Gross domestic Product (GDP) is a woman whom all oligarchic
noble souls around the world thought to have understood in the most profound
sense. But has there been anyone who can claim to have fully understood woman?
These souls would gaze for hours, days, even years at this creation of
awe-inspiring mystique and come out claiming to be triumphant but these claims
are soon shrouded in another veil of mystery.
GDP of a nation is the market value of all final products
and services produced in a specified amount of time. I will not engross in all
sorts of formulas and different methods to evaluate since I am concerned with
abstract belief of GDP as a measure of welfare. Well the generally held idea is
– GDP serves as a measure of economic growth which subsequently could be
assumed to be a measure of number of jobs, living conditions, health and all
other. As GDP increases, the number of products and services consumed increases
and to produce those products and services, human resource increases, consequently
welfare of nation. This is what is believed.
Let us see some other views of GDP which I think are left
out and will never be in common discourse or mass media. Before proceeding, we
take account of three things – one is population increase, second is blind use
of technology to increase profit i.e. to reduce the input cost for a product
and third one I would disclose later. In fact I would discuss the last one
primarily and then relate to the above two. You see, when we say the total
number of products and services consumed, we do not take into consideration
whether all products and services are equally distributed among all of a
nation. Irrespective of high numbers, GDP can present strange figures. For
example, let us consider a hypothetical condition where there are 100 persons
in a closed boundary at a specific time. If these persons consume equally all
products and services, say 1000 such entities, than the GDP calculated on this
account would be same as when 20 people consume 80% of all entities and 80
people consume 20% of all entities. Or in simple words if 100 consume equally
1000 entities and we say GDP comes out
to be X, on the other hand, if 20 consumes 800 entities and 80 consumes 200
entities and we conclude GDP to be Y,
then by current standards, both are equally benefitted states and welfare of
all citizens is counted to be same. Let us say the first case of equal
distribution has GDP X and second case has Y, where number of consumed entities
are now not the same as before but population is same, and X < Y then
naturally second nation is the one with more welfare and more better standard
of living. You can see a perfect example in a state of India where GDP of that
state is in two digits, and is kind of most industrial and developed state, but
its people and specifically children have undernourishment and malnutrition
level comparable to that of Ethiopia. Let me make it clear that I have no
intention of favouring equal distribution of all goods manufactured in a state
to its people by the State. It is no better than what is currently in practice.
This example is just to reflect the flaw of measuring things. I favour that we
all should share the means of production, that is abolition of private
property, and products of the labour should be distributed in the proportion
one has done labour. Because if you assume that state should control the means
of production and provide the redistribution or equal distribution of all
products then it will again result in few controlling all things besides
inappropriate distribution of products of labour. When there is state, there is
no freedom. Now we can relate the first two causes as I discussed before and I
will repeat what I have just said with those two causes.
Corporations boast of themselves as the greatest employer,
as if, if they were not there whole earth would have starved to death. Well
they control most of the means of production with weird laws and certainly we
are doomed if these laws hold. With these laws in place, they call others to work
on their means to produce and they proclaim it to be employment. Grandness of
scale hides the stupidity of endeavour. I mean things are given values with no
labour behind them but obviously a tag of title with the name of owner. An
individual holds immense land area, does no labour on it, but yet the title
gives him the privilege to enjoy the fruits of other's labour. While who works
on it, due to lack of means of production, although he produces the real value,
is not given the share of value which he produces, but only a meagre part, the
rest contributes to the surplus value earned by owner. So did you get what is
the real flaw in the laws we make? But this is almost ignored all together as
if title is only measure of all that is genuine. Do titles exist in reality? It
is human made to protect what was once acquired with force, not by our
generation, but by some of our powerful ancestors. And this gives an insight
into the birth of inheritance whose biological implementation was made a law in
the material world, of course drawing analogy, which humans are so good at.
Very peculiar type of categorization! Okay! Let’s get further.
With this systematic machinery in place they now seek to
focus on profit or surplus value. Profit by any means! Their strategy is to
develop new technologies, inventions claimed as miracles to help humankind,
which could increase their profit in two ways. Let me make it clear that I am
not against technology. I am only discussing how and why of capitalist's motive
of discovering new technologies. In fact technology is the only tool by which
humans can tackle Nature. One way is making an individual produce more value
than it is paid back to him. In simple words, he now does the work which was
done previously by more number of individuals but is paid little or no more
than before. You can check the statistics for that. Now those capitalist would
use that surplus profit, a major part to hoard and a necessary part to develop
technology which would further decrease the workforce in comparison to
proportion of population rise and increase the profit for further future
endeavour. And yes how can I forget the tiny humanistic veil which they wear by
doing the charity! So in a way they do two contradictory things. He, on one
hand, wants the tremendous amount of products and services to be utilized in
the market whereas on the other he does not provide that much of capital for the
consumers to keep the cycle of consumption-production going. Ultimately he is
marred by overproduction, with the problem of plenty, with profits declining,
stagnation being the final result but his dearness for hoarding does not cease.
If it cease how will he be called successful? How will he differentiate himself
from the herd? How will he do charity which he assumes will magically solve all
problems one day and secure his place in the eyes of God? How will he show his
moral conscience in the midst of careful plundering by law? How can he
challenge his own formula, a hard earned and firmly established, to eternal
success?
In this seemingly glorious turmoil, the basic rule of making
profit is further enhanced by branding one type of labour as inferior. I mean
to say that one doing a physical labour of 16-18 hours a day is assumed to have
spent no energy in making a useful combination of his nerves and muscles,
whereas a company executive working the same number of hours is an extremely
hard working individual. Consequently he get paid enormous, exorbitant sums of
money based on his intellectual work whereas physical labour is rejected
outright as of inferior quality as if it does not sucks energy of humans. You
see, this also contributes to the greatness of few. I accept that intellectual
level of an individual adds to his completeness but verily it does not mean
labour can be weighed differently on the basis of its type. Both intellectual
and physical labours involve complex work of nerves and muscles and therefore I
firmly believe that means of production should be shared by all whereas
products of labour should be distributed in proportion to an individual's
labour. That is what Communism is and none of the silly beliefs you get to hear
from half educated individuals, guessing souls and living in the imagination of
their own and calling Communism as idealism.
Though I would like to write more but it has already passed
my limits. So I would conclude my discourse with few observations of desperate
efforts which are made to increase that highly respected figure called GDP. Oh
I can see a message in my cell phone urging me to answer the capital of India.
Two options for my convenience!
1. New Delhi
2. New York
And it gives me a grand chance to win 2 ounces of gold. What
should I do? Should I try my luck, my fate? That same merciful fate of which I
talked in my post "My revelation not by God but by myself- Part 2".
Same fate which arises out of the truth of God and the latter has its origin in
error as I proved in that post. But what will happen if I apply my intellect in
answering that question which regularly pops up on my cell phone screen?
Nothing but I will consume a service which contributes to GDP, a measure of welfare.
Oh I am doing welfare of so many! Don't stop me! Whatever resources I use to do
this welfare is less. See how beautifully we do welfare by consuming products
which are deliberately made of substandard quality so that they die well before
their natural life to keep up the GDP figure. How much benevolent we become
when we throw a reusable and working product to do the welfare of others by the
way of GDP. Really, how much intelligent we are when we buy things we don't
need to nourish GDP. And I can see those so called leaders, working
relentlessly, day and night, just for our benefit, to raise those GDP figures,
for our well being. Truly speaking, it brings tears to my eyes hearing of their
sacrifices. How shall I repay them? This question strikes me constantly and
each time with renewed vigour.
