#indivisible : a turned corner

About one year ago, almost exactly, I wrote a post about abandoning capitalism.  I thought I'd check in and see where the state of that line of thinking has me these days.  

At the time, I called it a process into the unknown-- I just knew that I hated the commodification and exploitation inherent in capitalistic systems.  

Nothing's changed there.  

I've been thinking a lot about the global economy lately and its interconnectivity.  If you pay attention to the stock markets at all, it's not hard to learn that fluctuations in greece somehow impact the cost of stocks in the U.S.  I still don't know 100% how-- investor sentiment is powerful but it's ultimately fake.  Nothing is worth more than anyone's willing to pay for it, so markets the world over are ultimately driven by the end consumer.  Pepsi, a stock I actually own some of, is priced right around 70.50 per share this week.  That's a price set by how much people are paying for it as its traded on the NYSE- it's literally a market, supply/demand price.  It's also, however, when multiplied out, the total worth of the entire pepsi corporation.  That means its either more, less, or exactly how much the company makes from sales, owns in assets, etc.  The most important part of that number is the sales- more the expected sales than anything else- past sales have been either paid out or reinvested at this point.  

Pepsi, a corporation visible the world over, makes its money, ultimately, when people buy drinks.  That's not a surprise.  People are either buying pepsi or they aren't, but everyone is drinking something, or they're not living.  The ultimate longevity of the brand comes down to its appeal to consumers.  But at the end of the day, there are only so many consumers on the face of the earth.  

Jumping quite a few steps back, there are only so many assets in the world- there are only so many people, only so many hours to work and dollars to be made.   If Greece is making a difference in U.S. markets, I wonder if it’s anything to worry about.  The world economy is a closed system.  It's a monstrously huge and insidious system.  But it's closed.  Markets will rise and markets will fall.  The only reason it matters is if you're putting your eggs too heavily in a basket that's falling.  But if all the baskets are falling, ultimately, it doesn't matter, I don't think- eventually, it will lead to deflation and will self correct, at least somewhere in the world.  

That's the writ-large nihilistic version of how I think about the economy.  

But it's not that simple.  It would be, if everyone had equal access to wealth and resources.  But we don't.  If everyone could choose to invest in everything, it ultimately wouldn't matter.  But there are people everywhere who don’t have as much as a choice about what to eat every night.  

That's the disparity and it’s why rising tides never lift all boats.  If you give me 100 dollars to use as I wish, solely on myself, I'll either waste it or invest it, but I won't give it to anyone who needs it, unless I've decided to do something altruistic with it- and that's the rub.  

Capitalism, as an ideal is perfect because it ought to lead to actual growth and that should trickle down.  It never does though, because an investment in pepsi isn't a necessary investment in a job for an unemployed person-- but an investment in pepsi is a great decision from a fiscal standpoint.  

Capitalism, on its own, is broken and will be, because we live real lives in a real world where we can't just jump on the meta-telescopic mobile and see how it doesn't matter too much and we'll all be fine.  

There are only so many people in the world and they're all only living so many years.  The economies of the world will self-correct because the system is still closed- but that doesn't say anything about the lives that get lost or broken via the collateral damage.  

And that's why we've got to take the power into our own hands.  I can make money.  I will make money.  If I have my way, I'll make a lot of money.  But I can choose what I do with it, and, one year since denouncing capitalism, my resolution stands firm and attempts to take action, even in small, karmic ways have started:  giving to those who ask on the streets, tipping well because minimum wage can't afford a bare minimum life, choosing to make money by non-exploitive ways, buying fair trade coffee—little stuff, certainly, but something.

I still live in a capitalist country and, unless Cleveland gets overtaken by a different nation, I will for the rest of my life.  But just because the government won't share all its wealth with everyone doesn't mean I can't do my best to do it myself.  

I've just barely scratched the surface, but one year in, I've realized that a rising tide only carries all boats when you've thrown out the rope to tow the lower ones up with you.   

-Zack

"Why can't we give love one more chance?"

-David Bowie