The Day After Money

A Short Story On The End Of Life As We Know It

It started at the big earth table, where people gather in the afternoon before dinner. A similar sense of strangeness was being commonly experienced by the people at the table. When the question was asked, "Well what's going on? What is everyone feeling?". The answer was, for once, universal. One after another replied, "Just...tired". After the meal it was obvious that all present were sharing a similar lethargy and so they sat down to examine what was to be done. One by one they said that it wasn't anything in particular. Just a vague unwillingness to keep struggling. It wasn't that anyone felt lazy. It wasn't that they didn't want to do something. It was more a feeling of having been participating in something of great futility and that it kind of hit everyone at once.

Well, said one, if we could all do something, for no reason, just do something, what would it be? Collectively they said, "I'd really like to just go for a walk". Since they were all feeling pretty much the same they rose as one and headed off in the same direction. Odd that no one thought about taking the lead or what they would attempt to accomplish - they just walked. When the group noticed something they would all pause in there progression to take it in. Sometimes it was something in the sky. A cloud being whipped up into an interesting shape like a wave or the swirling pattern made by leaves that blew from the tree. When they had a full appreciation of the event they would move back into the walk. Not many words were spoken. The occasional, "nice" or, "wow...how good was that?". They would smile and nod in response to being treated to something very special.

When conversation started, as it will with earthlings, it was apparent from the collective agreement that they all felt they were awakening from a dream. As one they voiced how they felt they had been working passionately, frantically to accomplish something - but the clarity of that something no longer seemed tangible. "I can't remember what I was doing", one said. "I know what I was doing, but I can't remember why" said another. Another spoke of how, "It seems I was following some instructions, but then I couldn't remember the goal...the point". At one time they turned to each other and all facing the inner circle wondered silently...what was it that seemed so important? They spent the rest of the day walking and looking at all the things that had been there all their lives. They enjoyed it all...a lot. That night they all slept for about ten hours.

The next day they ate some food and washed and one said, "I'm going to grow a garden". Several others said they would help and the ones who liked digging dug and others who enjoyed sorting seeds sorted. There were several who collected what would be good for compost. The engineer types were very interested in a water supply and knowing that water came from the sky at regular intervals decided on the best ways to catch it and store it. The ones that had always thought in shapes and structures were happy to put it all together. They had a really good day. After dinner they all got up and took a walk. They all thought about the things they had collected over the years. When they thought about irons and ironing boards they broke out in spontaneous laughter. It seemed so absurd that they had all spent so much time, for as long as they could remember, straightening their clothes. They all noticed that they hadn't once thought about what they were wearing at all - the entire day. How strange it had all been...doing what they had been doing. Just to get - what - to go where? Funny none seemed to remember.

So the world became what it is. Time passed and they used all that was readily available and lived very happily. Scientists forgot that there were grants and awards. The curious kept looking at things and being scientific. The rest found meaningful things to do where they were a great help. The hidden papers and patents were brought to life. No one could remember why they had been working against the natural forces of nature. In time they forgot that they had ever thought it was viable. They remembered money and recalled that it all had something to do with that idea...but, oh well. It wasn't long, once the obstacles of the warring factions disappeared, that we learned all about gravity and frequencies and the real nature of nature. Once we learned how to adjust our frequencies to harmonize the three dimensional world was no longer a cage. Nothing forcing one to stay there. But many choose it as the port of choice. Something about trees and snow. It seems earth will always be high on the travelers list of great places.

Oh I didn't tell you about the money thing. Well, that's what people couldn't recall on that morning when it all changed. No one ever could remember what they had been doing with money, or why. They found lots of it. Great stores of paper, metals and gems. They couldn't quite figure out what it had been used for. It turns out that there was of course a lot of thing to do with the gems and crystals. The builders used them for space flight and communication. Gold and silver were also put to good use as any really valuable metals will be. It turns out that the paper money was excellent for using in mortar. In fact the Earth Mint and Mortar Plant is highly regarded through out the galaxy to this day.

"The civilized people believe they have an obligation to bring primitive and underdeveloped people up to their level. Civilization, which is about to self-destruct, thinks of itself as the superior culture that has answers for all the world's people... The addict, truly, is a person who is emotionally dependent on things: television, substances, personality routines, other people, mental ideologies, total immersion in some cause or work. If the object of dependency is moved, addicts will experience insecurity, discomfort, distress, the symptoms of withdrawal."(William H. Koettke, The Final Empire)

From the The Venus Project

A Resource-Based Economy is a system in which all goods and services are available without the use of money, credits, barter or any other system of debt or servitude. All resources become the common heritage of all of the inhabitants, not just a select few. The premise upon which this system is based is that the Earth is abundant with plentiful resource; our practice of rationing resources through monetary methods is irrelevant and counter productive to our survival.

Modern society has access to highly advanced technology and can make available food, clothing, housing and medical care; update our educational system; and develop a limitless supply of renewable, non-contaminating energy. By supplying an efficiently designed economy, everyone can enjoy a very high standard of living with all of the amenities of a high technological society.

A resource-based economy would utilize existing resources from the land and sea, physical equipment, industrial plants, etc. to enhance the lives of the total population. In an economy based on resources rather than money, we could easily produce all of the necessities of life and provide a high standard of living for all.

Consider the following examples: At the beginning of World War II the US had a mere 600 or so first-class fighting aircraft. We rapidly overcame this short supply by turning out more than 90,000 planes a year. The question at the start of World War II was: Do we have enough funds to produce the required implements of war? The answer was No, we did not have enough money, nor did we have enough gold; but we did have more than enough resources. It was the available resources that enabled the US to achieve the high production and efficiency required to win the war. Unfortunately this is only considered in times of war.

In a resource-based economy all of the world's resources are held as the common heritage of all of Earth's people, thus eventually outgrowing the need for the artificial boundaries that separate people. This is the unifying imperative.

We must emphasize that this approach to global governance has nothing whatever in common with the present aims of an elite to form a world government with themselves and large corporations at the helm, and the vast majority of the world's population subservient to them. Our vision of globalization empowers each and every person on the planet to be the best they can be, not to live in abject subjugation to a corporate governing body.

Our proposals would not only add to the well being of people, but they would also provide the necessary information that would enable them to participate in any area of their competence. The measure of success would be based on the fulfillment of one's individual pursuits rather than the acquisition of wealth, property and power.

At present, we have enough material resources to provide a very high standard of living for all of Earth's inhabitants. Only when population exceeds the carrying capacity of the land do many problems such as greed, crime and violence emerge. By overcoming scarcity, most of the crimes and even the prisons of today's society would no longer be necessary.

A resource-based world economy would also involve all-out efforts to develop new, clean, and renewable sources of energy: geothermal; controlled fusion; solar; photovoltaic; wind, wave, and tidal power; and even fuel from the oceans. We would eventually be able to have energy in unlimited quantity that could propel civilization for thousands of years. A resource-based economy must also be committed to the redesign of our cities, transportation systems, and industrial plants, allowing them to be energy efficient, clean, and conveniently serve the needs of all people.

What else would a resource-based economy mean? Technology intelligently and efficiently applied, conserves energy, reduces waste, and provides more leisure time. With automated inventory on a global scale, we can maintain a balance between production and distribution. Only nutritious and healthy food would be available and planned obsolescence would be unnecessary and non-existent in a resource-based economy.

As we outgrow the need for professions based on the monetary system, for instance lawyers, bankers, insurance agents, marketing and advertising personnel, salespersons, and stockbrokers, a considerable amount of waste will be eliminated. Considerable amounts of energy would also be saved by eliminating the duplication of competitive products such as tools, eating utensils, pots, pans and vacuum cleaners. Choice is good. But instead of hundreds of different manufacturing plants and all the paperwork and personnel required to turn out similar products, only a few of the highest quality would be needed to serve the entire population. Our only shortage is the lack of creative thought and intelligence in ourselves and our elected leaders to solve these problems. The most valuable, untapped resource today is human ingenuity.

With the elimination of debt, the fear of losing one's job will no longer be a threat This assurance, combined with education on how to relate to one another in a much more meaningful way, could considerably reduce both mental and physical stress and leave us free to explore and develop our abilities.

If the thought of eliminating money still troubles you, consider this: If a group of people with gold, diamonds and money were stranded on an island that had no resources such as food, clean air and water, their wealth would be irrelevant to their survival. It is only when resources are scarce that money can be used to control their distribution. One could not, for example, sell the air we breathe or water abundantly flowing down from a mountain stream. Although air and water are valuable, in abundance they cannot be sold.

Money is only important in a society when certain resources for survival must be rationed and the people accept money as an exchange medium for the scarce resources. Money is a social convention, an agreement if you will. It is neither a natural resource nor does it represent one. It is not necessary for survival unless we have been conditioned to accept it as such.

Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it, no matter if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense.
Buddha

However, in spite of the general perception that monetary policy should be conducted so as to avert deflation, a central bank cannot lower interest rates below the zero lower bound.
Toshihiko Fukui

I don't think anyone sets out to malign poor people but certainly that's what we do through organizations such as the World Trade Organization, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.
Bob Geldof

In our time, the curse is monetary illiteracy, just as inability to read plain print was the curse of earlier centuries.
Ezra Pound

The first requisite of a sound monetary system is that it put the least possible power over the quantity or quality of money in the hands of the politicians.
Henry Hazlitt

These are the multinationals, like General Motors and Nestle; these are the big industrial groups that weigh, on the monetary scale, much more than big countries like Egypt.
Ahmed Ben Bella