Somewhere in the world today, there are people who collect wealth like a child collecting football cards. They want (material things) for nothing. Somewhere else in the world today, in my town, in my country, there are children waking up to nothing. Not even a Christmas Card. They won't have a lavish three course dinner prepared by a loving mother or father, I believe some men do cook, so we'll add that in for good measure. No gifts. No hope. It doesn't bare thinking about.
I can't help but consider how different the world might be should the financial system change to at least be a fairer system without the ability to print what is essentially counterfeit 'money' to facilitate the transfer of that 'money' to the people behind the curtain. Or, at the every least, that everyone might understand how the system operates so that they can make better choices if they are able to - which is a bigger societal knot to untie.
The Roman Empire and Jesus of Nazareth
Has the financial system ever been fair though? During the Roman Empire, gold and silver coins were used, alongside barter for those who never had physical money. But the Empire stole from the people in the lands they ruled over. As it's Christmas Day, I'm going to relate this to Jesus of Nazareth. Matthew was a tax collector in Capernaum, stealing from his fellow Jews to give to the Romans, creating wealth for them. But they did not reinvest it into the towns or cities they commandeered, instead using it for war, public works that benefited the Roman Empire, and welfare programs (imagine stealing money then dishing it back out in the form of grains!).
'Taxpayer money was often abused in ancient Rome. Instead of funding public projects or internal improvements, it was often used for the more selfish pursuits of bureaucrats.[16] Hopkins argues that the tax collection systems of the Roman Empire funneled wealth into an aristocratic class, which was then primarily used to fund the Roman military and to maintain the luxurious lifestyle of Roman elites.' Wikipedia
'Even as Rome was under attack from outside forces, it was also crumbling from within thanks to a severe financial crisis. Constant wars and overspending had significantly lightened imperial coffers, and oppressive taxation and inflation had widened the gap between rich and poor.' history.com
Jesus of Nazareth, a revolutionary figure, stood up against the religious leaders of that time who guarded their system to keep them in comfort at the expense of their people. This passage from Matthew 23 is one that could easily be said to monarchs, oligarchs, the central bankers, politicians who posture and pose and claim to be working for the people who vote for them - for they are teaching the masses to blindly follow the laws of cronyism - not capitalism, but cronyism. I believe it to be a crucial and very important distinction.
'Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. 24 You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.
25 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. 26 Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean."
Matthew 23: 23-26.
Ebeneezer Scrooge the Lender
Fast forward to the 19th Century, to the 1840s, and the story of Ebeneezer Scrooge. A Christmas Carol might well be one of the most famous and wonderful tales ever told. A universal story of transformation. A greedy lender, who in today's world, could well be likened to the people who work at the IMF, the BiS or the Central Banks. Although some might say that's not true, he was more like a pay day lender.
The Bank of Scotland was founded in 1695, the Bank of England, 1694, two hundred years before the economic situation when Dickens wrote his novel based on the situation at that time.
What might it take for us all to have a financial system that doesn't steal wealth, time, freedom, prosperity and peace? A financial system that cannot be used and abused to benefit those in the know, or to use and abuse those who are not in the know? Is that where Emotional Intelligence comes in?
To peace and prosperity,
Jacqs
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