When money becomes abundant, values other than money increase. In economics, it is said that during such times, prices rise and become balanced with wages. However, for a sharing society to emerge, it must deviate from economic logic. First, there must be an abundance of money, followed by a period of uniform prices or deflation. This lowers the importance of money, and values other than money increase. If, even when money is abundant, people continue to work for others, a sharing society can be realized.
A sharing society means that there are no people working for money. At that time, the value of money decreases, and the value of "trust in people" increases. Of course, people are always needed to work in essential professions such as infrastructure. If people continue to work even when they have abundant money, a sharing society can be realized. Currently, the prevailing view is that money is everything, and that you can do anything, even play, if you have money. However, whether a sharing society can be achieved depends on whether people find value in things other than money and continue to work.
Reasons for people to continue working include:
- Honor
- The need for one's profession and status to receive certain services (values other than money increase)
While the current society allows people to receive certain services with money, it will gradually become a society where things other than money increase, and the things that can be obtained with money become more uniform. As the value of money decreases, there will be more situations where people who are rude (not stylish) even with money will be refused service, so the importance of cultivating one's personality to be polite will increase.
▪️Patterns for the Continuation of the Existing Economic Society
On the other hand, if people quit their jobs and simply spend their money, the balance between wages and prices will be maintained according to economic logic. Prices will rise, and wages will be just enough to cover those prices, resulting in a situation where people have to continue living by earning money for their daily lives. In this case, the current world will continue.
In reality, it will likely be a middle ground that lasts for several generations, rather than an extreme. If a situation of abundant money lasts for several generations, and if everyone has enough money but continues to work for others, society will function. The importance of money will decrease.
If we achieve a sharing society, the cost of clothing and food will become almost negligible, and the cost of housing, specifically rent for typical residences, will become very low. This is similar to the current situation in Japan, where essential goods are already experiencing deflation and are available at low prices. On the other hand, real estate is experiencing extreme price increases.
When there is an abundance of money, the price of owning real estate tends to rise infinitely. As the burden of owning real estate increases, individual ownership may decrease, and real estate may increasingly become the property of countries or tax-exempt organizations. However, who owns it is a minor issue; the crucial point is that real estate prices are rising dramatically. It is possible that tax-exempt organizations will continue to hold the property, or that investment driven by the expectation of capital gains will continue indefinitely, leading to sustained price increases. In either case, ordinary people will not be able to afford to buy real estate. In such a situation, real estate becomes a trading material only for the wealthy, and a divergence will occur between real estate prices and rent, resulting in very low rental yields. However, this may not be the case in rural areas. Perhaps this situation is temporary, and after a few generations, the ownership of real estate will become almost fixed.
For ordinary people, whether to own or rent a home is a relatively minor issue. Some people are fixated on owning, but renting will often be the preferred option, and the cost of renting will also be low.
When life is secured and almost no money is spent on clothing, food, and housing, people will have the option to quit their jobs because they have enough money. However, if people continue to work even in such a situation, a "sharing" society will be realized. This is a society where people have enough money and contribute to others through their skills. If people quit their jobs and indulge in leisure and travel (although some is inevitable, but exceeding a certain limit), then the conditions of economic equilibrium will come into play, and society will become one where people can barely make a living with their wages. In such a situation, the current society where people are forced to work for money will continue.
Many people imagine a sharing society as a utopia where everyone is playing and living. However, this is a misconception. Without essential workers, such as those maintaining infrastructure, this society would collapse. Whether people can shift their focus from working for money to working to serve others will be the key to transitioning to a sharing society.
Initially, people may not understand the situation and simply think, "Since I have money, I can quit my job." However, quitting a job during this transitional period means losing your profession and status, which can be fatal in the "society of credit" that will follow.
The sharing society will be a more arbitrary society than it is now. It will not simply provide services for money, but will look at the person and refuse service to those who are too presumptuous. It will become common to change the services provided based on the person's clothing and attitude. In the current society, people may think that it is strange and unacceptable that the service is different even though they are paying the same amount of money, but when everyone has more than enough money, it is likely to become common to change the services provided.
Therefore, people who are not good at interacting with others or who are good at earning money may prefer the current society.
Even in the current society, it is common for services to change based on the customer's credit, such as in the geisha districts, and in rural areas, it is still happening (although not openly) that services are changed based on the person. In a "sharing society" where the value of money is lost, such arbitrary things will become commonplace.
At least in terms of food, clothing, and shelter, it will become a sharing society. However, when staying at a hotel, especially at a traditional inn, the hotel may choose the guest, or even if they stay, the hotel may change the service based on the type of customer. Customers who receive good service will gain a status that is commensurate with the service they receive. On the other hand, it will become common for even the same hotel to provide a decent response to rude people.
Whether this is good or bad is another matter, but at least it will eliminate the inconvenience in terms of food, clothing, and shelter.
Over-tourism, which has been troubling the world recently, is caused by the fact that "services can be obtained if you have money." If the situation where everyone already has enough money is already happening, then the only way to provide services is to arbitrarily choose the person.
There is also the concept of reservations, but it is likely that simply deciding arbitrarily whether or not to provide the service will be the mainstream. This is because, in a society where everyone has enough money, even if reservations are made and the price is high, people will tend to flock to certain services. The service provider will choose the customer.
The fact that we live in a society where money is all-powerful and, essentially, you can receive any service if you have money is, from a historical perspective, an interesting situation. However, this abnormal state will eventually be resolved, and society will become arbitrary. Therefore, people with money should use their money now to travel and experience various things. Eventually, there will be more services that cannot be accessed simply by having money.
While it may not be explicitly stated as arbitrary, there will likely be an increase in systems such as membership-based services or invitation-only services for a limited number of people. This will be a way for service providers to select customers without appearing discriminatory.
Whether society will transition to an arbitrary system of sharing or return to a simple economic equilibrium where people work for wages that barely cover their expenses depends largely on the current period.
Therefore, what people should do now is quite clear.
- Cultivate one's personality.
- Find a job that one can be proud of.
- Find a job that is fulfilling.
- Praise the work of others (so that they can continue working).
The fact that the value of money is decreasing and other values are increasing means that society will increasingly emphasize a person's profession and position. Therefore, it is important to find a job that one wants to do and a job that one can be proud of now.
First, if a person does not have a good personality, they will not be treated well. Therefore, it is important to cultivate one's personality. On this foundation, people with solid professions will receive appropriate treatment.
For example, if a jobless, rude, barbaric, and hysterical person stays at a hotel, they will only receive a certain level of service. On the other hand, even if the same person stays at the same hotel and pays the same amount, if they have a respectable profession and a good personality, they will receive proper service. In this way, it becomes arbitrary.
In today's society, the word "arbitrary" is often seen as a negative thing. However, in a society where everyone has enough money, there is no other way to judge or distinguish people except by other factors. As a result, distinctions will be made based on a person's profession and personality. This is something that happens in reality, even if it is not explicitly stated. There are already many such instances, but in the future, these arbitrary aspects will become more prevalent.
However, since there is a foundation of the existing society, if you receive ordinary services, you will generally be treated kindly, so I don't think ordinary people will experience much trouble or discomfort.
In the recent "Kyoeiken" timeline, there were cases where the level of service varied depending on the customer's position, personality, and the number of attendants, and sometimes people were treated poorly. Compared to that, I think that the negative aspects of "Kyoeiken" have been overcome by going through a society where money is absolute in a capitalist society, and that a society with arbitrary aspects will emerge in a good way, based on the basic principle of providing average and kind service.
And as a basic principle, it is gratitude. Especially, there are many people who do not feel gratitude towards essential workers, but in the future, in order for such people to continue working even when they have enough money, it is necessary to praise them diligently so that people can feel proud of their work.