If you happen to have a socialist mentality, or you are a capitalist who has finally grown wary of financial statistics, this article is most certainly for you! Why? Because in the coming paragraphs I will be writing from a conversation between myself and the founder of the Free World Charter, Colin Turner about his own ideology.
The Free World Charter is a statement of principles that have the potential to optimise life on Earth for all species, eradicate poverty and greed, and advance progress.
Neither political nor religious, the Free World Charter relies on ten short principles that could form the foundation of a new, advanced society that uses no money, is free, fair and sustainable. They are based solely on nature, common sense and survival.
The Free World Charter is now widely considered a logical progression resulting from the failing mechanisms of today’s society, and a natural step in our evolution.
Sounds great, right? Achievable, perhaps? Read on to find out how Colin feels about that!
More often than not, we all fantasise about the potential lifestyle that could be led, if only Lady Luck offered us her support when choosing our weekly numbers on the EuroMillions. The brief thought of basking in the Mediterranean sun, enjoying a glass of Chianti, aboard a 250-foot yacht in the port of Monte Carlo … well, that is definitely an ideal of mine, anyway!
The thing is, we have these fantasies of sitting upon massive fortunes, or a well-oiled money producing engine, as if it would make life any better. The fact of the matter is, it won’t. Look at the stories of the wealthiest in society: half the time they are either falling apart or suffering from a myriad of disorders. Sure, they can live comfortably, and they can afford an array of lavish items, but that is all.
So, we fantasise about living that way, knowing full-well that it is never quite as perfect as it appears. But, we do not look for an alternative — in which material comforts are aplenty and stress is at a minimum. Luckily for us, outspoken author Colin R. Turner has one!
‘I want you to try and imagine a world without money. A world that doesn’t use money at all. No banks, no cash, no wages, no bills. No money of any kind whatsoever’.
It’s a difficult task, isn’t it? I imagine that the majority think first of a devolution of society, back to a more primitive lifestyle, living a relatively mediocre existence, growing our own crops and livestock — like the peasants of Medieval or Renaissance eras of history, perhaps. But this isn’t exactly the right way of looking at the idea.
So, how would we get rid of money-based finance in a world that has become so reliant on it? It could be classed as foolish to simply abolish money overnight. If that happened, chaos would likely ensue and we would eventually come back to the same point that we are at now — being shepherded by a ‘leader’ who offers stability and protection. Essentially, we’d fall straight back into the same system that society currently features.
‘There is perhaps an outside chance that common sense would prevail and we would move towards an Open Economy instead, but I don’t think wishing for that is a responsible option’.
So, as an alternative to the abolition of money, society could negate it.
‘Since we know we can leverage technology to do away with most hard labour and repetitive tasks, now we have to begin reshaping our behaviour to become more inclusive, more cooperative and aware of our physical realities’.
You could say that there are three paths that converge on an Open Economy. Technology enables it, while the currently failing market system necessitates it, whereas sharing, cooperative behaviour actualises it.
At this point, I asked Colin about those greedy fellows who already have their 250-foot yachts in the port of Monte Carlo. Surely they wouldn’t want to give up their wealth and the lifestyle that it offers? But I was made to realise a key, often forgotten factor when it comes to the wealthiest in society … wealth and property are nonexistent, imaginary concepts that other people facilitate. That is, if I have £1 million in the bank, but nobody will trade me anything for it, it becomes a redundant sum of money, with no real value.
‘Your oilfield is not yours if no-one else recognises your ownership of it, or helps you protect it.
Wealth and ownership are imaginary concepts that can vanish overnight once people stop imagining it’.
With that said, the majority would still opt for the safety of a money-based economy. So, how would we convince them to neglect it?
‘In the F-Day book, which is like a dramatisation of these events, there was a scenario where a billionaire was faced with a choice of surrendering his stranglehold on local resources or becoming the most hated man in the community.
On the one hand, no-one — no matter how wealthy — wants to be unpopular, but on the other hand, the whole point of an Open Economy is to create better lives for everybody anyway — including the billionaires’.
This highlights a huge problem with the current system used in society — my aforementioned fantasy of winning the EuroMillions, especially! We, as a collective, have a false belief that owning numerous properties and having a fortune makes a person better off. This is untrue. Humans, by nature, have never needed extensive resources or personal items to feel fulfilled.
‘The only reason people hoard and hoard is because that is the type of behaviour we promote in a society of artificially imposed scarcity. There is always a fear that you might lose everything’.
Given that we have now reached the most technologically advanced period of human history, this scarcity has almost been eradicated. Technically, humans could live to that same optimal level of fulfilment without the fear of loss simply by tweaking the way that our society operates. This fulfilment will bring happiness and good health, which is the exact opposite to the consumer-orientated society that we live in currently.
‘In a truly inclusive, compassionate society where everyone is catered for and has the ability to reach their full potential, today’s billionaires would enjoy at least the same level of fulfilment as today, probably more’.
Let’s not forget that our current market system does nothing to distribute resources equally. Many intellectuals critical of an Open Economy will tell you that you must have a price system in order to distribute resources effectively. This is false. The idea is that money acts as a ‘communicator’ between buyer and producer such that the producer knows how much to produce; but we can easily replace that with regular information technology. For instance, we could still have items barcoded as they are today without a money system. Stock, supply and demand can all still be managed by just tracking barcodes.
Imagine you walk into a store in a money-free world. You pick up the items you need, scan them and leave. You don’t take more than you need because it doesn’t make sense to do so. You can come tomorrow if you need something else. You scan the items because you understand how the system works and why tracking items is important. The information you supplied by doing so is collated and informs the producers of the level of demand.
‘Our own monetary system of exchange now effectively prioritises financial stability and growth over survival and progress. While once a useful tool in earlier times, money has now become incompatible with life itself and creates far more problems than it solves’.
Perhaps it is time for our society to adopt this stance. If you think so, read and sign the Free World Charter here.
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