Issue #32 - Is Everything Really ‘Downstream of Money’?

Welcome to the latest issue of The Qi of Self-Sovereignty. The newsletter exploring what it means to be free in an increasingly not-so-free world.

Whether you're looking to locate your authentic self or investigate sovereignty, you're in the right place! In each post, with just a few minutes of reading, I aim to expand your awareness through a quote and a piece of content that made me go hmm...

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"Everything is downstream of money." - Me... Well, as far as I know.

I've been seeing variations of this idea more and more lately. While I explore this concept in my book, "The Hidden Cost of Money"… what does it actually mean?

Just how someone adds soy milk as an option at the local coffee shop… now the world has a man boob problem. Money is no different. When we tinker with money, the unintended downstream effects are unfathomable.

TL;DR: Money sits at the root of many of our societal woes. Once realized, it's impossible to unsee. Mainstream media likes to spotlight symptoms, while the true cause remains in the shadows.

Let me explain… 

I see money, like language, as a medium of expression—a way to communicate what we value. Consider someone buying grass-fed beef and organic vegetables vs another choosing microwave meals and cigarettes. Each choice speaks volumes about our values, revealing priorities, lifestyles, and even philosophies on health and well-being.

But, like language, money can be censored. Inflation, capital controls, and restrictive regulations act as barriers, limiting our ability to express our values freely. For example, suppose I live in China and want to preserve my purchasing power for my family's future, but capital controls prevent me from investing overseas. In that case, this restriction directly impacts my ability to protect what I value. Similarly, inflation erodes purchasing power—if I aspire to buy a farm, but rising costs put it out of reach, my ability to express my values through financial choices has effectively been stifled.

Monetary intervention limits our capacity to show up and live in alignment with our true values.

Is it really that harmful? Think about the effects of parental censorship on children. When parents discourage a child from expressing emotions like sadness or anger, labelling them as 'undesirable,' the child grows up unable to process such feelings. This unintentional repression often leads to depression, which, as the name implies, is the 'depressing' of emotions. As they mature, they struggle to fully experience or express these emotions, leading to inner turmoil and discomfort.

Essentially, this seemingly simple act of a parent attempting to curb what they perceived as undesirable behaviours had a profound impact on the child's development and their life moving forward.

Bringing it back to money, I'd argue that most of the societal challenges we face today stem from monetary censorship—people being unable to express themselves monetarily, which leads to a range of unintended consequences:

• Environmental Devastation: As our purchasing power weakens, we're incentivized to consume rather than save. This overconsumption has a direct and damaging impact on the environment.

• Endless Wars: When governments control the money, they can perpetually fund conflicts through monetary intervention, regardless of what the public values or desires.

• Mental Health Crisis: As inflation devalues purchasing power, parents are compelled to work longer hours just to keep up. This reduced time with their children makes it harder for parents to address their kids' emotional needs, contributing to the growing mental health crisis.

• Authoritarianism: With the cost of living rising, people work longer hours, leaving them with less mental bandwidth to critically engage with the information they consume. This creates fertile ground for authoritarianism, as individuals increasingly defer their decision-making to so-called "experts" rather than thinking for themselves.

"Those who do not think independently are under the influence of somebody else who thinks for them." – Dhammapada

All in all, when the government intervenes monetarily, the byproducts weave their influence into every facet of our existence. Hence... "everything is downstream of money."

Only when we fully understand money's profound impact on every facet of our lives will we begin to move toward true prosperity. Until then, our constant monetary interventions will continue to spawn unintended consequences, rippling throughout society and hindering our progress.

If you found this topic interesting, I expand on it further in my book, The Hidden Cost of Money.

Thanks for taking the time to read this issue of The Qi of Self-Sovereignty. I hope you found it insightful.

I always welcome feedback and thoughts. So, do not hesitate to respond to the newsletter email, comment on the article or reach out via Twitter.

Seb