How Power Works
1️⃣ MONEY
History & Core Concepts
Trade → Gold → Money → Central Banks
Scarcity vs. Infinity: Money can be printed infinitely by banks, but scarcity is manufactured to keep money valuable.
Why Poverty Exists
Poverty is engineered by the powerful to preserve the illusion of money’s value.
Poverty isn’t a personal failure; it’s systemic control.
Why Crises Happen
Crises destroy excess money → restore scarcity → make people work harder to survive.
Why Wars Exist
Wars destroy wealth and reinforce scarcity.
They sustain the belief that money (and resources) are valuable and limited.
Analogy: World of Warcraft = Real Life
Players (people) chase virtual credits (money) to buy virtual goods (possessions).
If credits were infinite, no one would play (work).
The system only works if we believe in scarcity.
💡 Key Idea: Central banking manufactures scarcity to keep people working. Real value = our labor, not money.
Food Example
Food is abundant enough to feed everyone, yet many starve.
Scarcity is artificial — a designed illusion.
Don’t get trapped in the scarcity mindset.
2️⃣ INDIVIDUAL & HAPPINESS
Modern Happiness = Individual
Today’s happiness is defined by money, power, freedom, love, vacations, etc.
This is a modern invention.
Historical Happiness = Collective
In the past, happiness meant community well-being: generosity, family, and sharing.
Ancient Chinese culture: wealth was used to host feasts, not hidden in banks.
The concept of individual happiness didn’t exist before modernity.
Worst Punishment (Historically)
Not death, but exile — separation from the community.
3️⃣ POLYTHEISM → MONOTHEISM → SCIENCE
(a) Polytheism
Humans lacked control; fate ruled by capricious gods (Apollo, Dionysus, etc.).
Gods displayed pride, anger, jealousy — moral double standards.
Kings were “favored by gods,” not judged by virtue.
Humans sought eudaimonia — flourishing by living virtuously, not chasing happiness.
🏛 Greek idea: Live to your best potential today (flourishing through virtue and excellence).
(b) Science / Modern View
Humans are synapses, memories, and biological reactions (DNA + environment).
We believe we control our fate through psychology, neuroscience, and self-improvement.
But this illusion of control benefits the powerful.
How It Controls Us
“You control your happiness” → shifts blame from society to the individual.
Keeps people working harder and feeling guilty for systemic issues.
Destroys collective action: you think you are the problem, not the system.
You turn to escapism (games, porn) instead of social change.
Authority Shift
Ancient world: authority = gods
Modern world: authority = scientists (“It’s science, it must be true.”)
Mental Health Example
When sad, we’re told to see a psychiatrist — not reflect, rest, or move.
The system doesn’t aim to cure; it creates dependence on authority.
4️⃣ SCHOOL = SYSTEM OF CONTROL
Purpose (Not Learning)
Schools are designed for brainwashing, not knowledge.
They sort people into “smart” vs. “stupid,” reinforcing class hierarchy.
Real learning = mentorship + experience (e.g., an apprentice doctor model).
Historical Roots of Compulsory Education
Sparta – trained children for war from age 5.
Aztecs – compulsory education, war society, human sacrifice.
Prussia – model for modern schooling, built to create obedient soldiers.
🎯 Common Thread: All were war societies. Modern schooling = training obedience, not intellect.
How Brainwashing Works
Separating children from parents early.
Teachers replace parental authority.
Insecurity → compliance.
Secure children = more likely to question authority.
Nation-State Indoctrination
Schools teach language, history, geography to implant false memories of the “nation.”
The “nation-state” is a mental construct.
Purpose: loyalty and willingness to die for the “Motherland.”
🧩 School = Factory that manufactures obedient citizens for the Nation-State.
5️⃣ THE TRIAD OF CONTROL
6️⃣ ORIGIN OF THE SYSTEM → MONOTHEISM
These 3 concepts (money, individual, nation) come from the monotheistic revolution — belief in one true God.
Monotheism turned nothing into everything — an idea so powerful it reshaped reality.
✨ Alchemy = Power True alchemy = turning nothing into everything through belief. Power is the ability to make people believe illusions:
When used wisely, this power can also create new systems that lead to eudaimonia — the flourishing of the human mind and spirit.
🪄 SUMMARY QUOTE
“Power is the capacity to turn nothing into everything.” We can use that same imagination to build systems that lead not to control — but to human flourishing (eudaimonia).
REF:
PREDICTIVE HISTORY: PROF JANG Secret History #1: How Power Works
