The love of money is the root of all evil.

Hi Everyone,

In the following posting I made the serious omission of leaving out the words "the love of". An error I have picked up on a number of times by other commentators. Thanks to those who have brought it to my attention.

Cheers, Bill

Jesus said that the love of money is the root of all evil. This had no meaning for me (although I thought it did) until I read and studied the Social Credit literature and the Australian writer Eric Butler said that money was an abstraction and it must be evil to put any abstraction above the real thing. It seems to be the hardest thing in the world to get people to see the difference between money as merely an accounting or bookkeeping system and the mis-belief that money as being real wealth. We seem to have an inbuilt misunderstanding about money that has become so ingrained over hundreds, if not thousands of years, that it will taking a severe loss of faith in "the system" to break that mould. 

Eric used to say that Robinson Crusoe  was a good economist because he organised his survival and life according to the material resources available on his island. He wasn't doppy enough to say he could do nothing because he had no money. 

I have spoken at length to friends and others saying that when Captain Cook came to New Zealand there were no pounds of dollars. There was no NZ money system of any sort. Now there are billions of New Zealand dollars. A common reply is that these have come from trading and the reason there is more money now than 50 years ago is that trading has increased. In pretty much all other subjects these people are quite intelligent. So they are not stupid nor incapable of thinking deeply about most matters. I remember one conversation with a very good friend who eventually agreed that God had provisioned NZ with sufficiency for everyone to have a secure material existence. He even agreed that full employment was not required to provide the goods these days. He had agreed that money was a numbering system and that banks create money when they give loans. That financially bankrupted countries can suddenly find all the money they need to fight a war. But when I suggested that a small distribution of money to everyone might be a way forward to a better society he fell back on "but where will the money come from, that would mean higher taxes for everyone." I realised the conversation had gone from an examination of facts and possibilities to beliefs that set off emotional reactions.

I agree absolutely that ultimately it is a spiritual issue because without the social goodwill (a big part of the social credit) you speak off there would be no basis for financial credit. I think some things have to happen, among which are :

We have to lose faith in the existing system

We have to overcome the emotional reluctance to increased leisure and prosperity for others (and ourselves)

We have to realise there actually is a money system and made and operated by people

Looked at over the past couple of hundred years there has been a huge shift. Even 20 or 30 years ago people down here still would speak scathingly about someone receiving the dole. Now hardly any family has not had at least one member on welfare at some point. There is a much less hard line about people "getting something for nothing". 100 years ago society was completely hooked into the belief that their money was backed by gold or silver. No one now believes that that is relevant. Recent events hopefully will further the realisation that modern money is derived from bookkeeping entries; and that a money system exists and it is not the same as the production and employment systems.

Cheers, Bill

from xxx

Thank you. Bill

On 1/05/2009, at 12:17 AM, Richard Cook wrote:

Morning Blog from Richard C. Cook http://www.richardccook.com/2009/04/27/daily-blog-on-current-events-by-richard-c-cook/

April 30, 2009: The Real Source of Prosperity is the Human Soul

Since I began to write on economics and monetary policy I have argued that we should abolish our bank-centered, debt-based monetary system and replace it with a system where credit is viewed as a public utility. This would lead to money controlled by the people's elected government and issued both for common needs, such as education, health care and infrastructure, and as a citizens' dividend reflecting our fair share in the bounty of our producing economy.

With such reforms a decent living could be assured for everyone on the planet. But neither this nor any other reform would be the cause of our prosperity. Rather good public policy can only be a reflection of the goodness, faith, honesty, commitment and trust of the virtues that lie within the hearts and souls of "We the People." From an economic standpoint, the monetary system should reflect the productivity of the economy, its ability to produce goods and services, and the need to move those goods and services in trade. But even this productivity originates with the creative spark within ourselves.

If we manifest positive qualities, we will naturally create systems and institutions that assure our sustenance. If, on the other hand, we are selfish, mean-spirited, and wracked with greed and fear, we will create dysfunctional systems and institutions like many of those we are afflicted with today. We will create a world where the biggest and most ornate building in town is a bank run by officers and shareholders who make their living through usury and debt-extortion. Surrounding the bank will be a police station, a prison, and a military base. The finest homes in town will belong to the executives of these institutions. The rest of the population will be ranked according to their usefulness to the system with an unemployed underclass available to fight society's wars.

But if we want the world to change, we all need to work at being better and more complete and balanced people. Only then will we have a right to hold others to account. And I do mean work. We need to find those qualities within ourselves that reflect light, peace, harmony, and love, then bring them to birth through action. As Jesus said, we need to "love our neighbor as ourselves." But he also drove the money-changers from the temple. He stood for both peace and justice.

Who then is this "ourselves"? It is who we really are. Our primal being. It is that naked sense of peace and goodness that comes from living in the Now, as Eckhart Tolle describes it. That is where our real prosperity comes from. The feeling of happiness just to BE, not lost in regret for the past or worry about the future, is what counts on a day-to-day basis. When we experience this state, we will want others to experience it also. Then the world will change once and for all. Then we will have Heaven on earth. Economic and monetary reform will then take place naturally without any kind of struggle. Credit viewed as a public utility will be part of any such reform because it corresponds to natural law, the law Jefferson referred to when he wrote the Declaration of Independence. Another key aspect of natural law is that human beings can only reach their potential in an environment of social, political, and economic freedom.

Some readers do not like spiritual references when reading about economics. If it bothers you, I apologize. But man is above all a spiritual being, not just a thinking animal, as the Founding Fathers understood. Of course we must continue to promote social and economic reform so people will understand there is a better way and not be discouraged or seduced by the antics of the evildoers.

Here's a quote from Eckhart Tolle's The Power of Now: "For example, many people are waiting for prosperity. It cannot come in the future. When you honor, acknowledge, and fully accept your present reality—where you are, who you are, what you are doing right now—when you fully accept what you have got, you are grateful for what you have got, grateful for what is, grateful for Being. Gratitude for the present moment and the fullness of life now is true prosperity. It cannot come in the future. Then, in time, that prosperity manifests for you in various ways." (p. 86-87)

Avec mes meilleures salutations.
François de Siebenthal
14, ch. des Roches
CH 1010 Lausanne
Suisse, Switzerland

Jean-Paul II a notamment comparé le rapport sexuel chaste entre les époux chrétiens à l'adoration eucharistique. Marie est la Mère de Jésus, c'est l'épouse du St Esprit et c'est la fille de Dieu le Père. Pour St Amédée de Lausanne, l' union spirituelle du St Esprit lors de la fécondation de Marie, passe par sa chair et s'accomplit selon les mêmes principes que l'acte charnel : "Homélies", III : "Spiritus sanctus superveniet in te, ut attactu eius venter tuus contremiscat, uterus intumescat, gaudeat animus, floreat alvus".
Les catholiques ne sont pas coincés...
Admiration.
http://www.union-ch.com/file/portrait.wmv
http://aimerplus.com/
à faire circuler largement, merci, le monde est déjà meilleur grâce à ce simple geste de solidarité.
Krach ? Solutions...
Local Exchange Systems in 5 languages
www.easyswap.ch
http://pavie.ch/?lng=en
http://michaeljournal.org
http://desiebenthal.blogspot.com/
http://ferraye.blogspot.com/
skype siebenthal
00 41 21 652 54 83
021 652 55 03 FAX: 652 54 11
CCP 10-35366-2

http://non-tridel-dioxines.com/
http://m-c-s.ch et  www.pavie.ch
http://ktotv.com/
Please, subscribe to be kept informed.
Un abonnement nous encourage.  Pour la Suisse, 5 numéros par année de 16 pages par parution: le prix modique de l'abonnement est de 16 Sfr.- par année (envois prioritaires)
Adressez vos chèques ou mieux vos virements directement au compte de chèque postal du Oui à la Vie
CCP  10-15133-5
Vous avez reçu ce texte parce qu'une de vos relations a pensé que notre esprit pouvait vous intéresser et nous a suggéré de vous écrire ou vous a personnellement fait suivre ce message. Si vous ne désirez plus rien recevoir de notre part, nous vous remercions de répondre par courriel avec la simple mention « refusé ». Si cette adresse figure au fichier, nous l'en ôterons de suite. Avec nos excuses.