Preface
"Astronomers say the earth is constantly swelling and contracting. They call this 'breathing.' Those aren't breaths—those are sighs."[1]
"Astronomers say the earth is constantly swelling and contracting. They call this 'breathing.' Those aren't breaths—those are sighs."[1]
The greatmental suffering which the Nazis created in me with their murder factories, their atrocious robbing and sadistic killing of defenseless innocents, and their unprecedented merciless wars against guiltless nations, spontaneously prompted me to write this book.
I am not writing it for personal gain, neither have I an ax to grind. It is a message to humanity, purely a labor of love, hoping to finish and have it ready before I die.
Since the beginning of the last half century, I was a part of our economic system as a small financial speculator, investor, business man, executive, and employer. Experienced success, failure, profits, and losses, have traveled a great deal and always have been a keen observer and reader.
I am not trying to set myself up as an authority on world subjects and affairs, but I feel qualified by my experiences to help humanity. Have no personal prejudice, nor feel inimical to the present way of life, and economic and political powers of our country. My aim is to show mankind, in my own way, and with humility, its defective economic system of living.
Mankind has been looking forward for the millennium, when there will be peace, and security on earth. For a long time I have with undue anxiety been deeply reflecting to find out and analyze the fundamental principle contributing to our world turmoil. Have arrived at the cause, and maybe at the solution, in my following treatise.
Am not superstitious nor ultrareligious, but most of my inspiration in the writing of this book came from impulses given to me by some power other than my own. I seem to have been impelled by a supernatural intervention.
Many another author before me has tried to show humanity the error of its ways. But even that does not deter me from trying to make clear to mankind my conception of how unjust has been our way of living.
Mankind as a whole would be humane if it were not for the false system that our ancestors have created and planted in our world.
Man with his intelligence has two personalities. He is by nature on one side humane, helpful, unselfish and self sacrificing, interested in the welfare of his kind. On the other side, because of our economic system, he has become in many ways a selfish, cruel, and a predatory animal.
I am going to picture as clearly as possible existing faults of our way of living and am suggesting an imaginary remedy. I am fully convinced that it is not only a workable plan, but it is the only solution and antidote we have.
My objective is to help bring about, by my humble efforts, a gradual evolution, believing it possible to work toward a sane and balanced economic life without creating social unrest or strife.
My most sincere gratitude to Mrs. Dorothy Alger of Reno, Nevada, in the scrupulous, good workmanlike manner she typed and retyped my manuscript.