Humanity Is A Natural Resource.
"If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading."
"If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading."
- Lao Tzu
- Lao Tzu
Society is barreling at a continuously increasing rate toward a future where the food we eat, the abode where we rest, the business where we work, where we buy all products and services, and even our government, will all be owned in totality by multinational corporations whose omnipotence and omnipresence will have transcended even the most dystopian sci-fi writer’s imagination. As Lao Tzu stated, “if you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading.” One person’s dystopia is another’s utopia. For a small minority of people, where we are headed is a utopia; for everyone else, it will be a dystopia stranger than fiction. We must change direction, and we must do so with a plan, with ample torque, and in a timely manner; otherwise, the dystopia to which we are headed will have detrimental effects on our society economically, mentally, physically, and, if you will, spiritually.
Society is barreling at a continuously increasing rate toward a future where the food we eat, the abode where we rest, the business where we work, where we buy all products and services, and even our government, will all be owned in totality by multinational corporations whose omnipotence and omnipresence will have transcended even the most dystopian sci-fi writer’s imagination. As Lao Tzu stated, “if you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading.” One person’s dystopia is another’s utopia. For a small minority of people, where we are headed is a utopia; for everyone else, it will be a dystopia stranger than fiction. We must change direction, and we must do so with a plan, with ample torque, and in a timely manner; otherwise, the dystopia to which we are headed will have detrimental effects on our society economically, mentally, physically, and, if you will, spiritually.
Let me start by stating that this is as much a political project as it is an economic project, a spiritual project, and a passion project. There is power in logic, and there is also power in emotion; one is only superior to the other in specific contexts. I am overwhelmingly excited to be writing this statement and am even more excited that you are reading it. Nothing within the context of this project would make me more excited of course than to see this mission empowered so that this vision can be manifested. Although I have only lived in this life for 32 years, the knowledge and insights I’ve gained from my experiences, my research, and my introspectiveness transcend my body’s age. I am grateful for the many ups and downs life has given me and I am ready to maximize my potential so that I can maximize the positive impact I have on society.
Let me start by stating that this is as much a political project as it is an economic project, a spiritual project, and a passion project. There is power in logic, and there is also power in emotion; one is only superior to the other in specific contexts. I am overwhelmingly excited to be writing this statement and am even more excited that you are reading it. Nothing within the context of this project would make me more excited of course than to see this mission empowered so that this vision can be manifested. Although I have only lived in this life for 32 years, the knowledge and insights I’ve gained from my experiences, my research, and my introspectiveness transcend my body’s age. I am grateful for the many ups and downs life has given me and I am ready to maximize my potential so that I can maximize the positive impact I have on society.
The year is 2040, you live in a metropolitan city, and you’d like to buy a new pair of sneakers. You start with searching on Amazon, then you move on to Macy’s, then Nordstrom, then Saks Fifth, and so on. All the choices look about the same and what you really want are some high-quality shoes made by hand by an artisan based locally in your city. You run an internet query searching for such an artisan shoemaker in your city, and there are no results. You instead come across a news article with the headline, “Where Have All The Artisans Gone?” The article details how institutions have bought out and crowded out the entire artisan industry worldwide. Nowhere on earth can you find a decent pair of shoes made by an artisan. Between private equity and automation, the artisan is extinct in this version of 2040. I personally would not like to live in a world completely captured and sanitized by private equity and automation. So how do we stop the tsunamis that are the behemoth private equity and automation industries? We don’t, because we can’t. It’s inevitable that private equity and automation builders will act within the nature of those spaces, and no one can escape nature. What we can do however, is build a counterbalance — a buffer, if you will.
The year is 2040, you live in a metropolitan city, and you’d like to buy a new pair of sneakers. You start with searching on Amazon, then you move on to Macy’s, then Nordstrom, then Saks Fifth, and so on. All the choices look about the same and what you really want are some high-quality shoes made by hand by an artisan based locally in your city. You run an internet query searching for such an artisan shoemaker in your city, and there are no results. You instead come across a news article with the headline, “Where Have All The Artisans Gone?” The article details how institutions have bought out and crowded out the entire artisan industry worldwide. Nowhere on earth can you find a decent pair of shoes made by an artisan. Between private equity and automation, the artisan is extinct in this version of 2040. I personally would not like to live in a world completely captured and sanitized by private equity and automation. So how do we stop the tsunamis that are the behemoth private equity and automation industries? We don’t, because we can’t. It’s inevitable that private equity and automation builders will act within the nature of those spaces, and no one can escape nature. What we can do however, is build a counterbalance — a buffer, if you will.
Since the beginning of humanity, humans have found ways to gather and share natural resources, as well as use those natural resources to build new types of resources. Eventually, humans discovered a way to share these human-made goods and services with each other. It all started with bartering, i.e., “I scratch your back and you scratch mine.” Brad offers to cut Barry’s hair in exchange for Barry helping Brad move a heavy piece of furniture. Bridgett offers Beth one of her oil paintings in exchange for Beth working for a week in Bridgett’s gallery while Bridgett is away. Then came currency, taxes, and banking. By the time central banking came along, bartering had all but been done away with in society. Things in society tend to go from one extreme to the other before finding an equilibrium for a period of time, as balance is an unstated law of the universe. A fully barter-based world economy is no more or less extreme than a fully central banking-based world economy. Society needed to discover a financial system that was robust enough to handle transactions of all shapes and sizes; however, that system, at scale, has slowly evolved humanity away from humanity.
Since the beginning of humanity, humans have found ways to gather and share natural resources, as well as use those natural resources to build new types of resources. Eventually, humans discovered a way to share these human-made goods and services with each other. It all started with bartering, i.e., “I scratch your back and you scratch mine.” Brad offers to cut Barry’s hair in exchange for Barry helping Brad move a heavy piece of furniture. Bridgett offers Beth one of her oil paintings in exchange for Beth working for a week in Bridgett’s gallery while Bridgett is away. Then came currency, taxes, and banking. By the time central banking came along, bartering had all but been done away with in society. Things in society tend to go from one extreme to the other before finding an equilibrium for a period of time, as balance is an unstated law of the universe. A fully barter-based world economy is no more or less extreme than a fully central banking-based world economy. Society needed to discover a financial system that was robust enough to handle transactions of all shapes and sizes; however, that system, at scale, has slowly evolved humanity away from humanity.
Of course, it goes without saying, that even if “we the people” decided to incorporate bartering back into our society to a large extent, it is impossible within the context of all goods and services on earth being provided by a small group of multi-trillion-dollar conglomerates. Of course, it also goes without saying that bartering is not an efficient operating system at the scale of a modern international economy. Does that mean bartering has no place in our society? Many of us still barter from time to time, e.g., you may offer to read the draft of a friend’s to-be-published book in exchange for that friend sending your resume to a few people to facilitate your job search. Bartering is not just when an exchange is explicitly spelled out and arranged as a quid pro quo. Many of us informally barter with people by simply “returning the favor” when someone does something for us.
Of course, it goes without saying, that even if “we the people” decided to incorporate bartering back into our society to a large extent, it is impossible within the context of all goods and services on earth being provided by a small group of multi-trillion-dollar conglomerates. Of course, it also goes without saying that bartering is not an efficient operating system at the scale of a modern international economy. Does that mean bartering has no place in our society? Many of us still barter from time to time, e.g., you may offer to read the draft of a friend’s to-be-published book in exchange for that friend sending your resume to a few people to facilitate your job search. Bartering is not just when an exchange is explicitly spelled out and arranged as a quid pro quo. Many of us informally barter with people by simply “returning the favor” when someone does something for us.
Consider the effects of doing nothing. Consider, for example, you travel to Miami, Florida, and your itinerary consists of breakfast and coffee at Starbucks, shopping at Macy’s, lunch at Chick-fil-A, dinner at The Cheesecake Factory, and seeing the latest Marvel blockbuster at AMC. Perhaps that doesn’t sound so bad in a vacuum. Now consider that that is also your itinerary when you visit Los Angeles, Atlanta, San Francisco, Chicago, Boston, New York, Denver, Phoenix, etcetera. Consider the economic impact of your wages not keeping up with inflation because every business is owned by one of a dozen conglomerates leaving you with no negotiating power. Consider the economic impact of every dollar you earn going right back to those conglomerates no matter where you shop, where you live, or what you buy. Consider the impact on one’s state of mind when you walk or drive around your town and every building looks the same and every business is a franchise. Consider the impact on one’s physical health when all the food you consume is made in a lab because that is all you can afford. Consider, if you will, the impact on one’s spirit, and one’s very own will to live, when not even your elected officials can make a difference because their largest donors won’t allow it.
Consider the effects of doing nothing. Consider, for example, you travel to Miami, Florida, and your itinerary consists of breakfast and coffee at Starbucks, shopping at Macy’s, lunch at Chick-fil-A, dinner at The Cheesecake Factory, and seeing the latest Marvel blockbuster at AMC. Perhaps that doesn’t sound so bad in a vacuum. Now consider that that is also your itinerary when you visit Los Angeles, Atlanta, San Francisco, Chicago, Boston, New York, Denver, Phoenix, etcetera. Consider the economic impact of your wages not keeping up with inflation because every business is owned by one of a dozen conglomerates leaving you with no negotiating power. Consider the economic impact of every dollar you earn going right back to those conglomerates no matter where you shop, where you live, or what you buy. Consider the impact on one’s state of mind when you walk or drive around your town and every building looks the same and every business is a franchise. Consider the impact on one’s physical health when all the food you consume is made in a lab because that is all you can afford. Consider, if you will, the impact on one’s spirit, and one’s very own will to live, when not even your elected officials can make a difference because their largest donors won’t allow it.
What society needs, in my opinion, is a new financial operating system that is layered into our existing one; a Barter-Based Operating System (“BBOS”). With a BBOS, “we the people” will be empowered to reanimate a long-dead economic system that can be of, for, and by the people. The magic of “village culture” will be able to be accessed anywhere on earth by anyone at any time. “Village culture” is the necessary yang for the yin that is big city life. Bartering, while not a panacea, can be an elixir for a society possessed with the pursuit of profit and efficiency with little to no regard for humanity. Many people all over the world are being crushed under the weights of stagnant wages, rising costs, and an overall sense of dread. Bartering can strengthen and lift entire communities up to heights that are only seen as reachable in theory, and a BBOS can be a system that we live with rather than live under.
What society needs, in my opinion, is a new financial operating system that is layered into our existing one; a Barter-Based Operating System (“BBOS”). With a BBOS, “we the people” will be empowered to reanimate a long-dead economic system that can be of, for, and by the people. The magic of “village culture” will be able to be accessed anywhere on earth by anyone at any time. “Village culture” is the necessary yang for the yin that is big city life. Bartering, while not a panacea, can be an elixir for a society possessed with the pursuit of profit and efficiency with little to no regard for humanity. Many people all over the world are being crushed under the weights of stagnant wages, rising costs, and an overall sense of dread. Bartering can strengthen and lift entire communities up to heights that are only seen as reachable in theory, and a BBOS can be a system that we live with rather than live under.
If you were to query “why are small businesses important” in a search engine, you would find dozens of summaries, articles, and statistics that essentially boil down to “small businesses (“SMBs”) are the lifeblood of a strong economy” for empirical reasons such as, in the U.S., SMBs create ~66% of all new jobs, SMBs are responsible for ~50% of all private sector jobs, and 99% of all businesses are SMBs. I would argue however, that SMBs are important not only for reasons that are tangibly empirical. In older and/or less developed countries than the U.S., SMBs help shape and maintain the local culture and aesthetic of an area. Consider the difference in the power dynamics of the local politics of a small town where the business owners are also locals, versus a big city where the business owners don’t live anywhere. Imagine a world where no matter where you travel, you can experience that area as the locals do. Imagine that you are a visual artist from Tokyo visiting Miami for your first time, and instead of simply going to museums and established galleries, you are well-informed about small niche pop-up art events that you most likely would not hear about except through word of mouth from a local. The first step is empowering locals to shape and maintain their localities, and the second step is creating a platform that allows for the trading of knowledge, goods, and services amongst locals and any visitor that wants to live as a local.
If you were to query “why are small businesses important” in a search engine, you would find dozens of summaries, articles, and statistics that essentially boil down to “small businesses (“SMBs”) are the lifeblood of a strong economy” for empirical reasons such as, in the U.S., SMBs create ~66% of all new jobs, SMBs are responsible for ~50% of all private sector jobs, and 99% of all businesses are SMBs. I would argue however, that SMBs are important not only for reasons that are tangibly empirical. In older and/or less developed countries than the U.S., SMBs help shape and maintain the local culture and aesthetic of an area. Consider the difference in the power dynamics of the local politics of a small town where the business owners are also locals, versus a big city where the business owners don’t live anywhere. Imagine a world where no matter where you travel, you can experience that area as the locals do. Imagine that you are a visual artist from Tokyo visiting Miami for your first time, and instead of simply going to museums and established galleries, you are well-informed about small niche pop-up art events that you most likely would not hear about except through word of mouth from a local. The first step is empowering locals to shape and maintain their localities, and the second step is creating a platform that allows for the trading of knowledge, goods, and services amongst locals and any visitor that wants to live as a local.
Technology can be used against us, and it can also be used for us. If technology being ubiquitous is an inevitability, then we must adapt, or risk being reduced to commodities. A technology enabled BBOS represents a balance between new and old, and a way forward toward reclaiming our dignity as a society. Humanity is a natural resource that is slowly being depleted by industrialism, thus chipping away at our sanity. The Industrial Revolutions of the past were excellent mechanisms for generating wealth and power, and our current Technological Revolution will likely be an excellent mechanism for turning wealth and power into efficiency. What we also need, in my opinion, is a Humanity Revolution, a new era of Enlightenment. A Humanity Revolution can be an excellent mechanism for ensuring that the tools of the Industrial and Technological revolutions do not find that hammering away at humanity is what is most economical and efficient.
Technology can be used against us, and it can also be used for us. If technology being ubiquitous is an inevitability, then we must adapt, or risk being reduced to commodities. A technology enabled BBOS represents a balance between new and old, and a way forward toward reclaiming our dignity as a society. Humanity is a natural resource that is slowly being depleted by industrialism, thus chipping away at our sanity. The Industrial Revolutions of the past were excellent mechanisms for generating wealth and power, and our current Technological Revolution will likely be an excellent mechanism for turning wealth and power into efficiency. What we also need, in my opinion, is a Humanity Revolution, a new era of Enlightenment. A Humanity Revolution can be an excellent mechanism for ensuring that the tools of the Industrial and Technological revolutions do not find that hammering away at humanity is what is most economical and efficient.
Just like the Industrial Revolutions built up industry, and the Technological Revolution is building up technology, a Humanity Revolution can build up humanity in a time where most of us feel broken down. So, what is a Humanity Revolution? I think the way we build people up is by empowering them to add value to society in a way that they feel maximizes their positive impact on society. Imagine if Salvador Dali or Frank Sinatra never shared their gifts with the world because they were stuck in a corporate rat race? Imagine if Dr. Ben Carson never became a neurosurgeon simply because he imagined becoming a lawyer or banker would be more lucrative? I often wonder if people in the early 20th century were as nostalgic for the 19th century as we are for the 20th century. I wonder if we are so nostalgic for the 20th century because we’ve stopped being human and have instead become the robots that we fear from science fiction.
Just like the Industrial Revolutions built up industry, and the Technological Revolution is building up technology, a Humanity Revolution can build up humanity in a time where most of us feel broken down. So, what is a Humanity Revolution? I think the way we build people up is by empowering them to add value to society in a way that they feel maximizes their positive impact on society. Imagine if Salvador Dali or Frank Sinatra never shared their gifts with the world because they were stuck in a corporate rat race? Imagine if Dr. Ben Carson never became a neurosurgeon simply because he imagined becoming a lawyer or banker would be more lucrative? I often wonder if people in the early 20th century were as nostalgic for the 19th century as we are for the 20th century. I wonder if we are so nostalgic for the 20th century because we’ve stopped being human and have instead become the robots that we fear from science fiction.
A Humanity Revolution isn’t something that will occur suddenly and all at once. Just like electricity served as an operating system for the Second Industrial Revolution, and the internet has served as an operating system for the current Technological Revolution, I believe bartering can serve as an operating system for a Humanity Revolution. Bartering will connect locals with each other and their local community at a level that is currently atypical and is an inevitable response to the economic pendulum swinging too far from humanity. Strengthening a local economy by way of residents and visitors shopping locally gives way to strong bonds forming amongst residents and local small businesses being well supported financially. When locals in a community have strong relationships with each other alongside a variety of flourishing small businesses, bartering can take place with ease, which facilitates new pathways toward personal autonomy and a heightened sense of ability to maximize one’s positive impact on society. Building a technological platform that allows people to localize themselves, no matter where they are, will catalyze a Humanity Revolution.
A Humanity Revolution isn’t something that will occur suddenly and all at once. Just like electricity served as an operating system for the Second Industrial Revolution, and the internet has served as an operating system for the current Technological Revolution, I believe bartering can serve as an operating system for a Humanity Revolution. Bartering will connect locals with each other and their local community at a level that is currently atypical and is an inevitable response to the economic pendulum swinging too far from humanity. Strengthening a local economy by way of residents and visitors shopping locally gives way to strong bonds forming amongst residents and local small businesses being well supported financially. When locals in a community have strong relationships with each other alongside a variety of flourishing small businesses, bartering can take place with ease, which facilitates new pathways toward personal autonomy and a heightened sense of ability to maximize one’s positive impact on society. Building a technological platform that allows people to localize themselves, no matter where they are, will catalyze a Humanity Revolution.
This BBOS that I am proposing be adopted in every locality on earth encroaches upon the ever-growing power structures that are private equity and automation; however, it is only to serve as a counterbalance, not as a replacement. What a wonderful world it will be if one has the freedom to choose between ordering a jacket online, having a robot stop by the local 3D-printing center to have one printed, and walking to “Jackie’s Jackets” to have Jackie start working on a handmade jacket for you. Why settle for one of those futures when we can have all three? The first future in that list is already here, the second will be here within a decade, and the third does not yet exist, but it can with your help.
This BBOS that I am proposing be adopted in every locality on earth encroaches upon the ever-growing power structures that are private equity and automation; however, it is only to serve as a counterbalance, not as a replacement. What a wonderful world it will be if one has the freedom to choose between ordering a jacket online, having a robot stop by the local 3D-printing center to have one printed, and walking to “Jackie’s Jackets” to have Jackie start working on a handmade jacket for you. Why settle for one of those futures when we can have all three? The first future in that list is already here, the second will be here within a decade, and the third does not yet exist, but it can with your help.
Within the context of the apparent infiniteness of our perceived reality, I believe it to be a safe supposition that things only end in one respect so that they can begin in another. If it is true that energy can neither be created nor destroyed, then we must focus on directing energy in ways that suit our purposes. With that in mind, let me end this statement by charging you to begin focusing your energy toward supporting this mission and vision. Join me in whatever way you are capable and willing. I can promise that it won’t be easy, and I can also promise that it will be thrilling, and that, when we win, it will be historic. This is the moment in the story where the all-star team is being assembled, which means the difficult battles are still ahead. This team effort will require industry professionals, donors, investors, government officials, business owners, consumers, and advocates. Together, victory is in our sights.
Within the context of the apparent infiniteness of our perceived reality, I believe it to be a safe supposition that things only end in one respect so that they can begin in another. If it is true that energy can neither be created nor destroyed, then we must focus on directing energy in ways that suit our purposes. With that in mind, let me end this statement by charging you to begin focusing your energy toward supporting this mission and vision. Join me in whatever way you are capable and willing. I can promise that it won’t be easy, and I can also promise that it will be thrilling, and that, when we win, it will be historic. This is the moment in the story where the all-star team is being assembled, which means the difficult battles are still ahead. This team effort will require industry professionals, donors, investors, government officials, business owners, consumers, and advocates. Together, victory is in our sights.