Capitalism & Humanity: A Dystopian Nightmare

I never thought the day would come when I'd be sitting down at my desk in my pyjamas, attempting to write this piece with tears in my eyes, about a subject that I've poured my heart and soul into for as long as I can remember.

My humanitarian journey started a long time ago when I was very young in fact. I remember being about nine years old when I first felt true human compassion. I suppose I didn't understand what it was at the time but I knew that it felt different, better even than any feeling I had ever experienced before. This is what I want to speak about today. Human compassion, the harmful side of capitalism and the effect it's had on modern society.

Getting right into it, I fundamentally believe that we're only as strong as the weakest members of our team. Cliche I know, but it's one of the truest sayings I've ever come across and it can be applied to all aspects of life and modern society. Think about the sales industry for example, which is commission based, by design there will always be winners and losers. If we take into consideration that the ten top-performing economies today make up 70% of the world's GDP, you'll start to notice a problem. And it's called Capitalism.

Now, I'm not telling you anything you probably don't know already but I'm asking that you see it from a different perspective. When you look at the competing economies of any modern capitalist society it's easy to see what the problem is. There's no room for human compassion anymore. We've become distant, bound by our individuality and not by collectivism. Whole nations are swayed into selfish dispositions just to get ahead of the competition. But that's what capitalism teaches us; to get to the top no matter what.

Somewhere along the way, our culture of care has been lost. Our duty to one another has been snatched away so violently that we are now terrified to grab back the power. When did it become the cultural norm to step over someone in the street who needed help just because we were late for work?

It doesn't make you inherently bad, it just means that the system is designed to fail us. It makes more sense financially to keep everyone down in a self-destructive void than to teach people the importance of basic human compassion. Take the above saying I mentioned earlier for example, "you're only as strong as the weakest member of your team". When capitalistic theories are applied, everything goes out of the window. Why should the rich countries in the West help the poorer developing nations? Even if they are directly responsible for three hundred years of colonialism.

It tests my patience when I watch the news and hear so-called experts in economics spew all kinds of damaging rhetoric to an audience all too willing to concede and be told what to think. There's a simple equation that helped me figure all of this out and you don't need to be an economist to understand.

We are all human beings. We all have different cultures, identities, races, quirks, personality traits etc but fundamentally we belong to the same genome. The same Grandmother is shared by the entire human race, mitochondrial Eve. By this logic and this logic alone, we all belong to the same team. Every country, race, religious identity and so on comes from the same place. The Makgadikgadi salt basin in north-eastern Botswana to be precise. But sadly, generation after generation, we hold ourselves back with the differences we see rather than what we have in common.

War is an all too familiar sight that we've unfortunately become accustomed to as part of our daily life. We grow up watching crimes against humanity, perpetrated by corrupt regimes and guerilla warfare. So violent in fact, that in recent years entire cities have been wiped off the face of the map. We recklessly watch on as administrations from the western world use swarm tactics to kill their allies and neighbours to steal valuable crude oil. All I might add, under the guise of humanitarianism, compassion and freedom.

I can tell you now do not be fooled by what you are told to believe. Not by the mainstream media at least. I ask that you are objective in your findings and make strong decisions backed up by fact. Really question what people are imploring you to believe and ask why? What will the benefit be to those who want me to believe in a false ideology?

Now, I'm not saying to completely disregard societal norms and become a reclusive conspiracy theorist, but what I am saying is to take an objective approach to what you are being told. In every aspect of your life, whether at home, out with friends or at work, make sure that you are asking the right questions. Some of the most pivotal issues we face today as humanitarians are shrouded with nuances. It's up to us to open up conversations and comprehensively discuss these problems in a way that is honest and not backed by human greed.

Opinion based news coverage is on the rise and is a dangerous form of media manipulation. News anchors spew out personal biases which are taken as fact by unsuspecting viewers. Media outlets are using brainwashing tactics to subvert huge swathes of the population and turn them into mind-controlled dummies. And that's just the tip of the iceberg.

We are becoming subservient to capitalist ideologies that exist to simply divide, conquer and capture as many people as possible and throw them into the system. We go to school to learn how to trade precious hours of our lives, for one thing, money. Before we are allowed to decide for ourselves, we are thrown full force into a capitalist nightmare that ignores the weak and churns out ignorant, uneducated mind slaves. These unsuspecting individuals are actually the working cogs of the capitalistic movement and are used to cement dogmatic philosophies and engrain them into the culture.

Self-esteem is at an all-time low and at the same time selfless acts are on the decline. We have to stop and question why people fundamentally think the way they do? What causes people to act in selfish and insensitive ways? Time and time again we are left feeling empty because the rampant draw of capitalism is so entrenched in our brain that it's hard to let go.

Freedom isn't even obtainable anymore nor do people strive for it. Liberty, by today's standards, simply means owning your own home and having one up on the neighbours. Freedom is no longer about fighting for what's right and challenging authoritarian regimes, it's about climbing the ladder and becoming successful by doing whatever it takes. In the eyes of the capitalistic underbelly, you are an unsuspecting pawn who should work until you die whilst never daring to question the status quo.

An unfair distribution of wealth, power and a tendency towards market monopolies mean that capitalism only functions when people buy into the system. For every billionaire, there are tens of millions of people who can't afford basic human rights such as food, access to clean water and sanitation. The one percent thrive in a world where everybody else is slowly dying and are ushering in a cognitive apocalypse bigger than any of us could have imagined.

To truly break out of the chains of modern-day capitalism a generational approach is needed. It's not enough to change the mindsets of the few, the culture surrounding greed and financial oppression needs to be addressed first. It'll take decades of hard work and dedication to reverse the impact of capitalism on the world but once the collective mindset has been altered, prosperity will have a chance to finally unravel.

This leads me to my final point and I want to speak a little about my journey as a humanitarian and what my ambitions are in the future.

I started The Humanity in Reality Project not because I wanted to but because I needed to. Dare I say it, there was a niche in the market for true photojournalism. The kind that I hadn't seen in years, objective, sincere stories from around the world that touched my heart.

Over the past three years, I've had the opportunity to travel to some of the most beautiful places in the world. Now, I've never taken my experiences for granted and I see beauty in all things, especially the uncanny. But, behind the splendour of the horizon cutting so perfectly into the sea, I saw pain, suffering and anguish.

It's not hard to look beyond the picture-perfect beaches and see the local people who have been left behind by their respective governments for the quick monetary gains of international tourism. Behind the smiles, you'll find a story and it's these stories that get me out of bed in the morning.