Free Market

The 'free' market has been an environment where some very good ideas have taken root and come to fruition. No matter where one is in the world — no matter what the system of trade and government — micro-economies with their own, organically-derived rules always find ways of not only surfacing, but undermining what infrastructure is currently there. It is essential that our system of trade is regulated in response to how it actually works, as opposed to unquestioning deregulation in the name of freedom.

Modern Conservatives* would have the world believe that the free market can only stay free when there are as few rules as possible. For many reasons, this is untrue.

Free in what way? Free to do what? Does a free market mean a market without rules? Can everyone be free if there are no guidelines?

In many people's minds, the idea of free market is much more accurately described as a market in which small ideas can become big, individuals become successful, and new organizations are given the opportunity to grow and become self-sustaining. This has also been referred to as the American Dream, which has a definition that is subject to entropy.

In order to have a world full of good ideas, and strong follow-through, it is clear that there must be rules. Opportunities must be provided and protected, merit must be understood, and merit must be broadcast. Without strict guides for this process, merit becomes secondary to a kind of miscommunication that stunts the progress of modern technology, blocks cultural development, and rewards those responsible with immense wealth and power.

It's been said that rules are limitations; but with certain decisions already made, doesn't that allow us more time and resources to focus on the details that matter?

*What on earth are they conserving? What a silly name.

Creation Myth

In the beginning, there was nothing. Then, oddly, there was something. It was a bit hectic, and then there was a period of rearranging.

This was a long and laborious process, but it worked out so that not everything was shooting around everywhere and exploding all the time.

Suddenly, there were a bunch of really tiny things that might have looked like they had the intent to recreate themselves as much as possible. They might have been alive, or not.

Then they were alive. This was primarily because a bunch of them had got together and formed a group, which was quite a bit better at reproducing itself than just a single one.

The groups grew very rapidly in numbers, and eventually they all forgot they were groups and thought of themselves as individuals. This was useful for reference, but kind of muddied everyone's autonomy.

These individuals were happy for a while, but then there came a plague: The individuals were competing, cooperating, and eating each other! Many of the individuals realized that the only way they were going to survive, was by banding together into communities.

For a while, the communities were good. Eventually, though, there were a lot of communities, and the communities began to think of themselves as individuals. This was awkward to describe.

These new kinds of individual things eventually learned to move in packs, bands, murders, schools, and all sorts of other mobile institutions. There got to be so many of these, that they, too, began to think of themselves as individuals.

These newer, even larger kinds of individuals competed, as well; pretty much similarly (except in scale) to their hierarchical predecessors.

Some of them wondered if they were supposed to be part of something even larger, but didn't really speculate very far into the matter. Many began to realize that no matter how big their communities got, they would still be very small, relative to the rest of everything else.

Some of them wondered if the whole thing even mattered, because really, who was watching? Some speculated that someone very large or far-away was watching, but no one had any proof.

Links:

• Information about Douglas Adams, the writer I'm basically (stylistically, poorly) ripping off with this post.
• The Unitarian/Universalist Church, from which I get many of my views about religion.