Everything Should Be Free!

The problem with this idea is that people have always stolenfrom each other, it's been that way since the first guy found a better place to pick fruit or berries or had better tools, I'll bet.
I think folks forget the reason why money was orginally adopted. It was intended to replace the barter system, which had the problem of being in constant flux. While you can't eat coins or gold (You can eat paper, but it's not all that healthy. or tasty.) their vaule, however, would stay fairly constant. You could always trade a coin for an apple, or you could hold onto the coin for awhile. You can't have an apple and hold on to it forawhile, then try to trade it for some hay.
And yeah, I know it's not a great description, but the idea is that a horse will not always be worth five chickens if someone already has a horse. However, unless something dreadful happen to the economy for some strange reason, a silver coin would always be worth a silver coin, buying however many chickens or horses as the farmer hought fair.

reply to post by RuneSpider


Where does this apply to the OP? People expect something for their work. If they spent ten years raising a horse, caring for it, keeping it fed, letting it out for runs, they'll expect some sort of return. Not just a warm fuzzy feeling knowing someone got a good horse. Maybe it's five or ten chickens. Or three goats. Or twelve silver coins. Some sort of return they can use and turn around.
And I can tell you right now, people aren't going to give away their new car just because someone else feels bad 'cause their is lesser. SOme people have cars they've maintained for years, or built from the axle up to race, or made it a goal of to have this car by their 30's. Free is great on paper, lousy in real life.

I think the op has some issues if he is envious of what others have and doesn't realize that those people strived to get to where they are.

Even if we reverted to a money free, hunting and gathering society, there will always still be those that will refuse to do their share of the hunting and gathering and gripe about why they have nothing to eat for Winter.

reply to post by Alxandro


For that matter, most hunter and gatherer socities leave very little room and time for researching advancemnts. Most people spend to much time working and survivng to write, draw, or invent.

reply to post by RuneSpider


Bingo!
Spending all that time to stay alive leaves no time for the finer things in life.
Those that gripe would probably be bannished from the tribe/group.
Gee, what a concept.

Originally posted by Karlhungis
Also, it would take a fairly large population reduction for every man woman and child in the world to have everything that they want. There simply aren't enough resources. There would need to be a massive reduction for everyone in the world to simply live a "middle class" American lifestyle.

The system is broken and there are too many people to do what you want. For everyone to be "equal" as you suggest, would take essentially a One World, communist government. Everyone would be poor, but equally poor.

www.amazon.com...

LIES!!! The world is not overpopulated. There is plenty of resources in the world to accomodate everyone. It's the blood diomond deal. Horde it to make the price go up. This is being applied to everything from food to gas to energy.
The arguement that is always used is what is the motivation to work then. You see no one on this thread has ever lived in a world where money is the ultimate drive and need. So many people can't think of any other alternatives. It's like coming up with a new color. I think if you explained the concept of money to an alien species it might laugh at the idea and wonder why you arn't laughing too. You take care of the horses and provide them to people because that's what you enjoy doing. There's no need to get 10 chickens for the horse from the person you're giving the horse to because those 10 chickens are already available. Maybe not 10 today but enough to feed your family and a hundred or so in the future. Getting rid of money is a fantastic idea. So much infact that it is inevitable imo. As of right now it won't happen and I don't quite know why.

[edit on 8-4-2008 by Zealott]

thats communism.

You would have to work wherever the govt put you. You think there would be room at the easiest jobs for everyone to work at?

Everyone would have the same things. Factories would only make one type of TV, computer, radio, car,...

There is a flaw with this theory. People will want more then they need and that is what causes greed. I suggest something along the lines of trading goods and services for goods and services. That way we each have to work for our earn but this would leave out the people who can not work to earn their goods or services.

I think this idea transcends communism. It goes beyond tha if you think about it. Just think about the whole concept of money. I feel like we had to actualy work at it. And that there was a good chance that it wasn't needed in our history like it didn't have to be invented. Just a freak occurence that allowed it to.

Originally posted by _Phoenix_
reply to post by Knights

 

Ah yes of course. It's so obvious lol. I guess the best thing we can do is learn how to do stuff ourselves. If more people knew how to grow their own food, build their own stuff etc. They wouldn't have to spend so much money. And therefore we would have more money to spare on those things that we cant make ourselves. Like a tv

.

But in these times we don't have the "time" to do these things. Oh well. Money really seems needed until we figure out something better, which may be never.
[edit on 8-4-2008 by _Phoenix_]

No, money is not needed... You have actually hit the nail on the head... If everyone knew how to live off the land then we wouldn't be so dependent on the things that require money...

Granted there has always got to be some sort of system for getting the other things we may need or want, but when people stop trying to out do the others and stop competing and actually help others you'd see this sort of idea would work just find.. Maybe you can trade a service, trade an item more or less like the barter system when there is something you really want, but otherwise you would provide for yourself and your family etc... Also our population wouldn't be near as high as it is today if we had to live off the land because most people can't... I'm sorry to say that, but it's true... Unfortunately the world has gone out of control so switching to something of this nature over night would not work, but a gradual move into this sort of system would work...

If people began to move into the country and began living off the land leaving the city life behind more would begin to join and eventually people could ween off the system... Others could help you to learn tricks of the trade and vise versa... I mean if you know how to make a bike lets say, but your neighboor doesn't, how hard would it be to show them how to make one? Would you be so greedy and self centered to where you would not help them? No you wouldn't because you would know others will help you when you need it as well.. Trust will build among the people and once again we could live in a more peacful society... The ten commandments works for me... In my opinion no need for other laws... No need for greed, no need for competition with each other... Think outside the box a bit... Think outside the system that has been burned into your brain... It's them that have brain washed us into believing we can't live without super markets...

Originally posted by Equinox99
There is a flaw with this theory. People will want more then they need and that is what causes greed. I suggest something along the lines of trading goods and services for goods and services. That way we each have to work for our earn but this would leave out the people who can not work to earn their goods or services.

That is why I threw it out there asking others to add to it... Something of this nature will take many people to figure out... Not just one... It's a good idea and it could definitely work, but it would take a lot of thought and a lot of working out... That is why I posted here, because i know you are all smart and might find flaws and or might have something to add and that's what we need to make something like this plausible... Right? So ya, if you see something wrong with it, by all means point it out, if you have an idea that might work better, by all means share it, that's what this is for... Lets figure this out so we won't have to rely on the system, the NWO or anyone else for survival... It's our society that makes us believe we can't do something for someone else without getting something in return... There are a lot of other countries that don't operate this way and yes some are communist, which I don't agree with, but they work for the betterment of the country, not the betterment of one self... And they are very successful working together unlike us in the US who work against each other, more or less... If you have any faith or believe in karma or at least the concept then you should know when you do good good comes back... Doesn't have to be from the same person you offered help to either...

if everything is free - how do you controll supply / demand ? - only 20 buggattis are built / year - there is only ONE origional ` sunflowers ` by van gough - who gets them ?

What a really dumb thread to start.

Do you have any concept about how society and any economic system works?

As the post before me said - you have the issue of people wanting to own items that are unique.

To add to that throw in the following;

Trading: Some people will view what they have / skills at a higher value than others.
When we used to trade 1 chicken for 3 loafs of bread, this worked. Now try and trade 3000 chicken for 1 Rolex watch - best of luck trying to trade those in.

Structure: As in business, as in society you need structure. Rich people bring something to the table in forms of tax, poor people empty the garbage cans. We are NOT all equal and therefore will never live the same lifestyle.

Greed: People are greedy, without some level of greed most people loose motivation to do anything. I must express SOME level of greed.

Human behavior is purposeful = We all do things in order to better our OWN lives.

Your assumption of 'Well this must work, I just need loads of clever people to sort this out for me' - Is as foolish as the statement 'If everyone in the world stood on each others shoulders we wouldn't need rockets to put men on the moon, lets all think how we can do it'

Please think before you post half baked ideas

the only problem with this i can think of is that things people need reqire value otherwise people will through away food more easily becuase it didn't cost them anything to get it

we were all put on this earth the same way,. no matter if you believe we came from god, creationisim, or alien evolution. as that is stated, no one man has the right to tell another man what he can and can not do/ can and can not have. i believe that we were ment to live off of the land as our ancestors. which would end most of the money problems and almost all of the crimes.

Well, I think this could only happen in the future, and then could only happen under a single, World Government. There would have to be free food, housing, medical, transportation, etc. available for all that needed it, and that would be something monumental to accomplish.

Radical changes all over the globe, would have to take place...but I think it could be done. Some of the changes would seem "Big Brotherish" to a lot of people; however, I believe that most of our individual freedom could be left intact.

This is just my two cents...I've read a lot of Sci-Fi and have pondered on these things a lot; I also have thought about them because I've considered writing my own novel someday.

Everything is free.

It is the concepts of ownership and possession that extend our sense of self worth in a materialistic universe. if you chose to live in a universe that requires material possession, then you live in a universe that requires the acquisition of materials. So, if you can't vibrate to a higher plane, then you must work within the system

The best we can hope for is a free market with a universal "fixed" medium of exchange.

A market in which the medium of exchange(reserve notes) fluctuates in value, lends itself to corruption by creating an environment where deception leads to profit

The current money system allows people with money to make more money(profit) and acquire materials without any "work" or production.

The work that the money lenders profit from is the future work of the debtors as they pay back the interest on the loans

If we eliminate the practice of fiduciary lending(interest) and the concept of fractional reserve lending, fiduciary lending backed by the speculation that the loan will be paid back with interest, then at least the medium of exchange would be of the same "fixed" value for every participant in the material game.

The wizards that control the world fooled us into thinking that the word "free"
means "no cost". When the word "free" originally was understood to be a derivative of the word freedom, which is a state of being.

Originally posted by Alxandro
I think the op has some issues if he is envious of what others have and doesn't realize that those people strived to get to where they are.

No issues, I'm human man.. You have never wanted something someone else had? I'm not talking about idolizing someone for what they have... geeesh...

Even if we reverted to a money free, hunting and gathering society, there will always still be those that will refuse to do their share of the hunting and gathering and gripe about why they have nothing to eat for Winter.

Yes these people are known as lazy... Those people are welcome to join the NWO..

[edit on 9-4-2008 by ElectricUncleSam]

Sounds fine, ever read Marx's?

"To each according to his ability, to each according to his needs"

They tired a society without money, well almost, just equality, almost the same thing. Problem is, if you have no money to motivate and it is all free, or you get paid the same no matter what you do, you have no motivation to work, and quality and quantity of consumer goods drop. I know that I for one would not work if everything was free, I don't think many would, and then, well, there would be no stuff to be free.

Maybe robots is our future.

Sounds silly, but when you think about it the use of robots doing more work instead of us can really save us time and money.

I say the more technology we invent the better our future might be. But then again it can be the opposite, you could just go live in the middle of nowhere with nature and be more happy.

[edit on 9-4-2008 by _Phoenix_]