Socialism And Capitalism

We don’t have a deep regard for life nowadays. We value things and possessions, but we lack the sort of appreciation of our own existence and our connection to all other living things on this planet. We don’t have a sense of the miraculous, don’t have ties to people, nature, and profound ideas in any meaningful sense. And while I know there will be a strong reaction to it, I cannot help but state that I believe the fault lies in capitalism.

Let me anticipate the reaction and answer it: “Socialism does not work. It disincentivizes people so they expect to receive a living without working for it.” I won’t now try to dismiss such concerns. Indeed, I think it would be foolish to step blindly into another economic mode. It is best that any shift away from the system we have now to any other system be done with both eyes open, so that we do not jump from the frying pan into the fire. Let us look critically at socialism, not be dismissive of the very real potential dangers. Perhaps socialism is unworkable and too dangerous to ever work. But if this is the case we have to start looking for a third option, because capitalism as we know it is unsustainable.

But this isn’t about socialism, it’s about capitalism. Let’s talk about that for now, since capitalism is the prime mover on our planet at the moment. Let’s look at it with all the honest skepticism as I just suggested we should use on socialism.

Capitalism is killing us. I don’t believe that’s hyperbole. Capitalism was extremely good at saving us from the threats nature presented us with, so much so that we have conquered nature and sit not only atop the food chain but relatively safe from the dangers of flood, famine, tornados, wild animal attacks, and earthquakes. Capitalism has protected us from nature, but it hasn’t protected us from ourselves. It has only made us more dangerous to ourselves and others. Capitalism has allowed us to defeat nature, but it has not taught us how to coexist with it. Or each other.

That is because capitalism is not a philosophy of coexistence but of mastery. It is the law of the jungle extrapolated into human society. It is a philosophy that states that the strong survive and the weak perish. The problem with this, as it has been with any species that has become too successful, is that we will reach a point where the very thing that created our success will create our downfall.

Nature is replete with examples of predators so successful that they have destroyed the very resources for food they required. Growth is not infinitely possible on a finite planet. That’s the point we are at now, and we are still using the same growth philosophy that once worked and now will not.

We need a way of viewing life that appreciates “being”, and capitalism only rewards “doing”. We need to see our existence and our relation to the planet we live on in a complex and balanced manner, and capitalism sees only profit and growth and can only balance finances. All other aspects of human existence go out the window.

Perhaps it is true that capitalism is a necessary evil, that we cannot sustain a society and civilization without it. If this be true, still we should not focus on the word “necessary” and forget the word “evil”. Any system that values things over people is extremely dangerous and must be treated with the same caution as combustible materials or toxic chemicals.

Keep in mind we are only now beginning to see the philosophy of capitalism fully coming to bloom. When capitalist control of our economy and nation was at its worst at the turn of the 20th Century, church, government, and pre-capitalist social mores were still strong and influential. For capitalists to push an agenda, they had to present arguments that were not contrary to the rules of church, state, and traditional morality.

We are now a century past that point, during which time our society has been marinating in a capitalist mindset. Christianity is on the wane. That which now calls itself Christian thought has made its peace with and been co-opted by capitalism, so that supposed men of God do not warn against the inherent conflict between God and mammon but instead use the former as a proponent for the latter. The state exists now to serve capitalism, not merely in practice but in theory as well. As for long-practiced societal norms, they have been replaced by corporate values. Community hardly exists any more. People do not sit and talk on their neighbors’ porches but instead receive their news and opinions from corporate programming and advertising. There is no functioning institution or practice any longer that stands between capitalism and humanity.

Once, even the powerful had to feign homage to a higher power such as king, country, citizenry or the church. Now they nakedly pray before the golden bull, unabashedly willing to sacrifice all else to it. There is literally no moral principle between us and our bestial urges of gluttony, vanity, and greed. This is not a passing fad but a snowball speeding down the edge of a mountain.

We are isolated individuals who have no channels for connection other than the market, no place to meet but Walmart, where self-scanners take the place of our neighbors and their children so that we never have to look them in the eye. We speak about whatever the corporate media has shown us, echo the opinions it gives us. This is the world we have built. This is the world capitalism has built.

We must find a solution to the dangers of capitalism. Perhaps socialism is not the answer, perhaps we need to search further and think harder to find a solution to the soulless and valueless and destructive world we have created. But to rail against the horrors of socialism at this point in time is like warning about the dangers of fire while standing aboard The Titanic. The boat is sinking. The planet is unravelling, and yet we look to the very cause of its destruction for solutions.