The Best That Money Can't Buy

As a teenager, I once asked myself, where does money come from? How is it created, regulated, distributed and governed? Back then, I tried to convey with my mind how all of the communications, transportations and exchange is currently happening fundamentally. How it all was connected.

Turning 21, I liked my own room or semi appartment so much that I jokingly mentioned that I would like to take my room with me when I would get my own home in the nearby future. While wondering about these things, there was one person in my life who explained both of those thoughts with clear answers and a vast amount of details.

Since seeing Zeitgeist: Addendum in 2008, I have known and learned about Jacque Fresco up until this day. Going through many sources of him being featured inside interviews, articles, documentaries and more, he has become my main inspiration source, and he has changed my life.

With the Venus Project, which I first typed about on this blog 4 years ago, I became aware of an organization that introduced to me the concept of a Resource Based Economy, and that it was preparing to build an experimental city in order to validate the project's designs and proposals.

On various blog posts in here, I have already talked about the project and the founder behind it, which can be found in examples such as Robotics, The Venus Project and Quarter of a Century. Today, I would like to review not only the most special day I encountered during my U.S.A. Trip,
but also that of a little book called The Best That Money Can't Buy.

Let's start with the book first. Let's quote a clear summary about what can be expected from it:

"Hundreds of books address technological change, business process management, human productivity, and environmental issues. Almost all overlook the major element in all these systems; human beings and their social structures and culture.

This book offers a possible alternative and methods to consciously fuse all these elements to create a sustainable future for all our planterary inhabitants, as well as fundamental changes in the way we regard ourselves, one another, and our world."

Pretty much all political, social and economic systems today are outdated and obsolete. The Best That Money Can't Buy provides an inside look at how misguided and stagnating our judicial system is, how pseudo democracy works in developed countries and that it's about time that the monetary system got suspended and replaced in an inevitable transition of necessary change.

It also offers solutions, not only in the form of a Resource Based Economy and The Venus Project, but also going into untapped potential new resources to be used globally in the future, such as geothermal energy, deuterium and fusion energy.

It dismisses popular sayings and doom scenario's such as the machines will take over and enslave humanity, or that competition is useful and creates incentive. Or that Jacque's lifework is a communistic or Utopian model as an ideology.

It foresees interesting developments in the nearby future, such as nanotechnology, automation, artificial intelligence and a global economic collapse the likes of which we have never seen before yet.

It renders religious foundations as becoming more useless and false in the way of technological advancements and scientific progress. Many values we take for granted today, even in general terms, what we consider normal can be considered quite insane when looking at it from different perspectives or indeed through the eye or associative memory of the beholder.

It suggests a global scientific language to be implemented, free of miscommunication, useless opinions and other mistakes. A language of relevance, without judgemental norms and values, without emotional driven intent, such as engineering or chemistry is needed for better overall communication with one another.

Military, war and territorial disputes, poverty and scarcity, corruption and the majority of crimes could be wiped out of existence according to Jacque's research, but only if we commonly unite as a species and inherit the natural resources as a common heritage for all of the world's people.

It shares with us futuristic model devices and buildings such as machinery, transportation, chemical plants and scanners that could possibly be designed for a better world than the current chaotic state we live in. It's not perfect, but it's by no means BS(Bad Science), and it's a hell of a lot better than what governments around the world are currently discussing and implementing when we talk about pollution, waste disposal and global warming.

It advises to introduce a relevant education, without random arbitrary facts to compete with others, without supporting the monetary system and without being useless, not tapping on our intellect in a more humane and holistic sense.

It teaches us that we are shaped and reflect into what the environment makes of us and the culture that surrounds it, thus creating numerous amounts of conflicts already just for having different ideals, values and expectations. We get rewarded into preserving these cultures in the forms of medals, moral acceptance or the promise of going to a better place after death.

Nationalism, patriotism, the media and banks around the world are all connected for preserving their establishments through the power of money, property, communication and propaganda machines. Despite technological advancements, the establishments continue to uphold their old values and ideals.

The Best That Money Can't Buy is a huge eye opener in how I think the world works, and together with Fresco's numerous lectures, seminars, interviews and other meetings, it has made me aware of humanity and it's actions more than ever. And for that, I am utterly grateful.

This might just have been the most important book I have read yet in my lifetime, as it is more relevant than ever. And it's not just a futuristic book. It details very logically into ancient human establishments, how we could be better off and improve upon those, and it offers a vast number of solutions, making it feel like a complete book.

Rating: ****(out of 4)

For Further Information:

Paradise or Oblivion, excellent documentary which addresses the vision and goals of the Venus Project further, correctly pointing out the major root problems of today's world, while at the same time offering an alternative solution for humanity and nature to co-exist in.

Designing the Future, where it gets explained how goods and services would be distributed and available to all, without the need for war and politics. Social dilemma's are addressed, and alternatives are proposed towards major problems such as militarism, poverty, hunger and commercialism.

http://thevenusproject.com/

For Further References:

The Zeitgeist Trilogy, especially Addendum and Moving Forward are recommended.

Culture in Decline, a web based series going into further details what the Z Trilogy already shared with us in regards to the root problems of societies. Peter Joseph is creator of both projects, an outspoken and intelligent man to listen to.

http://www.thezeitgeistmovement.com/ (Although both organizations have parted ways with each other, they are very similar in analyzing what's wrong in the current world and provide various solutions)
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As for my special day back in late August of this year, I was of course referring to the tour that the Venus Project organization itself provides for people to get introduced towards it's concepts. I went on a very small group of only 6 people attending, and it will be a great memory to remember.

Basically Jacque Fresco himself would greet and warn us beforehand that his way of thinking might offend us, and that we would have to bear with him in order to get the picture this man has been developing in a lifetime.

The contents I talked about as written in Fresco's book return in the tour, although this time you will hear it from the founder himself. Who by the way as of this writing is 98 years old, mental wise still sharp and continues to work for a better tommorow.

Roxanne Meadows, his closest associate, would guide us through the futuristic research and development center in Venus, Florida, showcasing us not only hundreds of interesting looking models, but futuristic architectual buildings as well.

After finishing the seminar and giving numerous amounts of examples in all corners of today's biggest topics such as politics, economy, the military, religion, human behavior and societies about what is wrong with each and everyone one of them, Jacque was concluding the tour after a round of questions.

All that time, I was sitting next towards one of the most respected persons I have ever had the privilege and pleasure of meeting in my life, and I honestly wish that The Venus Project, or atleast it's spiritual portion, will be granted the chance to change the history of humanity, once again, for a better future.

Das Kapital

In a complete polarizing move, this is the exact opposite of my previous reviewed book, because capitalism now gets criticized by the most prominent figure of communism. As antagonistic extremes, going from Wealth of Nations towards Das Kapital is quite ironic.

As this is considered the bible of communistic ideological thinking, one might wonder at first what the difference is between The Communist Manifesto and Das Kapital, which is comprised in it's fullest as three volumes.

Where as the former is more of a political revolutionary way of critical thinking, the latter is a direct critique aimed at capitalism, as Karl Marx deepfully analyses every aspect of the economical system, going through all the stages that seem orderly at first, but become more distorted as the reader uncovers more.

For instance, the mystery surrounding commodities(and consequently the mystery surrounding money and values), how they are formed, how they function, what purpose they serve, what is their meaning, what conspiracy goes behind them, and so on.

Marx criticizes the usage of commodities as Bourgeois characteristics and the economy is portrayed as being illusional, almost superstitious towards the monetary system of how their value is formed, in that period of time.

Another example is surplus-value, which is described as unpaid labor power as seen or unforeseen by the capitalist. Through circumstances, either by machinery, production, subsistence, cooperation or else, surplus-value is naturally apparent in what a "normal" working day would formulate into.

Das Kapital is presumed to be the work that shaped half of the world through the 20th century consequentially through ideological and criticizing thinking, shaping up many important conflicting events.

Aside from pure critique being offered in general, it is also once again Marx's philosophical perception that "subordinates the problems of human freedom and dignity to the issues of who should own the means of production and how wealth should be distributed accordingly."

It is no easy read and it's also old fashioned, yet it is once again one of the books that changed the world, for better or worse.

Rating: ***(out of 4)

Wealth of Nations

The first modern political economy theory book based on all the fundamentals and usages regarding how capitalism works anno late 18th century. Adam Smith goes in great details for each imaginable concept for the economical system which can even be traced or studied back to present times.

As the author, he has also brought alongside the main topic of how modern economics works, other factors that play along with this central theme, such as history, philosophy, psychology and sociology, once again going into vast details for each example given.

Also, as a Scottish citizen, Smith talked naturally about the economic situation surrounding that country and the rest of Great Britain, but also surprisingly a lot about how Holland seemed to be so successful with trading around the world with other nations.

The Wealth of Nations is the longest book I have finished reading, clocking in about a 1000 pages, categorized into 5 main "books" or chapters, and it is the magnum opus of Adam Smith because it is once again a very important book I have read about.

I was brought into attention of this book because of the "Invisible Hand" concept people of the Zeitgeist Movement were talking about, but also because of it's general economic themes playing. To be honest though, I could not hold my attention towards all chapters.

Mainly because there were too much details and specifics given for my taste, it became tedious at times and perhaps or indeed the book is old fashioned in it's writing, if I may say so. But I have seen this happening before with other books such as The Divine Comedy and Paradise Lost, who happen to be poems.

Still, I acknowledge It's an important book and I already understood the majority of how capitalism is explained in here alongside concepts such as free markets, interest, treaties and general trading of goods and services.

Rating: ** (out of 4)

For further reference regarding the intriguing Invisible Hand metaphor: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invisible_hand

The Jet

Benny "the Jet" Urquidez's autobiography details a wonderful fulfilled life of the legendary, essential MMA fighter and teacher before MMA came into existence. Urquidez alongside his tremendous support and wisdom from his family has left historical marks not only inside martial arts, but in spirituality, philosophy and the motion picture industry too.

The chapters range from happy beginnings to troubled teenage times to unforgettable achievements to truly negative emotional state of minds or general darkness through discovering his own identity. Or basically, "Forget what you have learned, and remember what you forgot."

I was truly captivated by his latest book. I was already inspired and a huge fan of his Jackie Chan collaboration fight scenes and now I have nothing more than the utmost respect and honor for this outstanding man.

The Jet reads away very easily, I could symphatize with certain key moments in it quite well, and I understood alot of the pain and happiness Urquidez has been going through. For anyone who experienced the Jet in the past, or for those who want to get introduced to a living legend, this is the book for you.

I was thrilled to meet him in person this year at Long Beach, California, and even though I was intimidated by his unusual facial remarks and his reputation, I still shook his hand and told him "It's an honor". Because in reality and ultimately there is nothing to be afraid of when casually meeting a kickboxing world champion and having black belts in numerous martial arts. Nothing at all....ha ha ha!

Rating: ****(out of 4)

Animal Farm

Animal Farm is a masterpiece of satirical and political proportions, playing out as a fiction where a group of animals rebel the humans away, and then attempt to rule over themselves. Despite being released in 1945, I recognized many totalitarianism traits.

Which all came back towards the perfect example I can give nowadays, which is North Korea. Examples such as Leader, propaganda, creating a false enemy, slavery, communism, dictatorship, famine, cannibalism and much more can all be found here.

Even though Nineteen Eighty-Four is more influential and effective, I prefer Animal Farm's simple fable or fairy tale premise even. It's a short story that makes a complete parody of the old Soviet Union's ways of controlling the people through their political systems.

And it has some very disturbing scenes awaiting the reader. George Orwell has made two of the most influential dystopian books out there, and it should be easy to always start discussions surrounding the controversies touched and spoken of.

Rating: ****(out of 4)