One way to cause harm is through the many types of theft—obvious or subtle, legal or institutionalized—which are detailed in…
Read LET US NOT STEAL!, not even in normalized cases
Well then, something that contributes greatly to this is that it is often disguised as something honorable through sugar-coated narratives. In the past, conquerors/murderers/thieves/rapists/enslavers whitewashed themselves through the epic of the brave, glorious warrior who performed heroic feats, sometimes even recorded in epic poems and spread by troubadours.
The Aryans who conquered India and subdued the Dravidians and other ethnic groups, plundered their lands and exploited them under a caste system, sanctified that unjust order through Hinduism.
In Europe under the Ancien Régime, the kings and upper estates of the nobility and high clergy who seized the weapons and the lands that were initially everyone’s, and who squeezed the serfs to maintain their privileged lifestyle, also deified that abusive system through the Church. For it preached that all of that was so by the “grace of God.” And the same “pinkwashing” happened with slavery, European colonialism, and other large-scale thefts with even more absurd justifications… read more in…
…LET US LIVE WITHOUT HARMING!: Let us reject narratives that justify cruelty
Today, a narrative that has emerged to cleanse indirect theft is that of solidarity and social justice, according to which those who have more must systematically share—regardless of their level of wealth and other circumstances—with those who have less. And if they resist, then they are selfish. But as with all previous narratives justifying the expropriation of what belongs to others, it collapses like a house of cards with a single breath, because:
1.-Experiments have been conducted with children and even other primates, such as chimpanzees, and the result was that they found it unfair to give different rewards or resources for the same work or situation. That is, according to our innate sense of justice, the correct order is inequality in the fruits of effort when that effort has been different.
LIVING WITHOUT HARM: Let us be guided by our sense of ethics
2.-True solidarity is voluntary, and when resources are taken from someone by force against their will, the correct term to use is appropriation.
3.-Genuine generosity is for the benefit of others, not oneself. It consists of giving to others, not of others giving to me, as happens with pseudo-solidarity, whereby voters with lower economic means try to take resources from those with greater purchasing power thanks to their voting power.
It may be fair to expropriate large estates that originate in plunder through conquest, such as those in Latin America or the south of Spain or Italy, or even to reasonably correct economic inequalities. But surely it would be very unfair to give the same grade to a child who spends all day studying and therefore does very well on the exam, as to one who does not study at all and answers the questions poorly? In the same way, it is highly inequitable to try to equalize the fruits of effort—in the form of income and wealth—without equalizing that effort.
DO NOT STEAL! Obtain wealth honestly
DO NOT STEAL! Seek a non-abusive balance between responsibility and solidarity
This is reflected in the number of hours worked (and therefore fewer leisure hours for oneself and one’s family) and in the intensity with which one works (and the resulting stress, fatigue, exhaustion, burnout syndrome, and other emotional costs that are paid). Also in the hours devoted to training, the desire to do things well and improve, saving, risks assumed (which quite often lead to unpleasant losses that those who do not complicate their lives and do not invest do not suffer), etc.
If one wishes to apply the law of equality, the proper thing is to apply it to all parts of the wealth-generation equation, not only to the final result of the mathematical formula.
If all of this is disguised with pretty masks, it is because one part of the brain knows that taking from others what they have earned honestly is wrong.
In the human world, beyond a certain age, appearances are often deceiving, unlike young children or dogs, who tend to be sincere and transparent. Those who manipulatively accuse of being petty those who resist sharing are quite often the very opportunists who try to keep what others have earned through their hard work.
LET US LOVE THE TRUTH!: Let us not tell harmful lies
Although they usually justify it by saying that those who are plundered have more, it is often a mere excuse, since many of them would do it to those who have less if they could—as has been done throughout history systematically by those who had power to those who did not. And those who did not have it have often done the same when they have gained that power over others.
That was the case for most poor European peasants who emigrated to the Americas and stole the land and working hours of Indigenous Americans and Black people, who were poorer still. Nothing new under the sun, since that is the nature of a good part of humanity: to try to live off others’ sweat. The new plunderers are exactly the same as the old ones, but with different victims and different narratives. The same twin brothers, but in different clothes.
For example, in some countries retirees who are full of the words solidarity and social justice and who demonstrate to demand an increase in their pensions, above what they have paid in contributions, in reality intend to appropriate the money of younger generations who, on average, have a lower per capita income than retirees. Because in reality they care little where the money comes from. What they really want is for money to be taken from somewhere (that is, from someone) and given to them.
It is fair to contribute to the road network, hospitals, the pension system, or to help those who cannot fend for themselves, or those who work full time and yet live in poverty; but plundering is something else entirely.
LET US NOT STEAL!: Let all of us who can contribute our fair share to the State
Thank you for sharing if you believe this analysis contributes to a less kleptocratic and more just and functional world,
Xavier Paya
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