Tension and the Harms of Methods of Exchange @ Free Xenon

Table of Contents

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Please go to Â Tension and Methods of Exchange for the up-to-date content for this post.

Introduction

The genesis for this post is from my weekend Twitch stream where I stream politics on Fridays (for ~3 hours) and Saturdays (for ~ 1 hour). I was wanting to add something different to my stream to help make my thoughts clearer to others, so I was thinking using Scapple which is an amazing mind mapping tool that I use A LOT when I write or when I need to attempt to clarify my thinking (such as you see in this post).

So, on the very first time I used Scapple in my stream it awakened an idea, so I had to clarify this in a blog post. So here we go…

Tension within Methods of Exchange

What is a Method of Exchange?

What is a Method of Exchange? A method of exchange is a mutually agreed upon intermediary method or system used to facilitate the sale, purchase, or trade of goods or services between parties.

Here are some historical examples of Methods of Exchange:

bartering
trading
gifting
mediums of exchange (such as monetary systems)

Harms of Methods of Exchange

Methods of Exchange create exploitation and inequality through someone:

having a silver tongue (or gift for barter and trade talking) enabling them to get better deals and for others to lose out (to be taken advantage of – exploited)
having a better or more desirable good or service to trade and therefore more bargaining power (unequal power dynamics) and therefore they receive more compensation for their goods or services and the others receive less
choosing to abuse their power or influence in order to gain more money or value even while harming others (dehumanization and exploitation)

This potential, which is inherent and visceral within these systems, decreases social trust by increasing dehumanization and competition in order to justify exploitation for increased benefit for oneself or one’s tribe.

The following video Mediums of Exchange Don’t Work (Access Abundance for All) gives a decent overview of this idea. Stop watching at about 3 min 30 sec mark.

Mediums of Exchange Don’t Work (Access Abundance for All)

This problem is especially egregious in today’s world when we have millionaires and billionaires who can buy politicians, governments, and laws which benefit them while exploiting and murdering humans and the environment for fun and profit all because they have the money and power to do so.

The Harms of Tension Within Monetary Systems

In addition, the harms of Methods of Exchange are amplified because Monetary Systems have NO inherent Moral or Ethical value system – just “Profit no matter the cost to Humanity or the Environment“.

Within Monetary Systems (as a specifically relevant form of a method of exchange) there is always this tension between morals and ethics (doing what is right or equitable) with profit (self and tribal benefit), which results in competition, dehumanization, and exploitation as well as its plethora of downstream harms. The existence of this tension between doing right and profit is the fundamental global problem we face because it is the genesis for Humanity’s Terminal Disease – The Disease of Separation.

Tension within Monetary Systems Flow Chart

The corruption and harm caused by this tension is true for ALL mediums of exchange including trading, gifting, and bartering.

A Values Change while within Monetary Systems will NOT Solve Our Problems

Even with a values change (which is what I propose in Part II of my policies @ Interstellar New Deal), Humanity will always be at odds with itself within a monetary system because of the persistent and corrupting effects of this Tension between doing what is right and obtaining an increased benefit for oneself and oneâ€™s tribe. Because of Tension our problems will never truly be able to be solved. We may be able to delay those problems with a values change through policy, but that is about it – just a delay.

Ending Monetary Systems will End the Tensions between Values and Benefits

The only way to truly enact global change so that we may end poverty, war, and suffering is to cut out the progenitor of the Tension between Values and Benefits – which would be Monetary Systems. Doing this would open the door to true global societal change so that we may end poverty, war, and suffering. Ending monetary systems is the only true way to make this ever possible. Humanity will only ever survive and evolve with this necessary step, because this is what is required for Humanity to enact true and long lasting values changes. Without this step, as I show above, long lasting positive changes will NOT be possible as we are currently seeing especially in the United States with over 50 years of progress being undone.

What do We Replace Monetary Systems With?

However, the next question is to be “What do we replace monetary systems with?”. If we plan on ending Monetary Systems so we can end poverty, war, and suffering, then the only answer is to transform the world into a Resource Based Economy (RBE), because the core of this solution is ending monetary systems as well as a a global values change. I have a giant post on this very topic: The Cancer of Capitalism and Its Antidote. Read that post for an extended examples, an explanation, and a further research path about this imperative of a topic.

Once we evolve beyond monetary systems, then we open the door to amazing potential for positive and exponential human advancement and evolution, because then we will be able to truly work together and NOT against each other because the problems that are caused by the Tension between values and benefit will no longer be there.

If you want to see policies that are aimed at creating those values changes within monetary systems then take a look at my policy site @ Interstellar New Deal. The concepts found in the above flow chart are present in my The 8 Philosophical Pillars for Peace within Humanity which are aimed at creating the ethical and value based changes needed to help Humanity evolve and save itself. Part III of my policies is about making that shift to a Resource Based Economy.