CHAPTER 2
THE RULES, THE RULERS AND THE INCONSISTENT MEASURES
Truth, Authenticity and Integrity –
the virtues denied success by the playacting political
powers.
I brewed and I brewed as I stormed the characterless corridor. What is
the reward for truth? If punishment was the reward then wouldn’t everyone
simply lie to survive? All my life I had abided by social rules, paid my tax
and contributed to the ‘greater academic knowledge.’ Where was the appreciation
for all that study, research and analysis? I was a ‘good girl’ and a ‘model
citizen’, a cog in the collapsing fragmented framework. The individual did not
matter, nor did they carry any worth. Community, loyalty and society had been
sacrificed for a capitalist ideal. Keeping up with the Jones's had turned to
running them down in a black sports car bought on credit. The desire to conform
and feel safe replaced the sense of significance and true uniqueness was
frowned upon. Corporations preferred ‘yes people' who would go above and beyond
for little or no reward simply to feel safe. It was ‘brown nose’ heaven. The
way culture curtailed to the controlling command had not gone unnoticed. The
people felt powerless to react when yet another crisis became the opportunity
to implement ‘imperative regulations’. The irony was that those brought up in
privilege had never suffered financially like the underclasses. They had never
gone hungry or witnessed a kid being beaten to death in the playground over
three-coins-worth of pocket money or a paper note. They did not understand what
it was like to live on the edge of financial agony.
The mental churn gained momentum. I thought about how the rulers ruled
without understanding, empathy or identification. They stood on their
self-architectured ledges and peered down upon the poverty-rife valley whilst
sipping a ruby wine. The acceptance of an elite rulership was part of social
conditioning. If we feed our children stories about princes, princesses and
kings and queens then they will grow to aspire to an unattainable ideal. The
stories provided little girls false ideals about princes and young men desired
to achieve wealth for mating rights. It provided the golden carrot for the
employment treadmill.
I could feel my nails digging into my palm. I could see the exit, yet
the mental rant continued. When one had experienced both sides of the social
coin then that was catalyst enough to dedicate one’s academic attention to
developing complex socio-financial-behaviour theories. However, there was never
any anticipation of academic alienation for developing unpopular research. The
truth was not welcome and blinkers became a shield from the building civil
unrest. If we ignore it then it does not exist!
The more I had researched the more I noticed the psychosis. Money-mania
was a silent mental disease, one that relied on the belief that an individual’s
intrinsic value was based on a metallic or paper symbol. Personal value was
nothing to do with ‘being’ or authenticity, instead the gauge amongst peers was
commodities. An ape with a stick was worth twice as much as one without. That
would be a middle-class ape. An ape with two sticks could be elevated to
aristocracy. With that in mind, it was amazing what cruel things people would
do to others in pursuit of an illusionary symbol.
In that moment I realised there were defining moments in a person’s
life, when the way one reacted usually repeated a pattern. That day was
different – enough was enough. I would usually contain my anger but why should
I? In an eruption of rage I found a space in the middle of a kinetic art
arrangement, at the centre of the university campus. Motion amongst the
sculpture triggered a variety of animal cry. The more intense the motion, the
louder and more diverse the rumble. I stood silently preparing while bitterness
ravished my core. I could feel the rage gaining momentum until bang! I exploded
sensationally into an emotional outburst. A frenzy of animal sounds filled the
arena. An elephant trumpeted, a gorilla cried and a lion’s roar drowned out my
screams. Students and lecturers peered from the windows. I resembled a panicked
child batting away a swarm of wasps amongst the downpour. A wild woman.
Contorted and confused expressions gazed down on the frenzied woman
whose financial findings had electrified educational and business nerves. The
results were not pleasing and unwelcome discoveries filled my research. The
figures did not add up, everything had to change; it was time to seek a safe
haven. What’s more, the masses had not been privy to the financial truths. They
remained oblivious to the escapades taking place behind inaccessible financial
fortresses. The rulers were putting out small fires whilst ignoring the briskly
building infernos. Sneered-at solutions propelled the financial false economic façade
into financial cycles of devastation. Endless assumption and lack of
responsibility catalyzed continued crisis. Nevertheless, my research on the
growing resistance amongst the public to persuasion techniques had resulted in
increased mass disbelief. Without faith in the leaders and without infectious
belief in the system – the lack of trust fuelled a recession and perpetuated
the failure-fulfilling prophecy - reflexivity. Belief, significance, human
value, uniqueness and truth would revive the system after a complete
re-organisation and restructure of value. The world desired a speedy solution,
not the truth. Without positive mass enthusiasm and hope, the financial system
would remain stagnant. The more society financially festered then the longer the
recessions would last. I was essentially an academic Cassandra – the profit of
financial ruin. Cassandra had answers if someone would willingly listen. In the
meantime, a vision of the tower of financial foolishness toppled. There was
need for a new system, a new way, one that worked.
LINK TO MONEY FARM ON AUDIBLE.COM
Narration - Helen Lloyd - Kick A$$!
Really Great Narration - Brits and Aussies and Germans and more. Lovely voice to listen to and she even captured the rather robotic nature of the cult-like members of the Money Farm.
This is a really terrific book - and is it bad that for the majority of the book I was thinking "sign me up!" (or at least sign up one of my grand-kids and let me move into one of the retirement neighborhoods).
The Money's are all 'their best selves' due to the nutrition and fitness requirements along with a few other treatments along the way which are tailored to each individual and allow them to reach their full potential. All their needs are met, they have no debts, no worries, they are appreciated and they all live in really nice digs. (like I said...sign me up!)
It's a smartly written and thought provoking book of a Dystopian/Eutopian society where our heroine Jyllian finds her-self jobless with her savings running out. She ends up being selected to join the M.O.N.E.Y.'s as a "breaker" because of her intelligent & rebellious way of thinking. She is to challenge their systems and find ways to break them, all in the name of making them better.
The story follows her and a few other select characters through their introduction to Money, their training, their indoctrination and ultimately through their discovery of what Money's goals really are.
I can't really say much more without giving away too much, but I thought it was a really terrific book. It was hard for me to 'get into it' in the beginning, but I plan to listen to the start again.
It's smartly written and filled with intricate details about these two "worlds". Really an interesting book about the state of the worlds finances! Loved it! I'm actually stunned that I'm only the second review of this book on Goodreads. READ or LISTEN to it! It's a keeper!
I received a copy of this audiobook free of charge from Audiobookblast in exchange for an unbiased review.
