Money makes the world go around.

Okay, so I have another strange thought, but thats ok cause I am a strange person.
Is there any way to run the world and make it work and NOT use money? Is there really a money war in this world. You have more six inch peaces of paper that I do, so that makes me worth less than you are, not!
Any way that my general question and statement. I hope someone responds to what I just said, that would be cool!

Unfortunately, no, there's no way to run the world and "make it work" at all, money or no money.

Money isn't really the focus of the struggles-- power is. Money is just one of the things that defines power.

There are people in the world who are not content to simply live their lives in peace and contentment. For whatever reason (I believe that they're literally insane), they're compelled to seek and acquire power over others and/or (illusory) power over the world. In capitalistic nations, the most straightforward path to that power is the acquisition of wealth, so that's what they mostly focus on.

If we were to somehow eliminate money, those people would still exist, and they'd simply follow whatever path to power came to replace money. That's essentially what happened in the USSR. Since it was nearly impossible to straightforwardly acquire personal wealth, the power-hungry scum instead got into party politics and did reprehensible things in pursuit of political power. And ironically enough, those who climbed far enough in the party were not only rewarded with power, but with (relative) wealth.

So long as there are desperate and power-hungry sociopaths in the world, they will do whatever they can, regardless of the damage they do, to accumulate power over others. If they can't use money for that purpose, then they'll just use something else. Money isn't the problem-- power-hungry, mendacious scumbags are the problem. Money is just one of the tools that they use in their insane, harmful and ultimately pointless quest for control.

These are excellent points and I agree completely. Hopefully this isn't too far away from the original topic, but I have often wondered if there was some way to turn the motivation for power against itself. Put another way, have a system that makes it ultimately self-defeating to seek power.

-P

Originally posted by Bob LaoTse
Unfortunately, no, there's no way to run the world and "make it work" at all, money or no money.

Money isn't really the focus of the struggles-- power is. Money is just one of the things that defines power.

There are people in the world who are not content to simply live their lives in peace and contentment. For whatever reason (I believe that they're literally insane), they're compelled to seek and acquire power over others and/or (illusory) power over the world. In capitalistic nations, the most straightforward path to that power is the acquisition of wealth, so that's what they mostly focus on.

If we were to somehow eliminate money, those people would still exist, and they'd simply follow whatever path to power came to replace money. That's essentially what happened in the USSR. Since it was nearly impossible to straightforwardly acquire personal wealth, the power-hungry scum instead got into party politics and did reprehensible things in pursuit of political power. And ironically enough, those who climbed far enough in the party were not only rewarded with power, but with (relative) wealth.

So long as there are desperate and power-hungry sociopaths in the world, they will do whatever they can, regardless of the damage they do, to accumulate power over others. If they can't use money for that purpose, then they'll just use something else. Money isn't the problem-- power-hungry, mendacious scumbags are the problem. Money is just one of the tools that they use in their insane, harmful and ultimately pointless quest for control.