The shortest possible AND most probable of success pathway to elimination of conflict, is the pathway in which scarcity of resources is minimised. Conflict perhaps cannot be eliminated entirely, but it is universally tied to the availability of internal and external resources, where internal resources include such things as self knowledge, love, psychological maturity and emotional well-being.
Such a goal cannot be achieved by a system which artificially generates and increases scarcity, while reducing abundance … which is precisely the outcome of the property trade & currency based economic paradigm.
Our world passed the point at which the scarcity of external resources became unnecessary a few centuries ago with the industrial revolution … and from pretty much this point onwards, all scarcity has been manufactured from systems (and their masters) that refuse to admit their flaws.
IF we had seen this, seen the root causes, and solved them … it is quite easily arguable that the world today would be a vastly different place, not necessarily without problems, but certainly a paradise compared to what we’re experiencing.
- Had religion & politics realised that its agenda of social control was causing problems;
- Had economics realised that property ownership was no longer necessary if we could create abundance;
- Had the war machine realised that keeping the peace requires protecting the innocent rather than fighting for the corrupt …
… we would not be where we are today.
SO HOW DO WE ELIMINATE SCARCITY?
We do so by removing the systems that generate it, and replacing them with systems that IMMEDIATELY distribute all abundance, without hoarding, and without requiring payment.
IF something is NOT SCARCE:
- If the methods of extraction of such resources do not lead to scarcity;
- If the methods of processing of such resources do not lead to scarcity;
- If the methods of storage of such resources do not lead to scarcity;
- If the methods of distribution of such resources do not lead to scarcity;
- If the methods of recycling / reclamation of such resources do not lead to scarcity …
… THEN why should anyone ever go without?
Why should they indeed even have to work for such a resource at all?
The only thing that matters is NOT creating scarcity in the first place, and ensuring that access to resources that remain scarce is based on MERIT NOT POWER.
It really is that simple conceptually.
So the question is:
- How do we create a new economic framework which motivates the reduction of scarcity, and which also provides an unbiased framework for the assessment of merit IN WHICH even other species AND the non-living aspects of ecosystems have an equal voice?
This is a question of immense depth and complexity, and precisely why it took me so long to figure out the answers.