Hello everyone! Today, I want to share some thoughts that have been on my mind for a while about our world—a chaotic place—and explore the reasons behind it.

Many ideas and thoughts were swirling in my mind, and since I am not sufficiently professional to keep them all there, I hesitated to write this. However, after reading an article by The Borderline Crisis, a highly recommended blog, it encouraged me to share my thoughts.

As we watch and ponder, the world and its inhabitants hurriedly head towards an abyss filled with wars and violence, driven by an unknown purpose. The wealthy continue to grow richer, while the poor become increasingly poorer. Every compassionate person wonders about the cause and reason. That was also my question, and I realised it all comes down to money. Or, more accurately, it can be best described as capitalism. Hold on!!! Please don’t walk away; I am not a communist and have no intention of promoting such ideas. I fully agree with Bertrand Russell, who stated:

Thus, concerns regarding communism and its foundational principles have diminished, while capitalism continues to gain greater influence. Why is that? Essentially, communism has shot itself in the foot by taking on a form of dictatorship, which has contributed to its decline throughout history. On the other hand, after World War II, capitalism managed to contain communism by offering people equity capital through the conventional bourgeois approach, thereby generating a fear of communism.

They created opportunities for the lower class by enabling partial instalment payments, allowing them to own possessions, and helping to dispel the notions that deprived them of their belongings. They might be burdened with their mortgage for life, but they have some possessions, such as their own house, car, TV, washing machine, etc. This approach gained popularity worldwide, including in Europe and even in Iran before the 1979 revolution. We adopted an American-style lifestyle, characterised by luxury and instalment-based spending!

This approach has been cleverly devised to encourage pride in possessions and stimulate a desire for more. I see it as a fundamental aspect of capitalism, as it drives competition among neighbours, cities, or nations to increase their assets. Consequently, people become fixated on winning more and acquiring larger and better possessions.

I call it Greed! This trait isn’t found in nature but only among humans. I noticed it wasn’t present in the communist world, as I observed when interacting with my East German customers, whom I took to visit doctors during my daily work. They all expressed satisfaction with their lives in the former GDR. One of them, a tiny older woman, told me she lived peacefully with her neighbours, free of stress, feeling a genuine sense of community and helpfulness among friends and comrades. Even one of the younger people I met at a disco one evening, who recently escaped to the West, told me that everything wasn’t too bad there. She mentioned that travelling abroad was somewhat challenging due to restrictions, but she was eager to experience and connect with different cultures.

Nevertheless, the actual outcome of reunifying East and West Germany has shown how capitalism can significantly disrupt the peaceful life of a population, exposing them to the allure and splendour of Western society, yet leaving them in a state of longing. You may be aware that after the USSR’s withdrawal from East Germany, Western investors closed all remaining factories and manufacturing facilities. This was done to conceal from the capitalist world that factories in the communist system were still operational and that life was proceeding normally there. By the way, the education system has failed under the communist dictatorship, as shown by how individuals in East Germany can swiftly adopt fascist tendencies from a corrupt communist system.

Yes! Capitalism seeks to make you see and believe only in its world and nothing else. Accordingly, the modern bourgeoisie wields enormous power to keep people conservative and instils in them a fear of losing their possessions.

Capitalism is like a worm lurking in every part of our lives, often unnoticed. This allows it to operate while we concentrate on our own concerns, such as increasing profits! Even within the art world, artists are rarely solely focused on creating their work without also considering its sale and marketing. The traditional model, where an artist creates and a manager handles everything else, is outdated. I don’t mean to suggest that all managers are honest, but it does help artists who need a quiet life to focus on their art. You are all artists, aiming to display your work here. However, if you look around, you might realise that this way of life has consumed your thoughts so completely that you no longer feel longing or curiosity about the world’s happenings. You have been completely absorbed in your own concerns related to your personal domain.

On the other hand, the craving for increased luxury and comfort remains constant. Capitalism knows no limits and is frequently used by millionaires to display wealth, which can lead middle-class individuals to develop an excessive obsession. Since not everyone can achieve millionaire status, this seemingly out-of-reach desire often results in anger, frustration, dissatisfaction, and sometimes depression. This may lead to feelings of impatience, envy, increased sensitivity, and an abrupt loss of patience. You might have observed that people in the streets shout at each other over trivial matters, drive aggressively, and honk their horns frequently. I believe this behaviour stems from capitalism.

Here is an excellent explanation of capitalism I came across, not on X but somewhere else I can’t recall.

The key question is: what steps should we take? I believe our initial move should be to build a society rooted in accessible, high-quality education and robust, free healthcare, as many societal problems originate from these sectors. Following that, we need to develop a proper social democratic system—one that Rosa Luxemburg aimed to reinforce in the early 20th century, not the shallow versions currently promoted by some political parties.

I’m not discussing a proletariat dictatorship; a free society is the most important of all. I referenced Rosa Luxemburg to demonstrate my commitment to freedom, as Luxemburg followed a similar path:

She celebrated the Russian Revolution, but in a posthumously published manuscript, she sharply criticised the authoritarian policies of the Bolsheviks, advocating for democratic freedoms and famously stating, “Freedom is always and exclusively freedom for the one who thinks differently.”

She has been revered by many on the left as a martyr for the revolution. At the same time, her theories, particularly her emphasis on spontaneity and democracy, were strongly criticised by the Leninist and Stalinist traditions of orthodox communism.

In a genuine social democracy, we can devalue prices and quantities, thereby promoting a more quality-oriented lifestyle. In the capitalist world, we observe every day that prices are steadily rising, and I wonder why!

We don’t require a luxurious, speedy car or a mansion to live; these are just materials that our souls don’t need. If we carefully reflect on our lives, we will surely identify moments of genuine relaxation. I think those times are when we need fewer things and find happiness with less. Lao-Tzu offered some insightful thoughts on living with less:

• “One who is content is rich.”
• “He who accumulates much treasure has much to lose.”
• “The greatest gift is contentment.”

Here is an excellent explanation I took from my esteemed teacher and friend, Jean Raffa, from her recent article, concerning the essence of our existence.:

Our culture profits from our yearning by promising surface solutions like money, power, safety, appearance, possessions, and sex. These things satisfy your instincts for the short term. But beneath the world’s cacophonous clamour, the yearning remains. Who, amidst the hubbub, can hear the quiet voices of those who would direct you to the inner world? It’s hard to believe anything there could fulfil your needs. Harder still to pull yourself away from outer demands you’re trying desperately to fulfil. You have no time. And even if you did, how would you begin? You don’t know the way. Who would guide you? It’s too humiliating to ask for help. “I was not looking for my dreams to interpret life, but rather for my life to interpret my dreams.” ~Susan Sontag

And finally, who could articulate it more eloquently than Carl Jung:

“Your vision will become clear only when you can look into your own heart. Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes.”

Image credit at the top; snugsomeone (Maciej) | DeviantArt