| Naturalmoney.org the plan for the future |
January 7, 2009 - July 11, 2011 Author: Bart klein Ikink Introduction As the current financial system is collapsing, the threat of famine, war and chaos in the world becomes a real possibility. Nature is destroyed, fossil fuels are supplies are dwindling, rainforests are burned down, the seas are fished empty and chemicals are spread. Climate change may change the living conditions on Earth drastically. It may therefore be not a coincidence that many people think that the End of Times could be on December 21, 2012 because the Mayan calender ends on that date [+]. The End of Times does not have to mean destruction. It can also be a change of path. The current financial system leans heavily upon the expansion of debt [+] at an accelerating pace. US citizens have less ability to borrow more and therefore a severe contraction of the world economy is a realistic possibility. In the past the same mistakes have been made over and over again by basing money on gold or debt. This resulted in bubbles and defaults. Now an alternative has become available. The perfection of Natural Money In October 2008 I wrote an article on Natural Money based on the theory of Silvio Gesell. This article can be read using the following link: A far more efficient economic system is possible. The complete theory of the Natural Financial System can be read using the following link: Natural Economic Order: Complete theory. Many readers posed questions and when answering them I wondered why there were always good answers for all types of questions on the Natural Financial System. The questions and answers can be found here: Questions and answers on 12 steps article. The perfection of the Natural Financial System is quite amazing. If one country, or even one small town like Wörgl, starts to use Natural Money, then in time the rest of the world will be forced to adopt the same system. There will be no turning back. It is a deterministic process. At some point in the future the Natural Financial System will become the dominant financial system of the world. The only question is: When will the first town or country start adopting it? Natural Money is the stone that can bring down the the current financial system like a Goliath. It only takes a David to plot the correct trajectory of the stone. Natural Money will make it possible to solve the acute financial, social and environmental problems we face now: - Natural Money will save nature and the earth by promoting sustainable investment and recycling; - Natural Money will end unemployment without government intervention; - Natural Money will free people and countries from debt slavery; - Natural Money will create a stable economy not needing government or central bank intervention; - Natural Money will end senseless economic activities in the money system which destroy the economy; - Natural Money will result in a dramatic rise in government income which makes it easy to lower taxes and address all social problems in society; - Natural Economies will outcompete all other kinds of economies. Sceptics may argue that this can only happen in Fantasy Land. However tere are some quotes of famous economists and scientists that support the claim: - "I thoroughly enjoyed Silvio Gesell's brilliant style. The creation of money that cannot be hoarded will lead to a different and more real kind of property." Professor Albert Einstein, Nobel Prize Winner - "Gesell's name will be a leading name in history once it has been disentangled." H.G. Wells - "The application of Gesell's principle of circulation of money will lead the nation out of the depression within two to three weeks. I am a humble student of this German-Argentine businessman." Professor Irving Fisher, Yale University, America's greatest economist - "I believe that the future will learn more from the spirit of Gesell than from that of Marx." John Maynard Keynes - "Gesell's work will initiate a new epoch in the history of mankind." Prof. Dr. B. Uhlemayr - "Gesell's discoveries and proposals are of the greatest importance for centuries to come." Dr. Theophil Christen, eminent mathematician and physicist, Berne Asenath and Natural Money The Natural Financial System is the most efficient monetary system ever designed and it will create the most efficient economy possible. How can this be? Money with a holding tax was first introduced when Joseph was viceroy of Egypt around 3,500 years ago [+]. Moreover Judaism, Christianity and Islam have been opposed to usury, which is the charging of interest on money [+]. The holding tax and the ban on usury form the essence of the Natural Financial System. God has been aware of the destructive nature of debt. Therefore once in seven years a sabbath year was introduced in which debts were forgiven (Deut. 15:1-18). Once in the fifty years there was a Jubilee (Lev. 25:8-55). God owns the land and in the Jubilee She wanted the return of every man to his possession while the land had to be redeemed. Debt forgiveness will refrain potential creditors from letting debtors go too far into debt. Therefore the introduction of a recurrent debt forgiveness may be helpful in curtailing unwise lending. The Natural Financial System therefore is a design of God. Joseph was a handsome man (Gen. 39:6-7). Many women including Potifars wife had a crush on him (Quran 12:30-31). It is remarkable that the good looks of Joseph are not only mentioned in Genesis but that they are even more extensively discussed in The Quran. Therefore the appearance of Joseph must have been important to God. When Joseph was viceroy of Egypt, he married Asenath. Asenath was the daughter of the high-priest Poti-Pherah. There is an apocryphal expansion of the Book of Genesis's account of the marriage of Asenath and Joseph [+]. Asenath was called fairest of all the virgins of the Earth. She was proud and despised men. However when Asenath saw Joseph, She was impressed by his good looks. Joseph at first did not want to marry Her because She apparently did not worship God and bowed before idols. Asenath then showed penitence and an angel from heaven came to Her camber to bless their marriage. When She told Joseph of the interference of the angel, he decided to marry Her. Asenath's apparent penitence and change of faith appear to be the result of Her desire to marry Joseph. Asenath was God but She wanted to hide this. The Pharao named Joseph Son of God, which suggests that he was a reincarnation of Adam. God used pop music to send messages to humanity [+]. Therefore the songs The stranger song of Leonard Cohen [2] and Under African skies of Paul Simon [1] may refer to relationship between God and Joseph. Asenath being God may explain why the Natural Financial System came into existence when Joseph ruled Egypt [+]. Joseph took all the money from the Egyptians (Gen. 47:14-15) so they had to invent an alternative currency. This situation is similar to the beginning of the Middle Ages in Europe, where money effectively ceased to exist. The circumstances were also similar to the situation to Wörgl during the Great Depression, where money effectively ceased to function. The Natural Financial System in Egypt remained in operation for more than 1,500 years. It did not collapse in the end but was forcibly replaced by Roman money when the Romans took control over Egypt. Therefore the Natural Financial System must have been very stable and satisfactory. The Golden Calf After having escaped from Egypt, the People of Israel created a stature of a golden calf (Ex. 32:1-35). Aaron built an altar in front of the calf and organised a festival the next day. During the festival the people sacrificed burnt offerings and presented fellowship offerings. God asked Moses to restore order and the priestly tribe to killed 3,000 people that day. After the incident God struck the people with a plague because of what they did with the calf Aaron had made. The symbolism of the Golden Calf is not obvious, and therefore it may have eluded the Jews. Because gold does not decay, it can be stored forever. In a sense gold is eternal, even though not as eternal as God. Gold can therefore become a rival god, and its name is Mammon. Furthermore, there can be two types of money: money based on eternal gold, which bears interest, and natural money that decays like everything else in nature. If the money is based on gold, interest becomes inevitable, because gold does not decay. Because gold keeps its value over time it is not rational to lend money without interest because there is a risk that the borrower does not return the money. Interest can only be avoided if money decays, for example by means of a holding tax, which creates an incentive to lend money out without interest, becaus it is possible to evade the holding tax in this way. Interest can be seen as a sacrifice to the Mammon, the god of money. The consequences of interest are destructive so interest is really a sacrifice. Communities are dislocated, the soil is eroded, nature is destroyed, resources are depleted and people live in poverty to provide sacrifice to Mammon. This exploitation is boosted by interest, because interest creates a short time bias in human economic behaviour [+]. Rediscovery and introduction The invention of the Natural Financial System was not intended by Joseph and therefore it is not recorded in The Bible. However the result must have been anticipated by God because the Natural Financial System seems to be a part of Her plan for the End of Times. The Natural Financial System remained undiscovered for nearly 2,000 years until the historian Friedrich Preisigke rediscovered it around 1910. At the same time Silvio Gesell was working on the same concept as part of the Natural Economic Order. The songs Democracy of Leonard Cohen [1], First we take Manhattan of Leonard Cohen [1] and Long road out of Eden of the Eagles [1] seem to indicate that the United States will be the first country to change. The song Sleepwalking of Gerry Rafferty [3] seems to indicate that the Natural Financial System will be implemented. The economy of the United States is based on consumption and debt expansion. The United States is at the verge of a debt collapse, while the political system is corrupted by corporate interests. Therefore the United States is the most likely candidate for being the first country to introduce the Natural Financial System. Conclusion If humanity is to survive in a civilised manner than the Natural Financial System should become the economic system of the future. Natural Money is invented by God. The design seems to be perfect. Natural Money will become the power that brings down the current economic order based on usury. The Natural Financial System can be used to create a situation resembling Paradise. The Natural Financial System can be used solve the acute financial, social and environmental problems we face now. The current economic crisis may lead to a major war. However if one or more towns or countries start to use Natural Money then an economic collapse of the United States can be averted. After that the Natural Financial System will become the predominant financial system of the world because of its superior efficiency. |