Finding Balance While Surviving An Economic System

I wrote this to a friend yesterday:

I’ve gotta tell you, as I’ve thought about the kind of life T and I want to live I can clearly see how this whole capitalist thing really is not set up for folks like us or you to be fulfilled. It’s all about making someone else rich: landlords, transit bosses, employers, utility CEOs, mortgage lenders, and so on. We spend a lot of time working just to make money to pay for those necessities. After all that, who has the time or energy to nurture their creative talents, think deeply about the meaning of their lives, nurture meaningful relationships, and so on? There has to be a better way….

Of course upon further reflection I remembered capitalism is not the problem. The way capitalism is used to make only a few people wealthy is the problem. Any economic system can be used for the betterment of all or misused for the sake of selfishness. It doesn’t matter: capitalism, socialism, communism are all tools, and if the intentions of the people controlling those tools are to make themselves comfortable at everyone else’s expense, people will suffer.

I want more control over my own life and time, and I am taking small steps here and there in pursuit of that goal as I am able.