Editing SG33SHS-T (section)

=== 24. Capitalism Deprives People of a Sustainable Livelihood ===

Most people today lack sustainable livelihoods. About 90 percent of the working population belongs to the proletariat. They scrape by, day by day, through their labor. Moreover, the streets are filled with countless vagrants who have no place to work. How did we end up in such a situation? While religious figures preach about the importance of spiritual cultivation and criticize those who don’t work diligently, the reality is that the masses, despite having the will and ability to work, lack opportunities for employment. Even if they manage to earn some money, their lives remain constantly unstable due to the whims of the market. This is the harsh reality created by the capitalist economic system. Therefore, it is only natural for the masses to feel sympathy and support toward the socialist movement, which advocates for its transformation.

Why does capitalism deprive the masses of their permanent possessions and push them miserably toward the poverty line?

The explanation for the workings of capitalist exploitation, as understood in various socialist texts, can be summarized as follows: it is essentially due to the economic organization of commodity fetishism, mechanization, and unplanned, selfish competition driven by wage labor. In a society based on free competition, producers with more capital, who can afford better machinery and cheaper raw materials, can outcompete those with less capital, who are forced to purchase inferior raw materials at higher prices. While in the era of handicrafts, there was little difference in terms of output and labor required for producing commodities, the introduction of mechanized production accentuated this disparity significantly.

Thus, individual efforts become secondary to the amount of capital one possesses, and dominant capitalists continue to defeat and further weaken their less fortunate competitors, solidifying their own advantage. As a result, the number of unemployed individuals increases steadily. Furthermore, the invention of sophisticated machinery deprives workers of their labor power, contributing to the growth of the unemployed population. The increase in unemployment affects the supply and demand of labor, leading to a decrease in wages. Additionally, due to the unplanned nature of competitive production, the outcome of competition often results in overproduction—leading to cries of “overstocked goods” or “industrial rationalization”—which further exacerbates the issues of wage reduction and layoffs, causing further distress for workers. This situation is not limited to a single sector but extends to retail markets and rural areas as well. Small-scale retailers face immense pressure from large-scale department stores owned by powerful capitalists. In rural areas, agricultural products—the fruit of labor—are bought at low prices while other necessary goods are sold at high prices, leading us to witness the peculiar phenomenon known as the “hell of bountiful harvests.” All of this is a consequence of the unplanned, free-market capitalist economic system.

In such a scenario, the masses, even if they are willing to work, lose job opportunities, and those who manage to find work experience a decline in income. They are gradually pushed from the poverty line toward the starvation line. Meanwhile, a small group of capitalists grows fatter and wealthier. Naturally, this intensifies class conflict, leading to fierce struggles, and ultimately, the day of revolution draws closer in capitalist society. This is our current situation.

Indeed, in capitalist society, the escalating class struggle itself is a testament to the inherent nature of such a system. It is the ultimate non-Buddhist society, driven by the pursuit of self-interest and profit. Therefore, no matter how much religious leaders advocate for cooperation and brotherly love, so long as the fundamental structure [of industrial capitalist society] remains unchanged, these calls will inevitably be mere illusions and deceptions. Since human lives are intertwined with the material world, as Mengzi said, “How can they have leisure for cultivating ritual and righteousness?” This is an unavoidable fate.