Non-capitalism and our will to live

Photo credit: Amaya Gonzalez-Møllmann 2024

You might be surprised (or annoyed or frustrated or confused or even happy) to learn that the opposite of capitalism isn’t communism, it is non-capitalism.

Where capitalism requires unlimited economic growth, non-capitalism seeks sustainability and balance. Where capitalism measures worth in financial wealth, non-capitalism values authenticity in human relationships.

That is the society I want to live in. More to the point, it is the only way for us to survive.

Inequality has grown exponentially both globally and within countries leading to violence and strife. The quest for money and material wealth has normalized a pronounced lack of empathy. We are over-producing our way out of oxygen, fast. Even with current levels of uncertainty, one thing we know for sure is that once we can’t breathe, monetary wealth might provide a buffer for some time, but not for long.

In other words: security will come from community, not money.

There are already solid models of non-capitalist communities: mutual aid societies, giving circles, live-in communities of care. This is not outlandish. It's not mystical or pipe-dreamish. All it requires is empathy, humility, and the desire to actually live.