Building A Life For Ourselves

We all to some extent or another try to build a life for ourselves in this world. We have our goals, our dreams, our visions, our hopes, our desires, and we attempt to build our lives accordingly. Some are able to realize parts of their dreams, others are not able to realize any of them, not because they did not have what it takes, but because this world system in its current set-up is extremely destructive, and can easily tear down a persons life and future. It is thus interesting to see how many of us that try to hide in our small lives. We hide in our homes, with our families, with those that are close to us, we go to work, earn enough to survive, hold unto our dreams and hope that it will not be our life that is shattered.

However, a point that we forget is that, until we have once and for all directed this world system and created a new, updated, and benevolent system, we will not be able to create our dreams, hopes, desires, and that small place in this world where we can be left alone and tend to our own interests and hobbies. Because there is no way to separate ourselves from what is here. Even if we build our house far, far away from civilization, there is still a risk that the instability of the world system will have consequential effects on our lifestyle. This is the reality, we will not be able to have a great life, until the world system as a whole have changed.

Thus, the dream and motivation of building a life for ourselves in this world, must also include taking responsibility for the world system, in taking on a point within the world system that must be directed, and walking that point into change. Because unless we do it, how can we expect anyone else to? And unless we get up and start directing our lives, not only in the personal, but also the interpersonal, and the universal, any form of peace and stability we experience in our lives will be ephemeral – because the world system will eventually catch up with us and give the reminder that things in this world are NOT what they should be.

Creating our lives must as such include taking responsibility for and pushing for  a change within the world system. And the interesting point is this; it does NOT have to be a grand and impressive change that we personally take on to move into this world; such as for example, stopping starvation. Even the small and incremental contributions moves the world into the right direction and is as such needed. Hence, what determines what we make our area of focus and expertise, our purpose when it comes to the world system, is ourselves: Through asking where do we have our strengths and weaknesses? What are we able to do with what we have? Where are we able to contribute that will make a impact and change things for the better? That is the question we must ask ourselves: Where Can We Put Ourselves To The Best Use?

One animal that we can learn from when it comes to forgetting about our individuality, and instead looking at the greater picture, to see where we fit in the best, where our particular constitution and personal make up can be most effective, is the honey bee. Because the bee lives solely for the community, for its hive. A bee is born into one out of three specific physical types; it is either a queen bee, a drone bee, or a worker bee. Each of these types have their own distinct role in the bee community – and neither of these roles supersedes the others in terms of having a leader position. In-fact, if the queen bee is not effective at laying eggs, which is her primary task, she will be replaced by the worker bees. Then the drone bees, their one task is to mate with a queen bee, and when that is done, the drone bee will die, because it is of no use to the bee community anymore. For the bees the individual does not exist, the primary consideration is the group, the hive, the togetherness, because as a group bees are strong, while as individuals they are weak.

Us humans need to become more like bees when it comes to looking at our lives, our decisions, where we decide to go, and how we decide to live, and when it comes to contributing and giving ourselves a purpose in relation to the world system. In order for us to contribute the best we can, we must let go of our individuality, our desires, our wants, our feelings of what we WANT to do, and instead look at where we are the BEST; what skills do we have? What supportive characteristics have we nurtured and created within ourselves? All of that should be taken into account when we create our lives, our future, our mission and purpose in this life, as that will make us much more effective, and subsequently, the human race as a whole will benefit.

Let us not dwell on the problems of this world, but instead embrace the busy bee in ourselves, look at where we can contribute and give, and get to action, because that is the way we, one by one, individually and together, incrementally and one piece at a time, move this world towards a better future.

_________________

Check out the following:

Living Income Guaranteed Proposal http://livingincome.me/wiki/The_Living_Income_Guaranteed_Proposal

Living Income Guaranteed by Equal Life Foundation: http://livingincome.me/

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Equal Life Foundation: http://equallife.org

Equal Life Foundation – Bill of Rights: https://equallifefoundation.wordpress.com/bill-of-rights/

Presenting the Fundamental Human Rights by Equal Life Foundation https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eT8Sfq-pF3Y

WordPress: http://equallifefoundation.wordpress.com/

Twitter http://twitter.com/equallifefndn

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Economist’s Journey To Life http://economistjourneytolife.blogspot.com/

Discuss at: http://www.facebook.com/groups/capitalism.vs.equalmoney/

http://livingincomeguaranteed.files.wordpress.com/2014/04/lig-proposal-first-draft-2013.pdf EN

https://livingincomeguaranteed.files.wordpress.com/2015/02/lig-predlog-prvi-osnutekt-v1.pdf SL
http://livingincomeguaranteed.files.wordpress.com/2014/04/ivg-propuesta-primera-version.pdf ES
http://livingincomeguaranteed.files.wordpress.com/2014/04/lig-prijedlog-prvi-nacrt.pdf CR
http://livingincomeguaranteed.files.wordpress.com/2014/04/lig-voorstel-eerste-schets-v-2.pdf NL

 

Terrorism, cause or effect?

With the attack on the airport and subway system of Brussels, Europe has once again, in a short span of time, become the target of terrorism. By all means, this is a egregious act and not acceptable in any way or form. However, I find that there is a surprising lack of awareness in the general public, and in the media coverage, regarding the REASON for these attacks.

It seems to be a weakness in the human intellect. When we are faced with trauma and difficulties, our tendency is to look at the symptom. When we get sick, we look at and attempt to suppress the immediate effect. When there is a fight or conflict, we look at the drama – and this single dimension – the consequence that is here right now – becomes the entirety of our focus. However, as with all aspects of life, there is always, ALWAYS, an underlying cause. When it comes to human beings, that cause can never be simplified to the idea that some people are ‘just evil’ – or that they ‘just belong to the wrong religion’ – or that ‘they are immigrants’. Human beings are without a doubt more complex creatures than this – and hence – to understand terrorism – we must understand the human mind.

Terrorism, as explained by Chris Hedges, is born on the outskirts of the system. It is born in places where our western media seldom go, and even more rarely, report from. The reality of terrorism is that it is a social construct, in-fact, it is a part of our current system – it is a inescapable consequence of the inequality on which all of our collective designs are built. Terrorism is a SYMPTOM – not a cause – and seen in the eyes of forgiveness and clarity – it is an obvious call for help from the undeveloped and forgotten parts of this world.

In the western world, we tend to become arrogant and look at terrorism with an air of elitism. We condemn the attacks, yet we make no effort to understand them. We look down on the extremists and their religious doctrines, yet we make no effort to prevent such people from ever becoming extremists to begin with. We believe ourselves to be better than, though fact is that we, the western civilization, is as corrupted, as violent, as brutal and indifferent as the suicide bombers of ISIS. However, we are able to hide our real nature behind a facade of prestige, intellect, money and skillful rhetoric’s – though in being honest with ourselves – we cannot deny – we are just the same.

We call our terror attacks humanitarian interventions or peace keeping missions. We say that we fight for peace and democracy when we bomb cities of foreign countries. We lie that our intentions are benevolent, while fact is that there are always ulterior motives; geopolitics, profit, desire and greed. It is impossible to create peace or stability in a country through armed intervention, and it is easy to see that the warmongers are also those that benefit from building and selling the war machines. There has never, and will never be such a thing as a war fought for good reasons. War is in its very nature despicable – a crime against all of humanity.

Hence, when we look at terrorism, we must make the effort to understand it – and the only way to understand terrorism is through letting go of our elitist mindset and instead asking ourselves; what is it that can drive someone to commit suicide with a bomb, with the intention of killing and harming as many people as possible? What must someone go through, experience, think, see, to be able to make that decision? It is such an extreme act of violence, that the precursory events that creates a suicide bomber, must in themselves be violent, destructive and harmful. How are we collectively responsible for creating suicide bombers? Would anyone take their own life if they had everything to life for?

What we must understand is that, in this world, the majority of people are suffering. The majority of people are compromised, diminished, and placed into a state of lack where they do not have access to the very basic necessities of life. They are unable to create a life for themselves, and hence have NOTHING to lose – and THAT is the conditions that proceeds a terrorist attack – conditions of deprivation and pauperism – this creates people with no hope, no fear, and no morals. We in the western world are responsible for creating such situations of scarcity – as we in various ways impact the world negatively with our continuous drive for profit and expansion.

Terrorism will not go away until we decide to take responsibility for this world, and understand, that violence begets violence, and that the only way to come to a REAL solution, is through giving all a life of dignity.

Investigate the Living Income Guaranteed – and stand up for a world where all have enough.

The Future of Money Creation

It is not hard for anyone to see that our current money system is experiencing difficult times. Even though interest rates are historically low, this still does not ignite the economy the way that the leaders hope. We are still in a deep recession, where youth unemployment is very high, companies are struggling, and where it is increasingly hard for anyone to create a life for themselves. Then on top of this, the situation in the middle east and Africa, is to put it mildly, catastrophic. The consequence is that refugees flood into Europe serving to destabilize the economy even further.

When investigating why our economy has become so weak, why we have so many structural flaws in our system, and why there does not seem to be in an end in sight, I have time and time again seen that these are strongly tied with how money is created in society. For those that do not know, money is created as debt. Commercial banks put out money in the economy, at an interest, when companies, and private individuals take out loans. This in turn means that there is ALWAYS a deficit of REAL money in the system, because DEBT accumulates without additional, new, debt-free money being inserted into the economy. We do not need a rocket scientist to conclude that this is bad math and also, big problems.

One clear and relevant example of how excessive debt can effectively destroy an entire country is that of the Greece sovereign debt crisis. Coerced by the financial powers of Europe to pay back its debt, Greece has now breached some of the most basic Human Rights there are. Pensions have been slashed and public jobs as well as salaries have been cut – the result is a disaster of epic proportions. And when we look at the reason for this destruction of human potential it all comes back to one thing – DEBT.

We should really ask ourselves why we structure our economy this why, because can we not find a better way? Does it not make sense to instead build our economy on debt free money, where countries are empowered using debt free grants to strengthen instead of being sucked dry of all life with the excuse that they owe money to someone, or something?

Having a money system that is based on debt creates extreme limitation, and at the end of the day, it only serves those few that are  in control of money creation, which is commercial banks. We have become so used to thinking that we must become indebted to buy houses, to receive educations, and to achieve a comfortable life, though this is ONLY a political structure – not a ACTUAL REALITY. Fact is that we could structure our money system in such a way where our governments issue debt free money that could be used to build houses, improve infrastructure and the general well-being of the public. Debt is fictional – a mirage created through laws – but in reality we all have an equal right to live a dignified life.

Investigate DEBT and the SOLUTIONS presented to this problem – the organization POSITIVE MONEY is offering a very cool solution – to implement this we require political participation – as it is through politics that laws are written and society is built.

Down below is an example of videos made by positive money that explains how banking works.

Austerity Measures, Can They Be Justified?

In the aftermath of the 2008 banking crisis that incurred a massive economic destabilization on a global level, the neoliberal concept of ‘austerity measures’ have now reached the western hemisphere, with Greece and Spain as its more notable victims. In particular, the Greece bailout, which is allegedly a saving package, has imposed a myriad of conditions and restrictive measures on the Greece economy. The purpose of these structural restrictions is apparently to empower and stabilize the Greece economy, however, the opposite has happened, as has been documented in several high profile investigations.

The concept of austerity measures ranges back to the 17^th century, and have more recently been adopted by the neoliberal economic doctrine as a way of dumping market failures on the state and indirectly, on the public. That austerity measures has the capacity of causing detrimental effects for the general public has been proven in Greece, and there is a history of failures with the so-called Structural Adjustment Programs imposed by the International Monetary Fund as part of their lending to developing countries, due to the conditions of austerity that these loans impose on the debtor.

Several independent sources indicate that austerity measures, such as cuts in public spending in the health, education, and other mechanisms of social security, creates human suffering on a widespread scale. With Greece, we have been given the opportunity to closely observe the social catastrophe that is created by austerity. The Truth Committee has noted that, unemployment has gone from 7.3% in 2008 to 27.9% in 2013. Youth unemployment reached a staggering 64.9% in may 2013. Due to cuts in public health expenditure more than 2.5 million persons, or one fourth of the total population of Greece, are without health insurance. Furthermore diseases such as tuberculosis, malaria and HIV have increased, and mental health problems have ballooned. Pensions have been reduced by 40 %, which have caused 45 % of Greece pensioners to fall below the poverty line. 500,000 people lives in conditions of homelessness, insecure or inadequate housing. To put it mildly, there is a humanitarian crisis in Greece.

What have been left out from the discussion on austerity measures are human rights, primarily the economic and social rights established by the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. This convention is binding on the contracting states – and Greece together with the Eurozone countries has all ratified the convention. You would hence think, that in detailing the Memorandum of Understanding between Greece and the Troika, that contains the austerity conditions imposed on Greece, there must have been a discussion on the potential impacts on Human Rights that the austerity measures could create. However, there has not been such a discussion. Instead the EU member states, the EU commission, EU central bank and the International Monetary Fund have displayed a disregard for how the austerity policies would affect the Human Rights of the people of Greece. Court rulings by the highest Greece court that have ruled the pension cuts as unconstitutional and as a breach of Human Rights, have in the 2015 Memorandum of Understanding been referred to as ‘fiscal risks’. Such a use of vocabulary when referring to the Human Rights is nothing short of remarkable.

The United Nations Human Rights Council has adopted the Guiding principles on foreign debt and human rights in July 2012. According to paragraph 56 ‘Debt relief efforts must not compromise the provision of basic services. In particular, debt relief conditions that may adversely impact the realization of human rights or undermine development in the beneficiary State must be avoided’. The UN General assembly has in September 2015 adopted a resolution (A/69/L.84), which defines nine principles on how a debt restructuring process should be directed. Among these principles is the principle of sustainability, which implies that sovereign debt restructuring should lead to a stable debt situation in the debtor state, preserving creditors’ rights while promoting economic growth and sustainable development, reducing economic and social costs, ensuring the stability of the international financial system and respecting human rights.

Not surprisingly, these principles were adopted by vote and not by consensus, with the developed countries claiming that Human Rights should not be a consideration when it comes to debt and debt relief. However this position cannot be accepted as legitimate. Obviously Human Rights is and must be an important part of economical decisions, because the very foundation of economics is Human Beings. The consequence of separating economics from Human Rights is such perversities as slavery. Possibly, this is what the new era of austerity and debt has become, a more refined form of slavery, which is free from the moral constraints of its predecessors, because it is now justified with the slick vocabulary of neoliberalism and market economy. Though, when scrutinized, austerity measures are a soulless machine working for an anonymous creditor, fueled with the accepted belief that this is the way things must be. The debt must allegedly be paid back at all costs… because… well because, the market wants it that way.

To create a heaven on earth, it is clear that all forms of commercial agreements, debt contracts accounted for, must be able to be declared null and void if they happen to breach Human Rights. This is how it should have always been, and we must ask ourselves, why this has not yet happened. The United Nations has been around for 60 years, yet still, flagrant violations of Human Rights are allowed with reference to commercial agreements. What is missing; motivation, drive, integrity or compassion? And how come we accept and allow the life of countless human beings to be reduced to numbers on a balance sheet?

Clearly, there is a rift between the reality of our world, and the principles conceptualized in our Human Rights instruments. The process of making these principles a living reality will without a doubt be a challenging venture, yet it will be through the respect for Humans on a global level, that we will be able to create a world that truly worth living in. And let us not forget that there are solutions to these problems. Even though the massive bureaucracy that is involved can make us as individuals feel as if we are small ants facing the enormous Goliath, the system is comprised of individual human beings, like you and me. By standing up, one by one, and supporting a new direction in politics and economics, we will have an impact. In democracy we each have one vote, and that is how we will be able to shift direction, through coming together and unanimously voting for a new world that is best for all.

Does a Contract That Violates Human Rights Have Any Legal Standing?

The situation that has developed in Greece is a fascinating example of how commercial contracts, and within that MONEY, oftentimes (EVERY TIME?) takes precedence over Human Rights, even though international laws dictates that it should be the other way around. In this article I will expand on the possibilities that exist within international law to repudiate and cancel debt contracts when these makes it difficult for the debtor to fulfill its Human Rights obligations.

For starters, lets recap on the situation in Greece. What has happened is that the country, for various reasons, has accumulated a substantial amount of debt. Greece was close to defaulting on its outstanding debt and many private creditors were exposed to great risk. That is when the European Central Bank, the IMF and the European Union, otherwise known as the Troika, decided to step in. The Greece government apparently received bailout funds to handle their debts, however, these monies were only used to bailout the private creditors and transfer the risk of the debt to the Troika. As such, what happened was that the bonds switched owners – and much private debt was transformed into public debt; the winners being the private creditors, aka banks, and the losers being, the public.

For Greece to be eligible to the alleged ‘rescue packages’ it had to agree to implement structural adjustment programs, and within that enforce measures of austerity. In a less refined language, we would call that, forcibly living in dirt poor conditions to save up money, to pay of the pissed of creditor, otherwise he will hurt you. And these agreements were signed in 2010 and 2011 respectively, and in 2013, the Human Rights Council evaluated the conditions of Greece and how the adjustment programs had affected the people of Greece [1]. And then in 2015, we have a report submitted by the Truth Committee on Public Debt, a committee created by the Greece Hellenic Parliament with the purpose of investigating the debt of Greece [2]. Both these papers tell a similar story, that Greece is in the midst of a humanitarian crisis – and the reason – paying back debt. Does this make any sense?

It is no exaggeration to say that the situation in Greece has gotten completely out of hands, literally speaking, and that there has been substantial damages made to the economical and social fabric of the nation. Peoples access to housing, health, nutrition, education, freedom of expression and assembly, judicial services, and primarily WORK have diminished significantly. Greece’s GDP have lessened with 20%, and there is no bright future ahead, rather the GDP is expected to continue its downward spiral – because in trying to pay back the debt Greece have been forced to cut back on A LOT of public spending. 150 000 public sector jobs have been cut, pensions have been cut, wages have been cut, benefits have been cut, and as the economic freedom dwindles, so does the ability for the average Greece citizen to consume, which in turn affects the entrepreneurs negatively. In summary, Greece is going downhill, and with that, Greece’s ability to fulfill its international commitments on ensuring Human Rights for its citizens [3]. And here comes the interesting question: Can a contract, and more specifically a debt, be suspended or cancelled, because that very contract directly, or indirectly makes it impossible for the creditor to fulfill its obligations under international law to respect Human Rights?

According the International Law, Yes it is in-fact possible to suspend or cancel a debt with reference to Human Rights. The Independent Expert on the effects of foreign debt and other related international financial obligations of States on the full enjoyment of all human rights, particularly economic, social and cultural rights, Cephas Lumina, expressed himself this way:

It is increasingly accepted that non-State actors including international financial institutions, have obligations to ensure that their policies and activities respect international human rights standards. This obligation implies a duty to refrain from formulating, adopting, funding, promoting or implementing policies and programmes that directly or indirectly impede the enjoyment of Human Rights.

If you look at the point, it is common sense, that in order for Human Rights to be realized, commercial agreements must be subservient to Human Rights. If commercial agreements, and within that, debt contracts, are allowed to take precedence, then we will end up with situations as the one in Greece, where fundamental Human Rights are violated in the name of money. To have your debt repaid is obviously NOT a human right, and one can in-fact argue, that the creditor should always stand the risk that the debtor cannot or refuse to repay the loan, as that way, credit will not be awarded carelessly and without thorough research on the potential debtor.

Looking at Greece’s current creditors, the European Union, and the European Central Bank, we can conclude that both of these non-State actors are bound the European Charter of Fundamental Rights. And in the charter we find the Right to Work, the Right to Fair and Just Working Conditions, a Right to Health Care, which involves a high level of human health protection and that shall be pursued in all the Unions policies and activities – and as was mentioned previously – all of these rights have been severely compromised through the austerity measures imposed on Greece. Hence, it is possible to argue that the European Union and the European Central bank in-fact are obligated under EU-law to forgive the debt, or at least, stop all imposed measures of austerity.

The Human Rights are clear, however, as per usual, the fault is not with the legal instruments, but rather with those that interpret and apply them. We can write a ton of Human Rights Laws, that sound super cool on paper, yet if we do not make an effort to live by and realize these words, they are useless. Thus, for Human Rights to become a reality, they must be actively considered in all political decisions, and not just looked at as an ideal to hopefully be realized sometime in the future. In-fact, Human Rights should be the very foundational elements of our political system, the principles that determine each action and each decision – because we ALL know – that when Human Rights are compromised – People will Suffer.

And this brings me to the last point, our responsibility as ordinary citizens. Because it is interesting to notice that surveys done on Germans, as to whether Germany should forgive Greece’s debt, indicates that the general opinion is that there should be no forgiveness of the debt [4]. Many Germans, which are part of the nation that have the highest amount of outstanding debt to Greece, and thus stand to loose the most if Greece’s debt would be forgiven, feel that they have a right to their money – and that the austerity measures are just because Greece deserve it. However, what is not understood is that Human suffering can NEVER be justified on the basis of commercial principles, regardless of the amount of outstanding debt. The fact of the matter is that the moment we accept and allow ourselves to stand for what is apparently fair, and just, we disregard what is BEST for all – which might not be that which is just or fair. Look at it like this, the children born in today’s Greece, do they bear any guilt in the debt of Greece? Is it just and fair, and is it BEST, that they grow up in horrendous living conditions, only to repay a debt connected to money they have never benefited from?

Forgiveness is the way forward – forgiveness and honoring our Human Rights. That way we can create a world that is safe, were we all can feel secure in facing and waking up to a new tomorrow, as we know that regardless of what might happen, our basic needs are respected.

[1] Human Rights Council, Report of the Independent Export on the effects of foreign debt and other related international financial obligations of States on the full enjoyment of all human rights, particularly economic, social and cultural rights, Cephas Lumina, 2014 (http://cadtm.org/IMG/pdf/A_HRC_25_50_Add1_AEV.pdf)

[2] Truth Committee on Public Debt, Preliminary report, 2015 (http://cadtm.org/IMG/pdf/Report.pdf)

[3] Politaki, Alex, The Guardian, Greece is facing a humanitarian crisis, 2013 (http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/feb/11/greece-humanitarian-crisis-eu)

[4] McHugh, Jess, International Business Times, Greek Crisis: Young Germans React With Solidarity, Anger to Greece Debt Problem, 2015 (http://www.ibtimes.com/greek-crisis-young-germans-react-solidarity-anger-greece-debt-problem-2001511)

The Shootings In Paris, An Act of War?

Friday the 13^th 2015, the day when an apparent terrorist attack struck Paris, and more than a hundred people got killed. The French president responded with saying that the attack is an act of war. However, I would say that this is not a correct assessment of the situation, and more importantly, it is not a effective way of approaching what has happened.

If we roll back the time for a moment, 11^th September 2001, two planes flew into the World Trade Center, killing thousands. The American government blamed the Taliban’s and decided to invade Afghanistan, and later Iraq, in the so-called war against terrorism. Obviously, it was never about a war against terrorism, as rather it was a way for the corpocracy of America to feed its enormous military industrial complex. Though, for a moment, let us assume that the war on terrorism was actually a real attempt to make the world a safer place. It is time to ask, did this war actually make the world a safer place?

The simple answer is no, and it takes no rocket scientist to understand that wars, whatever reason that is used to justify them, creates even more consequences. As such – we require a new way of dealing with things, a new way of approaching conflicts, a new way of handling consequences, were we do not hit back but instead look at how the consequence came about, and more importantly how we were a part of creating that particular consequence.

When it comes to terrorist attacks, it is not difficult to understand why some individuals in this world develop an urge to fight back against the establishment with brute force. The reasons are poverty, war, lack of education, and the nonexistence of opportunities. For some, born in the wrong country, at the wrong time, there is absolutely no hope, and for those, terrorism is a way of saying: ‘Look at what you have done to me! Look at what you have done to my life!’ – and that is what we in the western world must understand – that terrorist attacks is an indication that we have to steer things in another direction. Terrorist attacks is as much a cry for help, as they are a sign we humans have not yet been able to unite as ONE group.

Though, I will admit, it is very easy for me to say that ‘we have to change’ – but how to practically do that? What can we possibly do on a individual basis to have any impact on a global level? Truth to be told, there is no single person that can actually change the world, but we can change the world together, through each of us making the decision to stand up in our own lives.

For example, one solution that we can implement is to, when conflicts emerge in our own personal worlds, someone lashing out on us (a micro terrorist attack), that we then look at how we were a part of creating that conflict, and also why that conflict came about, and what we are able to do to in the future, to prevent it and find sustainable solutions – thus living the example of PEACE, CONSIDERATION, RESPONSIBILITY and UNDERSTANDING.

When we live what is best, when we stand as an example of a better, upgraded human being, a human capable of forgiveness, that will have a impact. Maybe it will not come through on a global level, though we will be able to see it in our personal relationships, in our communication with colleagues and acquaintances. And what does this world consist of but personal relationships, family relationships being the very core bonding that holds society together. When these relationships change, it is clear that it will have an effect on other, larger, collective relationship groups as well.

So, consequences are not bad, they are opportunities for learning and self-growth. Each consequence is a sign, a signal, that there is something about ourselves that we can change. This is so equally on a personal as well as global level. Thus, instead of saying that these terrorist attacks are an act of war – let us instead recognize them for what they really are – a cry for help and a indication that we can do better to ensure that each human being on this earth lives a life of dignity.

For more solutions and ways to tackle the current state of human affairs, investigate the Living Income Guaranteed.

Student Debt – A Crime Against Human Rights

Student Debt is one of those things in society we all tend to take for granted. Most that go to college or university are required to in-debt themselves in order to pay for tuition and living expenses. Some countries, like Sweden, do not have tuition fees – though the majority of students are still required to take out loans to cover their living costs.

Young people in this world find themselves between a rock and a hard place. Either you take out hefty loans, make it through university, and potentially land a well-paid job afterwards. Or you come to terms with maybe having a low paid job and no debt. Both of these options are completely horrendous. To be forced into debt to make a life for yourself is a crime against human rights – and yet – this is what young people are required to do.

What should be happening is that young people growing up in this world are nurtured and receive all the support and assistance they require to make the best out of their lives. Because if we cripple an entire generation with debts, imposing unto them the choice of either debt serfdom, or unemployment, we are most certainly creating immense and global consequences in the future. Not only are we creating class warfare, we are also creating generational warfare – were those that are older and have had the opportunity to build a life for themselves without debt will be the target of resentment and blame of the younger generations.

However, one of the most fascinating points that this point with the student debt shows is how we as human beings really have a major issue when it comes to caring for other people. Because how many of us are not benefiting from student debt? Do you for example know what sort of assets your pension funds have invested in? Most certainly big parts of their investment portfolio are made up out of student debt bonds – and would you be willing to give up your pension to release students from their debt? And really – at the end of the day – this is the question we as Humanity face: Are we willing to care for another as we care for our children and ourselves? Are we willing to give up our self-interest to stand for a solution that will benefit all people, youngsters as well as old people, and are we willing to give up some of our luxury to achieve that outcome?

Debt is artificial, which means that its existence is a mental abstract creation. Debt exists in databases and registers made up out of numbers and names – to remove these numbers would be very easy. We could decide today as a society to not anymore accept and allow debt to be part of our lives. Instead of debt, we could decide to give our future generations the best possible conditions to create themselves a life of fulfillment, joy and happiness. We do hold that power – so the question we should ask ourselves is: Why are we not creating the world that we want to see?

And – Why not take it even further? Money is artificial, which means that its existence is a mental abstract creation. Money exists in databases and registers, called banks, that are made up out of numbers and names – to change these numbers would be very easy. Why then not change the numbers a little, so our youths do not have to go through their lives paying debts for which they got things that should have been theirs as part their HUMAN and UNCONDITIONAL RIGHTS. See, life, this world, our monetary system, our way of doing things, it is not set in stone – there are many solutions to the problems we face – though to see them – we have to let go of our small, confined and limited world view – our self-interest – and start seeing our reality from a greater, and more expansive perspective – and ask ourselves the daring question: What is Best For All?

I am one vote for world equality, and I am one vote for a Living Income Guaranteed – because I want what is best for youths as well as elders. I want, for all those that wish to experience higher education, to be able to do that, without incurring any debts – and I want all children to be certain that when they grow up – they will be embraced into a society that cares for and tends to them – and want what is best for them. We can create this world – and it all begins with us letting go of our self-interest and developing that real and genuine care for others.

Wasting Food

According to reports by United Nations Environment Programme and the World Resource institute, about one third of all food produced worldwide gets lost or wasted in food production and consumption systems. When converted to calories, it means that about 1 in 4 calories intended for consumption is never eaten. This food is wasted for several reasons. Much is lost because it does not fulfill the aesthetic requirements of shops, and hence indirectly, consumers. And of the food that is actually bought, a lot is thrown away, and some of it due to expiration dates being set too early. It is clear that food wastage is a massive problem and it reveals some interesting characteristics of the human being, and also many opportunities of self-correction, where we as humanity can change ourselves on a individual level, to as such make an impact globally.

What does food wastage show us about ourselves? It shows us that we do not value the labor and energy that has gone into creating that food – for us – food has become only a number – a cost that we buy using money. Though, fact is that food is more than a number, because to create each produce we eat, an investment of real resources had to be made. The farmer had to put in great effort to grow his crops and care for his cattle. The slaughter had to exert himself with determination and strength to slaughter and prepare the meat for consumption. And nature, the animals, and plants had to offer themselves, their lives, to nurture and support our continued existence. As such, food cannot be measured in money, food is a work of art, that has been given a attention and energy to end up in the supermarkets where we are used to seeing it.

When we take food and only eat some of it, or we buy too much, and throw away the things that we allow to go bad, what are we thus really saying? In-fact it is an act of negligence and ignorance to treat food as having no value – negligent because there is not much we need to change about ourselves to become a more considerate and effective when it comes to handling our food – and ignorant because we do not see the amount of work that has gone into the food, which we so easily make a decision to throw away.

Thus, if we wish to stop waste in this world, we must begin with ourselves, and understand that wastefulness occurs not only with food, but it is the way in which we have come to live. Our entire society is based on waste, and the false belief that there are eternal resources, eternal opportunities, and eternal energy for us to consume without consequences. Truth is that, there is no such thing as a free lunch – and for each resource we waste – there is one resource less to be used.

Though, let us take this one step further, and ask ourselves, where are we wasting ourselves? Fact is that as with all things that we create on the outside, we are also creating and living them inside of ourselves. Are we not wasteful with ourselves, and our own potential when we accept and allow ourselves to give up on our future, and what we know we can create for ourselves, because we do not feel motivated? Are we not wasteful when we decide to not do the most with ourselves, and our lives? Are we not wasteful when we decide to throw away our talents, because we do not experience ourselves as having the energy to develop them? Are we not wasteful when we throw away moments in our day to get to know ourselves, and our mind better, because we accept and allow ourselves to be afraid of self-intimacy? Are we not wasteful when we spend hours, upon hours in a emotional reaction, time that we could have instead used to LIVE and participate HERE?

There are many ways that waste come through within ourselves, in our lives, and thus, in this world. And it is important for us to investigate how we are wasting, so that we can stop this behavior, and instead live our lives within the starting point of using – and as such – being useful instead of wasteful.

How can we change ourselves to direct the waste that occurs in our daily lives into a using and usefulness? Because in answering, and living the answer to these questions, we can make a big difference for others and ourselves as well – as we stand as an example of what it means to respect the life within us and this world – where we do not accept and allow waste to exist within us.

Waste happens when we do not push ourselves to see the value in what is here, to appreciate to what is here, and be grateful for what is here. Waste happens when we take things for granted. Waste happens when we become caught in our desires, and our urge to experience things, and we miss the reality, the universe of life that is here as a part of our world. WASTE occurs when we walk through life in HASTE, thinking about only our own WAIST – and not understanding that our actions and inactions have consequences. Hence, as a first step to change the massive waste that happens daily in this world on a myriad of levels, let us change ourselves – and make sure that we are not accepting and allowing waste to take place in any form within ourselves, or our lives.

Investigate the Living Income Guaranteed.

Corruption, Poverty and Capitalism

There is a clear correlation between the amount of corruption and the level of economic welfare that exists in a country. In countries that are rich, corruption is not as frequent as in countries that are poor. This shows us some fascinating points about human nature – and it also reveals solutions for how to deal with the tendency humans have to become corrupted, dishonest, and fraudulent when placed in positions of public power.

There are a few things about human nature that are obvious: We all have an inner drive geared towards self-preservation. If we had to choose between us dying, and someone we do not know dying, most of us would have the other person die. And really, there is nothing strange about this. Self-preservation is an innate trait most forms of life on earth – each organism wants to survive and reproduce. Hence, when we are placed in a position of shortage, we will find ways to get out of it – and if it is required – do that at the expense of another.

Then, we have this human characteristic called greed. If we look deeper at the nature of greed, we can see that greed in-fact consists of a deep-seated fear. Greed is the tendency we have to take more than we need, because we fear that we might need that more in the future, and we ‘just’ want to be on the safe side if something unexpected were to happen. Hence, greed is a form of self-preservation, though a more aggressive, and irrational variety – because where greed is involved – there is not an actual need to preserve self.

Moreover, we have a thing called competition. Most people drive themselves through life in a state of competition. They want to compete against neighbors, friends, acquaintances – they want a better car, house, family, etc. Competition thrives in areas/environments where there exists a lack of resources. For example, in an environment where there is little money, the competition for the money will be greater. And when there is a aggressive competition, there will be incentives to cheat, and incentives to preserve self at the cost of another.

We thus have these three ingredients: Self-preservation, greed, and competition – all of which can be said to be ‘natural’ parts of the human experience. And with natural I mean that most people have or develop such traits from an early age – though this does not imply that such traits are impossible to change and direct. No, all of these traits can be directed – and it is possible to change self to not anymore exist within and as self-interest. Though for this blog let us continue with corruption.

We have established that there are certain characteristics in the human nature that is typically part of the human experience. Now, what is clear is that these characteristics represent the foundation, the underlying reasons that will shape and form the decision of an individual to corrupt themselves. And what is fascinating is that these characteristics will become highlighted in a state where there is poverty, and lack of resources to go around. In such a scenario the average human being will start to think only about themselves, and how to make decisions that will benefit their life, and how they can get out of the precarious situation they find themselves in.

We can read the following in an article from Forbes magazine:

“The links between corruption and poverty affect both individuals and businesses, and they run in both directions: poverty invites corruption, while corruption deepens poverty. Corruption both causes and thrives upon weaknesses in key economic, political and social institutions. It is a form of self-serving influence akin to a heavily regressive tax, benefiting the haves at the expense of the have-nots. Trust–essential to financial markets and effective governments everywhere–is difficult to build in poor and corrupt societies.

Poor people and economically strapped businesses have few economic alternatives, and where serious corruption is the norm, they are even more vulnerable to exploitation. In that sense, there is no such thing as “petty” corruption: police shakedowns in a public market, or roadblocks in the countryside where farmers must pay up in order to transport produce to the city, may yield seemingly trivial sums of money, but they help keep poor people poor.

Low-level officials themselves may have trouble earning an honest living. In poor societies, they are often underpaid, when they are paid at all, and must provide a stream of payments to patrons at higher levels. In such settings, bribery, extortion and theft become matters of survival.” (Johnston 2009)

When survival becomes difficult, corruption flourish, hence corruption is a symptom not the actual illness. The real illness is poverty, and poverty is a structural effect of our current debt based money system – also called – capitalism.

”To reduce corruption from its current high levels requires something more than, and different from, additional laws, commissions, invocations of morality, regulations and so on. It requires basic, structural economic change. Earlier reforms achieved so little success because they ignored the very idea or possibility of such change. They left untouched capitalism’s basic incentive structure and capitalists’ power to use enterprise profits for corrupt purposes. Capitalists have continued to face all the benefits and gains that corrupted officials can yield (plus the risks and costs of failing to corrupt them). Capitalists have likewise continued to amass ever-larger profits and thus the funds with which to corrupt.” (Wolff 2014)

It is easy to blame human nature for being the cause of greed, yet at the same time, when we are able to map out and understand how the human functions, would it not then be easy to create a system where these characteristics are not allowed to fester? Is it not possible, that in a system where money is abundant, where opportunities are ripe, and there are no valid reasons to fear for your own survival, that self-preservation, greed and competition would cease to exist?

Maybe we can even stretch this even further, is it maybe so, that self-preservation, greed and competition are products of this current system, characteristics that are not supposed to be part of the human nature? In any case it is obvious, that if we were to restructure our money system and distribute resources equally, this would have massive positive effects on the human population. It has been shown that equality improves, among other things, physical health, mental health and education, and lessens drug abuse and obesity (Wilkinsson, Pickett & Reich 2011).

Corruption is an illness created by inequality and a unfair distribution of resources. We can change this be implementing a new system of distribution – capitalism is not and have never been the only way to structure and organize human labor, productivity and resource distribution. I suggest that we implement a Living Income Guaranteed – a Guaranteed monthly income that is sufficient to sustain a human being so that they can tend to their basic needs.

According to article 3 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, all humans have the right to life, though it is obvious that this right cannot be realized unless we implement a system that gives all the money they require creating their lives. Hence, money is a human right and not something that should be subject to conditions and demands.

Investigate the Living Income Guaranteed.

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Michael Johnston (2009). Poverty and Corruption. Forbes Magazine. http://www.forbes.com/2009/01/22/corruption-poverty-development-biz-corruption09-cx_mj_0122johnston.html [2015-10-14]

Richard D. Wolff (2014). Political Corruption and Capitalism. Truthout. http://www.truth-out.org/opinion/item/21559-political-corruption-and-capitalis [2015-10-15]

Richard Wilkinsson, Kate Pickett, Robert B. Reich (2011). The Spirit Level: Why Greater Equality Makes Societies Stronger. Bloomsbury publishing

What would you do with more time on your hands?

I find it fascinating to look at old pictures of my grandfather and grandmother and the life they shared together. My grandfather was a farmer and my grandmother a housewife with many creative hobbies on the side. Their home was a big farm, and it is here on this farm that I have decided to reside as well. It is truly remarkable scenery that envelops these lands. Lush fields, trees are singing in the wind, and at distance a lake is glistening. I cannot imagine a better place to grow up and spend your life.

What is fascinating about the pictures of my grandparents is that they depict a time were there was more time. You can see them sitting by the lake having a cup of coffee, or sitting in their porch, eating a meal prepared on the grill. It is clear that there was less pressure back then, time was not such a scarce resource as it is in today’s hectic world. And talking with my grandfather this becomes clearer. He has shared with me how he used to fish with nets during the autumns and springs, and hunt on the lands. Nowadays, these hobbies do not exist in the same quantity as before – and the reason why? We do not have enough time.

All that we have time to do is to work. And now, it is not enough that only one person in the household works, both the man and the woman must work for things to go around. Now when the man and women come home from work, they must rest from work, cook, and then little to no time is left to actually do something with their day. What many tends to do, is to use the hours that are left over to watch some television. But what kind of a life is this?

Most of us will maintain that we have evolved during the last 200 years. I say we have not. Our technology has evolved, true, but our quality of life, the time we have available to give to ourselves and our dear one’s, this is devolved and decreased. What kind of a life is it, to be constantly rushing around, stressing, fretting, hurrying to make ends meet? Is that something we can even define as being life? Can we actually say that we are alive, or are we merely surviving?

I say that we are not alive, we are just surviving, because all we do is chasing money, and there is no time for self-development, self-expansion, and self-realization. There is no time left for us to enjoy the fruits of our labor and the advancements we have made in technology – and hence we cannot claim that we are living. Actual living would imply freedom and time to ponder, time to pursue our interests and passions, time to sit by a lake and enjoy a long coffee break, time to spend with our children, and strengthen the bond between family members – real living would be to experience a deep gratefulness for each day lived on this earth and the opportunities that are provided – and how many can contend that they experience such a gratefulness today? It rather seems that most of us are sick and tired – disillusioned and fed up with continuous money problems, stresses and fears around survival.

What would you do if you had all the time in the world? Who would you be if you did not have to chase money in your life? What interests and passions would you develop? What would you build? What would you decide to be a part of? Would you become a farmer like my grandfather, a housewife, a vagabond, a musician, a painter, or a builder? Who would you decide to be if all doors were open to you?

We must take a deeper look at what we have created in this world, and ask ourselves the question: Why have not created heaven on earth, and is this present world system truly the best we are able to muster? AND – HOW can we change what is here into a world that we would want to be a part off? That we would desire to be a part off?

Money is the key to creating time for all to discover who they really are. Through Guaranteeing Everyone a Basic Living Income – UNCONDITIONALLY – we can create a new world, and a new life. It is not impossible, and just as with any creation, it starts out as a vision, as a few words in our mind, that is spoken, then written down, then lived, and then pushed into manifestation – this is how we create. Be a part of this change – see what visions and dreams are hidden in the depths of your consciousness, and make the decision to create a world where you will be given the opportunity to realize all of them. All creation begins as a small seed – and when we nurture these seeds what will spring into life is our manifesto – our decision – and that is how we will create the TIME for ourselves to actually live.