The Socialist vs. Capitalist Dilemma

As a long believer in the fight for equality, I like many became wooed by the ideology of socialism.  Like many, I resented that a small percentage of the populace in my country have billions of dollars in their name, while so many others have so little.  So why not consider socialism?  After all, it promotes collective & cooperative ownership of all income and resources.  It promotes the idea that everybody in the society will get a an equal share.  Doesn't that sound nice?  A society of full equality?  A society where there is no greed, no poverty, and no monetary conflict?  However, over the years I had to ask the important question: "Does this idea work in practice?"


Well, in Stalinist Russia, Stalin decided to make everybody equal by simply making everybody poor (except for the Party Elites).  All the "excessive resources" that the Kulaks (privileged class) had went to the state, and if they resisted, they were called "enemies" and thrown into Gulags.  Stalin's desire of "Socialist Collectivization" ultimately led to the imprisonment and mass starvation of millions, but everyone was still equal, right?  Wrong.  There were still privileged classes in Soviet Russia (namely government employees) and it was pretty much the same everywhere else socialism was tried.  The Elites in North Korea live in relative luxury in Pyongyang, then you have below them the general populace, and below them, the "state enemies" living in prison camps.  Was it the same in Cambodia under the Khmer Rouge?  Yes.  The Khmer Rouge promised full equality for all people, and like Stalin, they confiscated anything of value that people had to be used for the benefit of the state.  However, class differences still remained.  On the collective farms, the village chief, his aides, and the Khmer Rouge soldiers had all the power, their own homes, and the best rations.  The native villagers were the next in line.  Since they were already poor and knew about farming, so they were awarded higher status.  The now de-Kulaked Cambodian capitalists occupied the lowest rung, so they received the worst rations and living conditions.  So in the end, was full equality ever awarded in socialist nations?  The answer is no.

Now we must ask, does socialism promote economic prosperity?  Well considering that the Soviet Union collapsed on itself because their economy failed, and North Korea's economy collapsed as well due to their reliance of Soviet aid, the answer seems to be no.  Is it unfair generalize by just citing these two examples?  I'd say no because Venezuela, a nation with more than enough resources to be prosperous, has collapsed, and the populace now cannot even afford the basic necessities like toilet paper and food.   East Germany is yet another example.  Why was the Berlin Wall built?  Was it to keep West Germany from invading?  No.  It was to keep East Germans from leaving, because the were offered economic opportunities and freedom of enterprise in West Germany, while they were denied that in East Germany.  Back during the Cold War, you could buy toilet paper at anytime in West Germany.  In East Germany, the government controlled system would allow you to have your weekly toilet paper rations on Friday.  So no, socialism does not work out economically.

Now let us move on to capitalism.  Critics of capitalism, like myself at one time, accused it of promoting greed.  However, doesn't socialism do that?  If a person works hard at their job and earns money for it, am I automatically permitted to a portion of their share, just so we can have an equal amount?  I don't think so.  My step father and I are both hard workers at our job, but his work requires more responsibility, more experience, and longer hours.  So am I entitled to a portion of his salary, just so we can be equal in wealth?  No, I don't think so.  My step dad earned what he has.  He has a right to it and is not obligated to give it to me or anyone else.  Now ask yourself this, what happens in our society if you're too lazy to do your job?  Easy, you lose your job.  What happens then?  You can't afford your home, and you're out of luck.  So what should you do?  Work, strive, study.  Now granted you may need some help along the way, but also be prepared to help yourself.  The Bible teaches "He who does not work, does not eat."  This is likewise reflected in the Aesop's Fable's "The Ant and the Grasshopper."  The Grasshopper chose not to work, while the ants worked.  The result, the grasshopper went hungry, while the ants did not.

However, to be fair, greed is a problem in our capitalist system.  Why?  Because there can be no perfect system due to the fact that people are not perfect.  If we could choose not to work, we would.  If we had the choice to relax all day and still get food and supplies, we'd take it.  So instead of encouraging socialism in our country, let's encourage something else.  Humanitarianism.  Jesus taught us in the New Testament that your money cannot buy you happiness, nor can it purchase you salvation.  If you put your faith in your money, and not in God, the Gates of Heaven will be closed to you.  Even if you choose to believe that there is no life after death, you still cannot take your wealth with you after death, so you might as well do some good with it.  Dave Thomas, the Founder of Wendy's did this.  Dave Thomas grew up as a poor orphan, but through hard work and dedication, built a highly successful fast food franchise.  What did he do with his wealth?  He created humanitarian foundations, to help give opportunity to those who needed it.  Did he simply give his money away without care?  No, he carefully managed it, to make sure that he was helping people effectively.  As the old saying goes, it's better to teach a poor man how to fish, than to simply give him fish.

In the times of the Old Testament, everyone in Israeli society, rich or poor, gave 10% of what they had to the Israeli government to maintain society.  Rich and poor alike were taxed equally, but were the rich encouraged to simply hoard the wealth for themselves?  No.  Throughout the Bible, the rich were encouraged to help the poor.  That helping those in need was the greatest thing you could do.  We are encouraged in the Bible to use the gifts God has given us for the good of humanity, and it is likewise encouraged that we refine and develop our talents to prosper.  In the Parable of the Talents, industry and effort is praised, laziness is not, but coveting what is not yours was frowned upon as well.  So the solution is this, don't encourage socialism, encourage hard work and humanitarianism.  When people are willing to work together, and help each other, we prove that we are capable of doing amazing things.

Sources:

Applebaum, Anne.  Red Famine: Stalin's War on Ukraine.  New York: Random House, 2017.

Carson, Ben.  America the Beautiful: Rediscovering what made this Nation Great.  Grand Rapids, MI Zondervan.  2012.  

Harden, Blaine.  Escape from Camp 14.  New York: Penguin Books, 2013555.

Shayakhmetov, Mukhamet.  The Silent Steppe: The Memoir of a Kazakh Nomad Under Stalin.  New York: Overlook/Rookery, 2006.

Ung, Loung.  First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers.  New York: Harper Perennial, 2006.

Wurmbrand, Rev. Richard.  Tortured for Christ.  Bartlesville, OK: VOM Books, 1967.