The solution to all the world's problems: Abolish

money
Certain questions (or statements) have now become so offensive to people's sensibilities that the
mind instinctively rejects them. For example, anything John Holt suggests in Escape From
Childhood, or Is anyone really "born this way", or would a different upbringing have produced a
different result? Anyway, here's another one: Why does anything even cost money any more?

The world would be a far better place if money was eradicated. That does not mean a return to the
barter system, which was simply a precursor to money anyway. No, abolishing money would mean
doing away with buying anything. Everything is free of charge.

Money eradicates the need for love.

The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil.
(1 Timothy 6:10)

This verse of scripture is often misquoted as, "Money is the root of all evil." There are those who
take delight in reminding them that, actually, it is not money but the love of money, that is the root of
all sorts of evil. They both mean the same thing. Anybody who jumps to point out what the verse
actually says is only proving how much they love money by jumping to its defence. That's how
insidious money is.

Capitalism is a conspiracy by the wealthy to keep the lower classes fighting among themselves.
They dangle the possibility of changing social status by means of industriousness. Everyone has an
equal opportunity to climb the social ladder - you just have to wrestle for it, in a battle to the death.
So jobs must be competed for, and complete reliance is laid on money as a means of security. A
better world would be one in which there is no need for any different classes. As it is, a system of
slavery is perpetuated by the need to go out and earn a living.

"Everyone has a right to earn a living." What this really means is, no one should get a free ride.
However, no one should have to earn a living. Living should be something we just do without having
to earn it. Money is just an excuse not to have to love anyone. The same goes for the statement, "I
worked hard for this..." It is a wonderful irony that a world hell-bent on adopting an atheistic outlook
should be so determined to stick resolutely to a Judeo-Christian work ethic. It has leached into the
whole of society. We are all religious.
If you seek to live outside of the bounds imposed by society you will soon find yourself forced to earn
a living through incarceration. Meals and lodging will be provided, but you will pay the price through
solitude, forced labour, and abuse at the hands of fellow prisoners and staff.

Natural disasters always cost something: 45 billion to clean up the mess from hurricane Sandy.
Natural disasters shouldn't cost anything. The price is what it costs to restore the infrastructure, to
put things back the way they were so that life can carry on as if nothing happened. We should be
able to enjoy disasters without the stress.

You can't do anything for anyone for free because people are afraid you have one over them. Money
restores balance. People feel like they have paid off a debt and can now relax. But debt is to do with
the ego - "I did something for you, you owe me..." It is about rights, justice, laws, legality - all these
are constructions to satisfy the ego. Love means there is no debt. Nobody owes anyone anything.

As soon as spiritual leaders, gurus, self-help experts, start charging for their advice they have simply
become members of the medical profession. They lose credibility and become snake-oil salesmen.
In the words of George Bernard Shaw, "Every profession is a conspiracy against the laity."

Doing good deeds has a category all of its own: Charity. This used to be how the word agape was
translated. Doing something and expecting nothing in return. Now love is a business enterprise.
Charity costs money.

Love eradicates the need for money.

There is the fear that people would be greedy. People would not be greedy because there would be
no need for it. People would take what they need for the day, the week, or the month. The shelves
would not be stripped because that only happens in times of crisis, and crises only happen as a
result of this unstable society we have created.

Sure, there might be a silly season for a moment after money has been abolished, but this is only to
be expected. Society has been imprisoned, suppressed, and subjugated. When they get set free
they are going to go wild for an instant, but we can trust that love will lead us to an equilibrium.
"Nobody would do any work," is another ridiculous claim. At last people would work because they
want to, not because they have to. People want to provide a service, or they like the social
interaction. Work meets basic human physical and spiritual needs as opposed to unrealistic false
financial needs, where a wage becomes compensation for mind-numbing tedium. Great hubs could
be set up where people could go and see what needs to be done, and where, and they could go
along and contribute to the work-load out of sheer enjoyment.

There might be a fear that people would want to have an aeroplane, or an ocean liner. (Or just a big
boat would do.) This would not happen. Love is not being afraid of our own limitations. These things
are a measure of success, they are a sign of social status. They indicate one person's riches over
another's poverty. Abolishing money would eradicate this practice. Love does not need to brag. It is
the ego that needs to publicly demonstrate its greatness.

Riches and wealth are a way for the rich to avoid associating with the poor. The rich don't handle
money - they get other people to buy things for them. All transactions are carried out electronically.
They don't want to touch the vulgar bank-note. They have become rich by means of every perverse
treachery and trick. It is impossible to become rich without exploitation. You choose love, or you
choose wealth.

There are countless benefits to abolishing money. Here are just a few more:

 The industrial age would become a hideous memory - a time when society churned out
product and spewed filth into the water sources and the atmosphere. Stuff could be built to
last, without any planned obsolescence.
 Light pollution would end. There would be no need for half the lighting in the big cities.
 We could finally see a reduction in the amount of traffic on the roads and the growing stress
that results from that. Most traffic on the road consists of people going to and from jobs.
 No need for the huge gulf between rich and poor. Ludicrous overindulgence of some parts of
the earth against the abject poverty of others. Adverts pressing for water in Africa. All of that
would go away if it was all provided because of love. Nobody along the way needs to ask for
payment because all our needs are provided for anyway.
 Everyone could be housed.
 Crime would be eradicated. Prisons would be emptied. Most crimes are committed because
people need money to buy things. With this need eliminated, crime would all but vanish.
  Petty law-suits would be a thing of the past. Most law-suits exist because people want
compensation for lost earnings.
 Substance abuse would be a thing of the past. Drug abuse, alcohol abuse, gambling,
smoking - all these things would fade away. They are all problems created by the anxiety of
having to make ends meet.
 Call off the war against disease. The infrastructure must be preserved at all costs. The
endless quest to discover a cure for cancer is for the preservation of the infrastructure
because heaven forbid that it should have anything to do with the stress and anxiety of this
competitive system, and its terrible diet. We have created this disease-ridden society.
Abolish money and the fallacy of "earning a living," and we would see an end to cancer,
heart disease, stroke, M.E., and all the associated ailments.

We do not implement this idea to abolish money because we are scared. Fear is at the root of ego,
and that is what got us into this mess in the first place. But, fear of what, exactly?

No matter how hard you want to argue the point that capitalism has improved living conditions in
many parts of the world, the tragedy is that we fell into that heartless abyss at all. It's high time we
jacked it all in and did it all out of love instead.