ARE WE NOT CIVILISED MEN?

“… “Not to go on all-fours; that is the Law. Are we not Men?
“Not to suck up Drink; that is the Law. Are we not Men?
“Not to eat [raw] Fish or Flesh; that is the Law. Are we not Men?
“Not to claw the Bark of Trees; that is the Law. Are we not Men?
“Not to chase other Men; that is the Law. Are we not Men?”…
“His is the House of Pain.
“His is the Hand that makes.
“His is the Hand that wounds.
“His is the Hand that heals.”…
“His is the lightning flash,” we sang. “His is the deep, salt sea.”…
“His are the stars in the sky.”…
“He is a five-man, a five-man, a five-man—like me,” said the Ape-man.”…”

“The Law” - The Island of Doctor Moreau
Author: H. G. Wells - 1896

(http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/159 Download the ebook for free from this site)


Dr Moreau plays god over life in this classic tale of HG Wells. Over and over the question is asked “Are we not Men?”, for the descend into barbaric animalistic behaviour is a constant almost irresistible temptation. Perhaps the question should be asked, when does Economic Man become a Beast?

The first Law of Economic Man is respect for private property. Oh the temptation of the Beast to show disrespect. Take from the “Rich” (“Are they not Men?”) and give to the “Poor”. Take for the individual (“Are we not Men?”) and give to the Banks, the Insurance giants, the motor Manufacturers, the Government Supported Entities. The joy of the gift with other people’s money has not the loss of giving from your own.

The second Law of Economic Man is to save. How the Beast hunger for Debt? Why does He (Government and Central Banks) encourage debt with low interest rates and unlimited liquidity provision? Do not encourage the Beast, encourage Economic Man. Economic Man pays for his consumption from the fruits of his labour. The enslavement of Economic Man starts when he succumbs to the temptation to pay for his consumption with Debt.

The third Law of Economic Man is ownership of his body and the fruits of his labour. Increasingly He dispossesses Economic Man of the fruits of his labour and disrespects Economic Man’s ownership of his body to gift other men (“Are we not Men?”) with the fruits of Economic Man’s labour.

The fourth law of Economic Man is to resist the cravings for easy monetary solutions. Recognition of the inflationary spiral is essential. Stimulatory monetary policy by His hand is a process with known consequences. It’s a drug addiction to the Beast. Rehab from this drug addiction is inflation and a recession. Refuse rehab and accelerate monetary consumption and the next stop is endemic inflation and a deep recession (in its final phase called stagflation). Still not prepared to go to rehab? Binge on debt and asset bubbles in a hallucinatory boom followed by a depressionary systemic collapse. Absolutely refuse rehab with exponentially growing money and liquidity creation backed by unfunded fiscal stimulations to destroy the monetary system in a hyperinflationary death. Death by overdose.

The fifth law of Economic Man is preventing Him from indebting Economic Man and his children, and his children’s children. He will indebt Economic Man fiscally when Economic Man resists the temptation of debt enslavement. He will seduce with promises of prosperity in the interest of all. The Beast will succumb to the siren songs of endless debt. This is the refrain of the Beast.

Not to disrespect private property; that is the Law. Are we not Men?
Not to suck up Debt; that is the Law. Are we not Men?
Not to eat the Labour of fellow Men. That is the Law. Are we not Men?
Not to claw the Bark of the Money Tree. That is the Law. Are we not Men?
Not to debt burden other Men. That is the Law. Are we not Men?
His is the House of Debt.
His is the Printing Press.
His is the Hand that makes Exuberance.
His is the Hand that Gifts.
His is the Hand that Controls.
His is the deep, dark Depression.
His are the dizzy heights of Hyperinflation.
His is the slave master of our children.

The Beast has five fingers on each hand and five toes on each foot just like you. Are you not Economic Man?

Sarel Oberholster
BCom (Cum Laude) CAIB(SA)
10 November 2008

© Sarel Oberholster

Please email me at ccpt@iafrica.com with any comments. More links and essays can be found on my blog at http://sareloberholster.blogspot.com/ .