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I caught something on TV the other day about Elon Musk’s girlfriend? promoting a form of communism. She said something about eliminating work, using more AI to run the planet and everyone benefitting from this shift. And, someone responded by saying they could see some logic in the young woman’s presentation. [Though I couldn’t help raising an eyebrow to the markings on her face (pre-surgery, I presume) and wonder what in state her mind actually was. When you’re prepping for surgery, your mind can say and do strange things.]
This wasn’t the only stimulus for today’s pondering (or meandering).
I’ve been bombarded with so many thoughts in the past few days, some of which have sparked ideas for rants that never took shape. I’ve also been feeling exceptionally distressed and depressed for no particular/new reason.
Now then…
Can you imagine a world in which no one has a job or requirement to pay taxes and such and can simply live off the land as everyone pleases? I’ve seen something close to that on certain versions of Star Trek. And, sure, we forget some of the details of “reality” when watching just about any movie, TV show or, the current trend, online videos which could be uploaded by just about anyone for any reason and altered with a variety of computer/video tools (to mess with our heads). But, is such a world possible? That’s, essentially, my question. And, feel free to contribute your thoughts below.
While I aspire and long for such a world, I have lingering doubts it could ever exist. And, I will tell you why in a minute.
The longer I live, the angrier I get at humanity as a whole. I know it’s not good to throw all your apples in one basket. There ARE good apples…as well as bad ones. But, it’s difficult to sort them out and getting more difficult each day. Just when you think you have a good apple, something crazy and/or disappointing happens. And, there are a number of possible reasons/influences for this. [But, I won’t overload your brain with those, now.] But, bad apples spoil the bunch and make life miserable for everyone, including themselves once they hit a discouraging dead end, a point when all the gold in the world isn’t making them happy, whether they admit it or not. Or, they just die and hand over the wealth to the next generation of entitled fools.
Actually, that ties into what I’m about to say.
Why is a peaceful world enjoyed by all, equally, so impossible to achieve? And, why are all our efforts to achieve…well…anything “good” in vain? Because there will always be a “sense of entitlement” or some other variation of that phrase that drives certain people to be less charitable than others. At least, I don’t see how it can change for the better.
You’ve probably seen some of this in movies, too. Someone comes up with a solution for the fossil-fuel problem, and, whether or not it becomes public knowledge, someone in a high seat swoops down on the invention to “capitalize” it. One minute, you’ve got fresh air for everyone; the next, the air is being bottled and sold at your “convenience.” It’s not convenient to turn the world into one big outlet store. It’s not convenient to slash a price from $400 to $40 when the item isn’t worth anything other than what humans stamp on it, when the item is available to all if we’d let it be.
Right now, bottled water is all the rage. Every cotton-picking flavor and type imaginable is being advertised. And, everyone has their gimmick to sell it. SELLING WATER. Isn’t that the beginning of the end? Isn’t that one step from The Lorax? Come on, people! Wise up!
The world is perpetually one step away from a Moonlight Madness Sale. Someone presents a crisis or craze, and the sheep, cattle, dogs, rodents…all of them go running in all directions, trying to get a piece of the action. Someone shouts fire or virus, and people panic. Someone shouts FREE ___! And, people rush to get the bargain or catch the T-shirt or jump through flaming hoops to get a prize which requires some paperwork and payment of taxes.
THIS is sharing? Well, you might say, “Nooo. That’s not it. That’s not the level of equality we can yet reach.” But, I think it is. I think those without the status and power to delegate and trickle down the benefits from their high seats are always going to be chasing and wasting and competing with others, regardless of their status. And, even those “at the top” surely have their competitions for “more” and some false sense of security. Because, let’s be honest, does ANYONE really feel anymore secure than they can justify with some artificial support? Doesn’t everyone boast some nest egg or financial support system of some kind to secure their status, their lifestyle, whether you are a welfare case or living at Park Place?
Now, you might be of the mindset that you are a good person. But, how good are you in that mob scene at the big sale on some holiday weekend? What are you doing there if not running with the bulls to get a rare bargain? What do you have to experience to be reduced to the mentality of something like The Hunger Games?
If you take a long, hard look at yourself, you might find a darker shade to your light. I’ve seen it, myself. I try to be a good guy. But, there are moments… And, I cannot guarantee something wouldn’t eventually turn me.
But, if you DO take that long, hard look…and you only see good…well, either you are full of yourself (and something soft and brown and smelly) or you are one lucky individual. Well, luck is subject to opinion and definition and could just be the enemy of the ego…but…
So, how can the world ever be free of its current state of quarreling rights and economies if we all cannot part with our “status” and “entitlement” and share the world’s resources?
And, by share, I don’t been buying shares of a company. I don’t mean sharing the burden by paying more fees and taxes to have some of what the other guy has. I don’t mean renting the services and resources we need the rest of our lives just to slave away to feed some higher, wealthier ego and then listen to the praises of said ego and his wealthy status.
Oh, please, sir, tell me more of your mansions and car collection and plans for universal domination. NOT!
Here’s today’s philosophical metaphor for ya.
If you had a big, frosted cake and had enough for everyone in the world, would you divide it evenly and be satisfied? Or, would you–even for a second–think you should stash away more of that cake for yourself and divide the remainder among the rest of the world? Could you be content with your own equal-size piece?
But, here’s my cynical, skeptical kicker, right below that. If someone told you they were giving you a piece of the cake everyone is sharing equally, would you believe they were giving you your fair share? See. That’s another problem…or shade of the same problem. Trust. There is very little trust in the world. And, those who DO trust too often get swindled. I’ve been swindled quite a bit, and it has made me so bitter; my own obtuse family gets tired of me.
Yet, it’s possible someone could offer you your fair share and be holding out on you. But, how would you know? And, how would you verify…anything?
Now, you see? You see why I cannot take my heavy egg-shaped head off my tense fist and rigidly bent knee.
If you need me, I’ll be on the stump…er, toilet…ridding myself of today’s crap. ‘Got any Thought Paper?
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