of course contemporary phenomena make this even more difficult because the levers of power are often in the hands of the unelected and seemingly unaccountable. Citing the US and indeed the UK in this regard we see the power of global entities being greater than that of nation states. Can it be right that a private entity wields unreasonable control over for example mainstream media , equity markets, pharmaceuticals et.al.
Perhaps things are no worse now than they’ve ever been and we simply know more about these matters. That said it seems not unreasonable to believe in the ‘ascent of man’ as an evolving process that values education, free access to healthcare at the point of need and clean water as a bare minimum.
How about take the most successful business people and make them the senior bureaucrats and political leaders - at the minimum wage with basic accommodation and the are not allowed to go back to their old life unless they do a good job of fixing problems?
Interesting point that certainly has some merits. Still seems like a central power controlling people's lives, though. You'd be taking people out of roles where they're doing a good job and forcing them into a different role where their strengths may not be as applicable and where they have no passion and no personal reward other than to get out of what is essentially a prison. In the long run, it also disincentivises people from becoming successful business people. If we look at those who have done the best in business, they've been some of the worst politicians when it comes to passing laws that benefit the few at the expense of the many, so I'm not sure you'd be picking the right people with that approach anyway. I would think picking from people who work for successful NGOs and charities doing really great work would be a better source of talented people with sound morals and a drive to help the common good.
People who work for successful NGOs and charities are generally self serving communist elites, at least when it comes to management - Its all about the dollar. Even street collectors are paid on a commission basis. I'll go even further and say that if you want to deep dive into the majority of NGO's and charities they are decidedly anti-West and exist to perpetuate,(and exacerbate), problems to justify their existence.
Not all but the majority of successful business people have done well by being efficient, innovative and maximizing every rort for tax ad regulation loophole there is. Making thee people put their skills to use for public good would streamline services, many of which are unnecessary makework for someones relatives.
Their incentive to do well is to get out and knowing they have done a great job. I threw the idea out here as anything has to be better than what we have now.
When it comes to a "central power controlling peoples lives ", how so? Some form of government is necessary to co-ordinate large works and infrastructure but it does not have to be centralised nor have control over peoples lives. In fact giving overpaid, under-worked frustrated maniacal nameless, faceless unelected bureaucrats power over anything is what got us into this mess.
Perhaps teaching civics in schools from an early age would help.
"Sad[d]am and now Putin."/ Why not throw Qaddafi in there too? You display a very American education. Want to talk despots well recently in North America there have been the Bushes, Clinton, Obama, Biden. I sincerely suggest thee take a long hard dispassionate review of your history and who rules your life along with who actually owns and controls North America lock, stock and both barrels.
Alas more pressing matters limit my ability to discuss further but be assured my perspective is not founded upon an American education. Really appreciate you’re points of view, regardless.
I don't think their list was meant to be exhaustive, just list a few examples of some of the worst offenders. Also, you could have framed your post as being helpful and constructive rather than as an attack. We're all here to learn and expand our awareness and override a lot of the programming we've received, and I'm sure VW would welcome insights into the biases they may have that they're currently unaware of since that's pretty much the whole point of subscribing to this newsletter.
My "attack" as you pit it was pointing out that most people and North Americans in particular have basically zero knowledge of global politics and generally parrot whatever their local media tells them.
I am no expert and what I know is vastly outweighed by what I do not but here is an irrefutable fact: North America has since the end of WW II been waging war around the globe using multiple means. Banning trade between free nations is a favorite usually by sanctions, freezing/ceasing existing trade deals and refusing to facilitate payment through the Petrodollar which it controls. Speaking of which I look forward to seeing becoming defunct.
Removing ANY government they don't like if they can is another. Right now Ukraine being front and center as an example, thank Obama and Victoria Nuland for that one.
"Also, you could have framed your post as being helpful and constructive rather than as an attack."
My facts couldn't care less about your feelings. The world is a harsh place. Get over it and stop taking every you don't like or agree with as an "attack".
Facts are fine. The aggression and condescension and arrogance and hostility they're delivered with are the issue. I can tell you're very angry with the world as it is, but coming to a site where people are specifically coming to educate themselves to make their lives better and to hopefully take action to make the world a better place, and infusing it with all that negativity just puts people off. You can't convince anyone of anything if they want nothing to do with you. I'm specifically drawn to this site because of Sorelle's positivity and enthusiasm and that makes want to keep coming back and hearing more and makes me open to what she has to say. She's advocating for more education and empowerment for the masses, and making that sound exciting and amazing and possible and like a world we should all want and strive toward. She's doing all that while also pointing out many of the issues you raise, just without the attitude. I'm sharing my observations because I want you to be happy in your own life, to empower yourself, to educate yourself, feel joy and stability and abundance, and that will draw others to you who want that and they will listen and it will spread. And that's what I want to be spread. You're not going to heal your hurt and anger by making others hurt and angry. Peace.
Clearly you live in kumbaya land. I am not "angry" I just have zero time for idiots spewing nonsense. Take a hike somewhere and don't bother making up la-la stories of peace love and happy places and rubbishing others with a condescending holier than thou attitude when you fee-fees get ruffled.
Water off a ducks back to me. I cal it as I see it and if someone starts spewing crap I'll call them on it.
North America and its tame NATO started a war with Russia to deflect from its pending demise. If some idiots want to start calling Putin a despot then they had better be living in Nepal because he is a lot better as a leader than anyone in Western politics right now. Zelenskyy is a queer child sex trafficking murderer installed by North America - the Democrat party to be exact. Obama and Nuland installed Poroshenko but he wavered and got caught out in his corruption, Zelenskyy is his replacement.
You have jumped in as if this is your site and your word is law. Is it? No, don't bother answering I'm just not interested in anything whatsoever that you have to say.
Your comments have derailed this tread.