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Illusions of Wealth
by cleaves Sunday, Jan 16 2005, 7:05am
international / social/political / opinion/analysis

With the exception of the simple necessities of life, nothing has any intrinsic value whatsoever. We are born in societies and socialised by the values of those societies. Consensus is the imperative of ‘value’ – the majority in any society must first agree (consciously or unconsciously) that something is valuable in order for it to be endowed with ‘value.’ The custodians of ‘wealth’ are therefore the masses! The wealth of a nation quite literally rests with the people. The smallest shift in the attribution of value by the masses can reduce the existing ‘rich’ to poverty and can devastate a capital oriented society. Therein lies the ease with which social transformation can occur!

Historically, the acquisition of wealth has been a major formative factor of most organised societies. Volumes have been written on the subject of wealth; however, few have revealed the core social dynamic upon which the concept of wealth is based. Sharing equal position with the social dynamic of power, are the social dynamics relating to wealth and its acquisition.

With the exception of the simple necessities of life, nothing has any intrinsic value whatsoever. We are born in societies and socialised by the values of those societies. Consensus is the imperative of ‘value’ – the majority in any society must first agree (consciously or unconsciously) that something is valuable in order for it to be endowed with ‘value.’ The custodians of ‘wealth’ are therefore the masses! The wealth of a nation quite literally rests with the people. The smallest shift in the attribution of value by the masses can reduce the existing ‘rich’ to poverty and can devastate a capital oriented society. Therein lies the ease with which social transformation can occur!

All cultures assign by attribution, value to certain objects. However, it is the mistaken belief that value lies in the object rather than in the process of attribution that prevents the masses from realising their dominant role. While the focus is directed to external objects the value-endowing dynamic becomes obscured and is left to function largely in the realm of the unconscious. Would the masses tolerate inequities if they were aware that it is their prerogative to assign wealth?

The inverted perception of the value dynamic facilitates the creation of artificial needs based on induced desires – which serves only to advantage the few. A further consequence is people engage in the pursuit and acquisition of objects in order to satisfy these artificial desires. Labour is easily harnessed through the never-ending cycle of acquisition. However, the entire process is transient and requires constant renewal in the form of ‘new’ inducements. The futility of this cycle becomes apparent when it is realised that it is circular. Those engaged in pursuit and acquisition subject themselves to servitude regardless of whether there is a greater or lesser accumulation of inherently valueless objects.

Notwithstanding the above, people are becoming less enamoured with the tinsel playgrounds of revolving capital and are withdrawing their subscription. Realising the inevitable failure of the ‘fascination’ cycle, certain commercial interests are making concerted efforts to appropriate (through legal patents) the naturally occurring necessities of life – food, genetic codes, etc. If these interests are allowed to succeed, they would ensure for themselves an insidious form of control not seen in the history of humankind. The greatest prize for these nefarious commercial interests is ‘ownership’ of the naturally occurring necessities of life.

The largest repository of social values is the people. Minority interests would be prevented from exploiting a society in which the wealth dynamic was a conscious process.

Character, vigilance and fortitude are required to reform and become conscious of any process that functions by default on unconscious levels of mind. There are no means other than awareness to remove the psychological shackles that result in social servitude. The onus, as always, is ours.

We are ONE


 
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