Week in and week, we read of the crisis in capitalism, an ideology used to support big business, power and privilege for the few, economic growth and maximisation of profit on investments .
The basis of contemporary economic theory holds strictly to a single viewpoint with obvious Darwinian overtones – namely that society consists of individuals driven to act solely out of self-interest whose primary purpose is to increase personal wealth, goods and services.
This wretched economic system fuelled with greed, self-delusion and rabid desire for more, at any cost, destroys everything in its way – other social systems, communities, lives of indigenous people, governments that pursue alternatives to capitalism, natural resources, creates then destroys employment, people’s savings and blights the lives of the young by forcing them into an education primarily for future job slavery.
Governments and the corporate world have entered into the most unholy alliance, along with the media barons, to ensure that the capitalist view of reality remains the only paradigm. Alternative voices are ridiculed and marginalised to ensure the status quo of economic growth and light weight regulation of capitalism.
Dharma teachings consistently point out that ignorance conditions consciousness which conditions desire, beliefs and intolerance. Those who refuse to submit to capitalism find themselves marginalised as being extremists or not living in the real world. We are told there is no alternative.
The power of capitalism lies in capital cities, mostly in the West, various stock markets, major banks, investment companies, hedge funds managers and mortgage lender. CEO’s, boards of directors and entrepreneurs have wasted away the savings of millions of people, destroyed numerous pensions and left countless companies bankrupt or on the edge of bankruptcy due to their reckless desire for growth.
A token number of CEO’s will go for trial at some distant date in the future, perhaps receive a fine, even some time in a comfortable prison, despite inflicting terrible suffering on lives of millions of people worldwide. They will continue their luxurious lives and meet with their well paid lawyers. The poor only have to snatch the handbag of two or three old ladies to find themselves incarcerated for years in a brutal prison system.
When the body is infected with cancer it requires wholesale surgery. Capitalism, itself, is the cancer. What is the solution to put an end to capitalism?
• Breaking up of huge corporations into regional businesses
• Development of countless numbers of small banks and small financial institutions
• A revolution in education that addresses the whole person and the school as part of a community – instead of fragmentation through age, cerebral knowledge and examination results.
• Maximisation of authentic non profit agencies, NGOs, trusts and charities
• Right Livelihood for all kinds of workers
• Social and economic networks in the local community
• A widespread discourse on ethics, values and sustainable living.
• Community and environment to replace the ideology of self.
We need a revolutionary shift, a scale of collapse of capitalism as much as we welcomed the collapse of the crippling and cancerous ideology of Communism.
The Buddha tirelessly reminded us of the importance of change (anicca), sustainable living, mindfulness, right livelihood and living within our means. Let us wake up to implementing the power of change.