Things that matter…
I can understand why people have contempt for capitalism despite the blatant elevation of civilization through the last couple of centuries thanks to greater individual rights, private property ownership, and voluntary exchange.
Nothing has been more beneficial to the masses than this ideal. Nothing has helped more people rise from nothing. Yet, as is the nature of human beings it seems, rulers emerge to control and regulate others. It’s some malfunction we have as people. In the modern world, the elite (rulers, officials, etc.) have to balance how they accumulate power with why they want it. Let’s not get too deep down that road… this post is about things that matter from a business perspective.
Since civilization does not (yet) have an unlimited abundant zero cost source of food/water, shelter, and energy, business remains the lifeblood of progress. Some things may never get to zero cost, not because they require money under our current social structure, but in the absence of that costs would be much higher. For example, even if you were an adept farmer or hunter, the cost would be time and resources to do those tasks, or find a tribe where your skill set can be traded in return. Money simply makes this transaction easier. Barter is a primitive concept.
At a base level, humans only have a few simplistic needs: food, water, oxygen. We desire more. “There ain’t no reason why I be buying expensive chains” can be extrapolated out to almost everything anyone does. Of course, this is the basis of praxeology — the study of human action. One thing is for sure, people do stuff for their own reasons, and that’s one of the biggest reasons scientists like Donald Hoffman (not to mention Elon Musk) think we are all living in a simulation already. If you are not willing to do that thought experiment, I don’t blame you. It’s a hard pill to swallow. It doesn’t change the fact you have to live with what you have and are bound by the laws governing it all.
That’s why even if ideas of anarchy from people like Michael Malice may sound exotic and borderline ridiculous, battlefield Earth (horribly great movie) is waged around freedom with plenty of people comfortable giving up their freedoms to others claiming to help. So, what the fuck does this have to do with anything? Hahahahaha. I write for myself mostly. You just happen to be reading this. Seriously, here’s the thing.
If you buy into the idea that there are bullshit jobs, I don’t blame you, there definitely are plenty of them. However, what are the alternatives? The hashtag #doepicshit is filled with people doing nothing that epic at all. Sure, fitness is important, but it’s just not epic. Maybe I’m salty because I haven’t done anything worthwhile yet… so be it. Time to get started.
