Charity, of whatever sort, and humility, are the best ways to undermine the vile money-based, exploitative system in which we find ourselves today.
Why are they the best ways?
First, they are not illegal. While there are other ways that might be more effective if enough people did them, charity and humility not only undermine the current system but set the stage for something better and more humane to replace it. Violence and illegal activities are just more of the same. You probably won’t find yourself incarcerated for eusocial activities like being charitable or humble. And if you are, being humble will enable you to accept these circumstances.
Second, they cut off important elements of the system. The less you involve intermediaries in your good deeds, the less they are able to profit and thereby reinforce their own power. If you give someone $10 in cash, no financial intermediary is involved and getting their cut for doing almost nothing. If you give people less than the amount the government considers taxable, you are not helping them obtain financing they will undoubtedly use to expand their criminal operations at home and abroad.
Finally, they demonstrate an alternative is feasible. That doing things for others does not always need to be compensated by the beneficiary. Look at all we get for free being here on this earth – nobody charges us for air! If the universe/God can give us things we can neither replicate nor replace, why can’t we do that for others? The best gift is one which the beneficiary cannot, and is not expected, to repay.
As the Bible teaches, he who gives to the poor lends to the Lord, and he (God) will repay him. Isn’t it better to get an uncertain reward from the Almighty than to get some pecuniary payment from another person?
Living humbly also makes sure not to reward advertisers and the surveillance and manipulation they engage in. Advertisers pay a lot of money to have their products placed on TV shows, for example, to get their product associated with fame and wealth. Whenever you see a name brand positively shown on TV, someone paid to put it there.
In Central America, before the advent of television, people would go home after they earned enough money for the day. This upset factory owners who wanted to extract more work from their employees. However, once television became widespread, people were more willing to spend additional time at work in order to obtain the items they saw on television. The television thus psychologically coerced people to be more participatory in the monetary system by inciting envy.
All advertisement works by first creating a feeling of inadequacy and then promoting a particular product or service as the solution. It promotes comparison, for example by using physically beautiful people to advertise a beauty product or service. Or it uses famous or wealthy people to promote a luxury good. Advertising promotes avarice intentionally, and this is the basis of the economic system.
Living humbly and avoiding vanity is, paradoxically, conspicuous. We recognize lay members and clergy of various faiths through their outward appearance; for example, a Catholic priest wearing his suit and white collar, an Orthodox Jew’s monochrome black outfit and hat, or a Buddhist monk’s orange robe. Wearing clothing that is simple and functional on a regular basis saves time and encourages people to think about how someone acts or what they believe rather than what they look like. These types of “uniform” diminish individual vanity, and are therefore, ironically, conspicuous in our highly individualistic culture. They save time because there is no effort necessary to decide what to wear today, and a uniform design makes manufacture more efficient. If the purpose of clothes is to maintain social norms of modesty (rather than to display wealth or personality), a simple uniform of whatever sort is best suited for this purpose.
Wealthy people are also now seeking less conspicuous items as status indicators. Mark Zuckerberg can often be found in what appear to be very basic shirts, which in fact cost several hundred dollars. Items with minimalist design, rather than ostentatious flamboyance, are becoming more popular among wealthy people who are concerned about provoking resentment and hostility from those with less wealth.
We think money is wealth, but it really isn’t. Fiat currency in particular has a terrible track record as a store of value. The US dollar now is worth less than one percent of its original value. Zimbabwe, in 2008 issued banknotes in denominations exceeding one trillion Zimbabwe dollars – this was not because the country had suddenly become wealthy but rather because one Zimbabwe dollar was worth almost nothing.
When people talk about the hypothetical possibility of winning the lottery, they don’t talk about doing nothing with the money. If money was wealth, having as much of it as possible would be the end goal in a plutocentric culture such as ours. Rather, they are in a hurry to convert it into real wealth as soon as possible.
When we think of wealthy people, we tend to think of the luxury items they own, such as designer watches, large houses, airplanes, and boats. We don’t think of their bank balance by itself as their source of wealth. And, indeed, those with a lot of money are advised not to leave all their wealth in the form of money in order to both preserve and grow it. Wealth is gained through concentrated, focused activity but is preserved by diversification.
Money is a proxy for social status (wealth and power), while charity and humility emphasize renunciation of these. When wise teachers such as Jesus teach us to reject the love of money, and suggest we renounce wealth moreover, we would be wise to consider their words. In this life, any power you think you have is illusory; why love it (and thus possibly do ethically questionable things) to obtain more? If you have no control over your lifespan or the evils you will suffer, you do not have any power at all. Therefore, it would be prudent to adjust your values accordingly.
Moreover, as we age, we become aware that neither material goods nor the money used to obtain and maintain them are forms of wealth that truly matter. The better forms of wealth are those we can leave behind, and also take with us onto the next plane of our existence. These are our memories, close and loving relationships with our fellow humans, and good deeds towards others.
And these can be neither stolen nor taxed.