How shall you and I as an individual generate wealth? Doesn’t corporations, which is capitalist, now look like communist economic system?!
The concept of wealth will be controlled by corporations. Corporations more or less have our data, our habits, they more or less get our behavior patterns with A.I.(Artificial Intelligence). I don’t want to imagine it, it’s already here
Isn’t this is what George Orwell wrote in 1984? Big brother is watching you and has control over everything!
Conversation between Sanjay Rai and Yukesh Rai
Sanjay Rai, student of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University studying MSc in Mechanical Engineering. Yukesh Rai, student of Southern Utah University studying BSC in Political Science and Global studies.
In our daily conversation, we often use to converse regarding different topics even if we do have limited knowledge regarding the topic. We both come from a different faculty as well as a university but we share a common similarity and that is to be the precise, thirst for knowledge. In this section, we explore various multiples dimensions ranging from economy, politics, and globalization. Our world has been changing continuously gaining momentum each day, our world demographics changes each day but the one prominent question that emerges, yet ignored by the majority, what about people’s? In this section of our discussion, we focused much more on uncovering things rather than providing answers.
Note: ‘Dai’ is a Nepalese word for elder brother while ‘Bhai’ is for younger brother.
Yukesh: I often wonder dai (Brother), how and why our society should need money! If there wasn’t any it would be a utopia.
Sanjay: Ah, Now there comes the value of money.. Economics here! Always giving an intrinsic value to anything.
Yukesh: Don’t you think dai (Brother), if there was no idea of wealth or money or property we would live a life as a human!
Sanjay: The thing is first we started exchanging goods, there always lies the very foundation of money. It was just a matter of time. With money, it makes it easier to allocate the importance and values to that particular set of “things”. Things can be almost anything!
Yukesh: Agreed dai (Brother)!
Sanjay: Let’s say the idea of numerical numbers. If you haven’t ever seen numerical numbers before, then I agree to teach you. It would transform your whole civilization! (laughing)
Yukesh: But imagine we live in a world where there is nothing, for instance, Mars, will there be the value of money?
Sanjay: Yes, there will be!
Yukesh: Teach me Dai about ideas of numerical numbers!
Sanjay: I mean, 123456789 and 0. (Laughing.. jokingly)
Yukesh: Yes dai, And what after that?(I was thinking there’s some complex theory behind it)
Sanjay: That’s it. Then you just need these numbers to make other numbers however big you want. Say, counting to 10000. You can use these small numbers to represent huge quantities. Have you tried adding with Roman Numerals? It’s a headache!
Yukesh: Yeah dai it’s too hard.
Sanjay: But these 12345678 are Arabic numerals. So, you see, if I was a merchant then I see the vast potential of this Arabic numeral, the business calculation would be quick. Saving time and even calculate future possible earnings.
Yukesh: Yes dai.
Sanjay: So, I would probably pay a huge sum of money to get this technique. ‘Money’, anything of value. I don’t mean cash. (laughing)
Yukesh: I get it dai!
Sanjay: Well, then Money should be something that is widely considered valuable by the majority. If not, not valuable.
Yukesh: Dai, honestly I’m thinking about Karl Marx now. You helped me understand!
Sanjay: So, by capitalizing on the idea that money = cash or any centralized currency, people are informed about its value that is recognized by government/authority figures. So, that’s why bitcoins and doge coins are so disruptive. ‘Money’ …, heck it is dictated by people and it is endless.
Sanjay: But thinking about it, once we go planetary or having more colonies in space, we need another form of currency.
Yukesh: We can’t avoid globalization which means there’s a future for bitcoins. But the most important question is, ‘How shall people generate wealth?’
Sanjay: Good question, so our concept of wealth is changing as well.
Yukesh: Yeah dai, Because farming, business, services, everything is being taken by large corporations. How shall you and I as an individual generate wealth? Doesn’t corporations, which is capitalist, now look like communist economic system?!
Sanjay: I believe that we are so interconnected and living within the grid. The concept of wealth will be controlled by corporations. Corporations more or less have our data, our habits, they more or less get our behavior patterns with A.I.(Artificial Intelligence). I don’t want to imagine it, it’s already here. Like your google search has your search patterns. More complicated the civilization gets more control is required, but at what cost? so we really have to weigh the options, morality, practicality's, ethics, humanity.
Yukesh: Let me clear here dai. If we work for a corporation and get paid, aren’t we some kind of slave? If we lost to generate wealth individually, isn’t it clear that capitalism is communism?
Sanjay: In some manner yes!
Yukesh: You said, ‘Corporations more or less have our data, our habits, they more or less get our behavior patterns with A.I.(Artificial Intelligence). I don’t want to imagine it, it’s already here. Like your google search has your search patterns’. Isn’t this is what George Orwell wrote in 1984? Big brother is watching you and has control over everything!
Sanjay: Bhai, think about it. You know ParknShop and Wellcome, you buy groceries from there right. They’re own by the sons of the richest person, Lee Ka Shing. And if you are working for their corporations You are basically giving back their money by getting their products or services, like a cycle.
Yukesh: I get that dai. I‘ve another question for you. Simply tell me dai through your perspective, What kind of world are we living in? What values do numerical numbers have over us if we cannot generate wealth individually? It seems like numerical values for proletariats are basically nothing!
Sanjay: I’m certain that we are at the transition period of our human civilization where extremes are clashing head-on. Like China and U.S., who is superior. Superiority will determine the fate of the world. Or perhaps, a fusion will occur, who knows? So more or less right now we are in a state of chaos, trying to come to some form of consensus, and globally trying to reach an equilibrium. As for numerical values, it is a tool that will be crucial at any level. If you don’t believe without numbers our civilization as we speak may not have come to fruition. Well, how we use these numerals is entirely on us.
Yukesh: You mentioned above that money is dictated by people but now corporations seem to dictate over money. What if people don’t recognize money or the value it carries? Can people survive without any form of trade or money?
Sanjay: These are some good questions, Bhai. It seems simple yet straight to the core. I can only provide within my level of understanding.
Yukesh: So, if we are to abolish numerical values, that is crucial for trade and businesses, which means will we as a human being perish from the face of the earth if we stop trading without money or anything that holds numerical values. For instance, bitcoins.
Sanjay: Numerical value is a tool, crucial for building and advancing civilization. We could still survive but won’t advance further. Won’t advance without it!
Yukesh: Now, it’s clear that famine, starvation are caused by trade and especially sanctions! Basically what you mean is we cannot live alone by excluding from the global community of globalization.
Sanjay: Remember, the numerical value is only the tool the user determines its use, which is HUMAN. You need people to create values. Giving and assigning value is a human element. It is like being in a self-sustaining loop. For instance, look at our Nepalese or Rai values. I don’t know who created such customs but we are still using them. I think that there could be a simple way of explaining all these, using jargon. (Laughing).
Sanjay: Ahh, those sneaky people crashing the market. Selling all the ‘values’ but in reality, selling something that no longer has any values. To save their own hide. Bhai, the thing is we cannot avoid trade Eventually we will need some form of transaction.
Yukesh: Basically it seems like value is nothing but trust and in reality, there is no value of currency if we get out of human grids/connectivity.
Sanjay: You put it beautifully Bhai, yes in the end it is a human attribute that gives the value. For example, even now, as we are trading something, not money but something more. A very extreme case, let’s say you were kidnapped by aliens. They brought you to their world, so imagine in what value system do they function? I mean the aliens.
Yukesh: We are trading knowledge and sharing ideas for sure!
Yukesh: I do agree with you dai but our transactions and needs except for basic human needs, that is food, water, clothes, shelter, and sex, seem to be monopolized by excessive marketing’s! We can survive yet we cannot live without medicines, education, transport, the internet, etc. My question is, ‘How can we provide such vital services for free of cost?’
Sanjay: Yes, the very essence of the human, drives what we consider valuable but I believe there will be a time where the basic needs of humans will be the core foundation of our civilization. That’s why I think contact with aliens will change our whole perceptions.
Yukesh: Now, the last question to you dai. Can we break the economic system? If yes, how? If no, why? Or is there something we can create to replace these current economic models?
Sanjay: Bhai, breaking the economic situation I don’t want to imagine. We can go through transition but breaking it. The damage could be irreversible.