The big lie

Freedom is a difficult concept to define. But what seems clear is that it cannot exist without equality. Master and slave are both bound by their respective roles. Neither is free. And this applies to all class and wealth distinctions. Inequality limits possibilities for everyone. Society is congealed in hierarchy, with the bottom under pressure to rise and the top fearful of falling. Celebrity and riches do not have the same constraints as anonymous poverty, such as hunger and cold, but they do not bring freedom. The chains may be made of gold instead of rusty iron, they bind just as tight. The wealthy can eat what they want and sleep where they want, but they cannot do what they want. They are the servants of that wealth. A voluntary servitude, but a servitude nonetheless. Their every action is commanded by a superior force. They are the slaves of mammon. As for the masses of wage earners, they must abandon most of their waking hours to the will of their employers, and spend their lives trying to catch up with the debts they have been obliged to contract, for a roof, transport, a washing machine, university, etc. The people are told they are free and equal, but they are just parts of a pyramid of power and wealth that rules them all and dictates their thoughts and actions.

The structures of profit capitalism hold everyone in a tight grip. Its necessities have become those of all humanity. And as capital accumulates, its profits take an ever larger part of the value produced. When capital accumulation is productive, its growth keeps the value produced in line with profits. But, when capital becomes increasingly financial, profits (interest) grow faster than the value produced. This means that the debts that realise profits must do the same. The inequality of power and wealth is reinforced by the inequality of debt. There are those who lend and those who borrow, and lenders are often themselves borrowers, but only the final borrowers, those who spend on consumption, actually pay the costs. This brings to light the inequality of investment and consumption, where some incomes allow for investments and others do not.

Capitalism denies equality and freedom, while pretending to be a promoter of both. Like some ancient god its rule is absolute, down to the smallest detail, and humanity is its servant. However, the structures of capitalism are built with debt, the present spending of future incomes. That construction seems to have no limits, but it presumes that future incomes will materialise in ever larger quantities. It relies on the idea that the production of wealth can grow to infinity. This notion appeared and progressed with the harnessing of energy, fossil fuels, hydroelectric, nuclear, wind, sea and sun. Before the steam engine, energy had been human and animal muscle power, with wind for sails and some water-mills. The capacity to bring muscle power together and its endurance had limits. The steam engine and other increasingly powerful motors broke that barrier. Tens, hundreds, thousands and more horse-powers could be assembled to run 24/7. The technology to produce boundless energy brought more inequality, between those who possessed it and those who were left behind. Over time, however, even the poorest nations joined the rush to increase energy production by all the means at their disposal.

During the past fifty years, the world's energy consumption has more than doubled. And its distribution has remained as unequal as ever, with a few guzzlers and many only accessing very limited biomass (charcoal for cooking). Over the same period of time, the world's population has almost doubled, which helped widen the disparity in energy consumption. The propaganda claimed that all would ultimately dispose of boundless energy. There were developed nations and developing ones, and all would eventually be in the same boat. The newcomers increased their energy consumption, and the leaders stabilised theirs, largely by outsourcing their more energy intensive productions. All seemed well, as millions climbed out of dire poverty. But the increasing energy consumption was based on fossil fuels, and questions were raised on its sustainability. First, would there be enough coal, oil and gas to supply the growth? And then, would the planet be able to absorb all that carbon dioxide? Presently, peak-oil, gas and coal seem a long way off, and greenhouse gas emissions are still increasing year on year. And global warming is resulting in a new and possibly fatal form of inequality.

Freedom is a vain word in an unequal world, for those at the top of the social pyramid as well as for those at the bottom. All are the servants of a monstrous system that always takes more than it gives. A universal bondage to the production of profit, with every muscle and every brain straining for that outcome. But the extra value obtained on the market can only be paid for with plunder and debt, and both seem close to their ultimate stages. The planet has been plundered to exhaustion, and debts have reached a summit that will be increasingly difficult to exceed. Debt slavery and an abysmal class divide are negations of freedom and equality, and they deny the pursuit of happiness. The private accumulation of capital has been a continual disaster. It is now approaching its terminal stage, and its collapse will leave a global wasteland ravaged by pollution, climate disruption and bankruptcy. And that supposes that nuclear warfare does not close the book definitively. All the lies about freedom and equality are being exposed in the glaring light of reality, but it is already too late to unravel the system and start anew. The only hope is that it goes out with a whimper, not a bang.