Life Myths Created by Runaway Capitalism & How to Change the Story

7 Life Myths of Runaway Capitalism

1. You’re a product

Ever feel like you need to promote your ‘brand’ or stay relevant on social media? This is the result of a market based economy, which has manipulated your ego into ego production.

Being an ‘influencer’ or a ‘brand’ is not healthy for an ever changing being who has a variety of needs at different times, some of which include privacy, experimentation, silence, humility, and of course breakdown, and transformation.

When you become a product, you are self objectifying. And when we objectify, we judge — ourselves and others.

You are a human. An organism — the lie is that you are a product.

2. You’re worth is tied to production

This lie is the most obvious lie of runaway capitalism.

The fact we often say “Hi, what do you do?” in the West is emblematic of the fact that we tie what we produce to the value a person has.

We constantly measure each other, ’network,’ and look for advantageous relationships vs. relationships that nurture our spirit, body, or mind. Our judgements become tied to the machine of production and get mirrored back at ourselves.

What value am I am creating? What is my purpose? These are the questions of market based economic thinking.

Ever wonder why you can’t just ‘be’ and have that be enough?

If someone asks what you do, and you say — I relax or take care of children — there is a shame associated with ones contributions to ‘society.’

But who is to say that ‘being’ or caretaking is not a contribution? One of these is obviously more active, but who is to say being happy and living off the land isn’t also a contribution?

The system doesn’t work if people are ‘lazy’ and don’t buy into constant production and consumption.

3. Life is expensive

Ever wonder why we have never ending ‘progress’ with technology and otherwise, but we’re working more than ever to afford less in the end?

Housing is out of reach. Couples are both working instead of relying on one income. Food costs are rising whilst food quality is degrading.

Processing does not make things better.

Food is free. Land is a resource of the earth. Housing is mostly made from natural resources. Needs upon invented needs.

For example — we have food that makes us unhealthy, leading to expensive medical care, which leads to expensive insurance.

I wager you can live well off $1,000 month almost anywhere in the world if you use your resources for growing food and building your own housing.

The average U.S. household spent $67,000 in 2022.

But on what?

Housing, transportation, food, insurance, entertainment, and ‘stuff.’

This average income expenditure is enough to live for 5.5 years on a $1,000 a month budget, but many of us (myself included) choose to live on much more.

We buy everything that seems like it might make us feel better — less stressed, more happy, or more attractive.

Dinner, drinks, cars, trips, electronics, toys, gadgets, subscriptions, healthcare, drugs, therapists, coaches, hair, nails, beautification, etc.

In other words, life is not expensive. Our thinking has made it cost us everything, including being in the moment.

4. Your mind is more valuable than your body

Take your mind to college.

Fill your mind with ideas.

Speak your mind.

But what of the body?

Runaway capitalism relies on people punishing their bodies.

Disassociating. Numbing.

Drugs. Alcohol. Obesity. Hateful self talk. Depression. Anxiety. Disease. Lethargy. Apathy. Compliance.

When your value is tied to production, you have to keep going at all costs. There is no stopping, no feeling, no being.

Exercise is a form of being in body. Eating whole food is too. As is cooking your own non-processed nurturing food.

But to be in your body means dancing, singing, moving, feeling, and vibrating with the orgasmic nature of life. With all of the ups and downs and with connection to the planet, to place and to people.

Community and roots are born from being in your body.

And you know what creates resilience?

Community. Interdependence. Knowing your neighbors. Staying present. Helping those around you and being helped. Feeling this connection.

Taking care of your body is related to all of these things.

For so many of us, our body is an afterthought. A vehicle instead of the source of our vitality.

If we treated our bodies with care, we wouldn’t work so hard, eat unhealthy food, or have so many addictions, which remove us from our bodily sensations.

We shouldn’t have to fill ourselves with fat and prescription drugs to cope with life.

This is not our nature.

5. Independence is a virtue

Being self-sufficient is not a virtue and it’s an outright lie.

Every single thing you do relies on others. Food. Housing. A simple t-shirt. Hundreds if not thousands of peoples effort lead to that which you touch in your everyday life.

You are not an island.

While money obfuscates relationships and makes us dependent on the almighty dollar, relationships are the true source of value.

The value of nature is through ecosystem of value and relationships that depend on one another.

Money makes us think we can be alone and happy, but it’s a lie.

Our true source of happiness comes from being seen, loving, having sex, creating, building, belonging, celebrating, exercising, and contributing to others — activities that produce the most sustainable dopamine and serotonin.

6. Relationships are transactional

The lie that relationships are transactional is tied to your value being in what you produce.

When you truly believe relationships are most valuable when there is something you can get out of them, you are caught in yet another bending of reality, courtesy of runaway capitalism.

Relationships become actualized by giving, not by receiving. And the second that you focus on what you can get — you are caught in a wrinkle of the Matrix.

Becoming grabby just produces more needs, more wants, more desires, more attention put toward manipulating others to gain attention, time, money, resources, significance.

And yet, if we believe on an any level this is true, our relationships will suffer. People won’t like us. People will feel suffocated and ‘energetically vampired.’

And ultimately, even if one is monetarily successful living this way, they will not be happy. This sort of thinking creates unending judgement toward the self and others.

Letting go of this idea will free you. If you see what you can give, you’ll naturally be happier.

And somehow, everything you need will come your way.

7. There will never be enough

Offff. Enoughness.

Not enough food. Not enough money. Not even longevity. Not enough time. Not enough love. Not enough resources.

And by proxy of the believe there will never be enough looms the idea that you will never be enough.

The idea that there will never be enough is the ultimate lie that is tied to all of the others.

You can always produce more, package yourself to be a better product, make a lot of money, ignore your body, be an energetic orphan, and operate like you are on an island and the world exists outside you.

But the truth is, there are worlds within you and around you.

What you give, the roots you plant, and the inner realm you master is your salvation.

Your life is not a journey to ‘find yourself’ or ‘discover your purpose’ — no, in fact, these are the taglines of runaway capitalism.

Your job is to love, be loved, and let go of all judgement. To nurture your body, this planet, and those around you. To create, to build, and to imagine. Your job is whatever you want your job to be.

And you can start where you are, with what you have, right now.

You don’t need anything more than you have.

You just need to think and act outside of the systems that have trained you to be an objectified tool of profit at any cost.