I just ran across a video on YouTube titled Loneliness Capitalism. That’s awesome. What an interesting idea. And no, I don’t mean loneliness is awesome, or that loneliness capitalism is awesome. I mean it’s a fascinating idea to explore.
Capitalism is kind of a hot-button subject for a lot of people. Especially nowadays. Anyone who is paying attention knows that capitalism is rife with dangers and problems. But frankly, so is every other system.
Winston Churchill said something to the effect that democracy is the worst form of government, except for all the others. And I think we can apply that to capitalism as well. It’s the worst form of economics, except for all the others.
But probably the worst part about capitalism is greed at the expense of everything else. Even at the expense of human decency. And in our modern age, social media has become the new African diamond mine, and loneliness the new blood diamond.
It’s hard to justify something like that as worthwhile. Exploiting the pain and suffering of others to extract financial gain. It’s difficult to feel good about something like that.
But really, isn’t this what’s happened to our economic system? We’ve become so incredibly extractive in our model that nothing is off limits anymore. Extract anything and everything from anywhere and everywhere. Extract pain and suffering from the loneliness of humanity… if you can make a dollar at it.
Surely everyone reading this can agree with the premise. But it’s not so simple as just stopping participation in an extractive economy. That isn’t really possible. And definitely isn’t probable. We’re not going to replace what’s currently in operation anytime soon. But what we can do is make adjustments in the way we live our own lives.
We can make economic choices that support fulfillment and well-being rather than extraction and destruction. We all control our own pocketbooks. We all have a reasonable facsimile of free will. So… we do have the power to make our own small contribution to a better system.
It may not be grand or sweeping. But it is meaningful nonetheless. Each time we choose to support creative and productive ideas and economies rather than their antithesis, we’re doing something profound. Something important.
We’re moving the world in the right direction. One step at a time.
Cheers, friends. Let’s keep discovering together.