An Equalitarian Society

I am a leveler.  This means I prefer the society of equals,  colleagues.

I don't like,  I have never liked,  "bosses", serfs, slaves, aristocrats and all those who set themselves over or under others.  It offends my sensibilities when people refuse to be equal.

I abhor societies, at every scale,  based on 'I am better than you.'  I don't think anyone is any better than anyone else;  people just differ.  Some are good at running,  others at sitting.  None of a person's superlatives or deficiencies are a basis for "value judgement."

The fact is that most adults,  of whatever background and configuration,  are capable of doing most of the jobs required by our society.  There are a few jobs which require someone of very unique qualifications, such as highly trained surgeons. But,  most people can learn to supervise others.  There are far more people qualified to be CEO than you've been told.

This doesn't mean everyone should be thrown in the grape crusher,  then fermented together in some awful blend.  It is important to recognize skills, aspiration and differences.

During the great Haight-Ashbury SUMMER OF LOVE,  I came to believe a certain state of affairs was not only highly desirable, but possible.  This was an intuition not taught in any book or school,  but something imposing itself on the heart when you are with truly liberated people.

Each person desires fulfillment,  an acting out of what is within.  This cannot happen with everyone or in just any circumstance.  It is a mystery, like an enduring love or marriage, how it happens,  but it can happen.  Society has a duty to promote self-fulfillment,  to introduce all its members to situations where that realization is not only possible, but probable.  If this task is well done,  conflicts will be minimized, social harmony maximized.

Everything is simply a matter of putting round pegs in round holes,  square pegs in square ones.  When that happens,  we do not need "capitalist" or "communist" carrots and whips to get things working rightly.  People who are realizing themselves seldom complain about or envy the other fellow,  as long as all are comfortable.

Yes, things go wrong.  Some of us are criminals.  Some of us have a need to demonstrate  superiority over others.  A woman I knew 30 years ago used to talk about people, especially men, being "warped."  While it is sometimes so, we can mend the problems  - if we will only try.

So, like peace,  maybe we should give equality a chance.

Economic Resources & Distribution

Dr Greenspan,  in his testimony to Congress today (July 15, 2003),  mentioned that economic societies work best when most people make about the same income.  Of course, in America, the rich are fabulously rich,  and the poor dismally poor.  This means 2 things:

 

1.  America is not working at its best

 

2.  America has become a 3rd world country,  as I warned long ago.

The Government must return to New Deal policies of taxing at high rates,  and subsidizing the lower classes.  Under such a policy,  CEOs will no longer make 500 times as much as the average worker,  and even more than that compared to the median worker.  Is a CEO really worth $10 million?  $100 million?  $1 billion?  Every year?

Estates need to be regulated to prevent the formation of a permanent American aristocracy.  That was the original reason for taxing estates.  Once upon a time - say 100 hundred years ago - most Americans were vehemently opposed to allowing any  elite classes.  Even wealthy families - the Carnegies, Mellons, Rockefellers, etc - gave most of their wealth to foundations and charitable causes.  Lately Bill and Melinda Gates have endowed their foundation with about 3/4 of their wealth.  These gifts follow the traditional American view,  that it is not a good thing for one man or family to have too much wealth and that a rich man has a duty to endow a benefit to society.

Somehow we've departed from the ideals of our forefathers.  We're trapped in an endless hyper-competitive world,  and multiple races to the bottom.  I don't think any of it is necessary,  except for those few who need to have the most money.  I am reminded of an acquaintance whose business goal was to be 'the one who dies with the most toys.'  So what?

I think we should try giving economic justice a chance, too.  I think we should all get off the silly merry-go-round,  think about what's really worth doing,  and do only that.  If we ignore the money-men,  they will go away,  because they are only fulfilled if we fawn on their bank account.

Once upon a time,  even rich people were taught these lessons and, because they were rich, spent their time leading better lives.  Now, we are all rich, if only we choose to discover it and make it so.

Last update: 11/02/2007

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