The Worst Idea Humanity Ever Devised
Breadcrumbs - Episode 38: Ownership - The Midas Touch of Humanity
Welcome to Episode 38 where I focus our conversation on the worst idea humanity ever devised: Ownership.
We begin this week’s conversation with the Myth of the Midas Touch:
Midas was a king of great fortune. He shared his life of abundance with his beautiful daughter. Even though he was very rich, Midas thought his greatest happiness was provided by gold. He used to spend his days counting his gold coins.
One day, Dionysus, the god of wine and celebration, visited Midas’ kingdom, where Midas received her with all the honors deserving of a god. To thank Midas for his hospitality, Dionysus granted Midas one wish. Midas said: “I hope that everything I touch becomes gold.” Dionysis warned Midas to think well about his wish, but Midas was certain about his wish.
The next day, Midas awoke and rejoiced with pleasure as everything he touched turned to gold. Then he realized as he tried to eat and even hug his daughter, everything he touched turned to gold.
Enjoy this YouTube cut where I explore how the ownership mindset destroys every relationship it touches.
And if you want to watch the full episode, please consider joining the Breadcrumbs community as a Standard member on Patreon. You will receive full access to all the full-length video episodes, supporting research, free gifts valued at over $20, and direct email access to the host where we can deepen the conversation.
Breadcrumbs Standard Membership Link
Additional Resources for This Episode:
Codependency Defined [Psychology Today]
Stewardship Defined [Merriam-Webster Dictionary]
Stewardship Defined [Wikipedia]
Poly-Crisis Defined [Wikipedia]
Purchase Links for “Onward, At Last - 2024 Presidential Election Edition” -
Audiobook Narrated by Carolyn Jania
Book Club Condensed version -
Common or Universal Property is the missing mechanism in our economic system: it corrects capitalism’s two greatest flaws - the ever-increasing divide of wealth and the destruction of nature. It promises a universal income based on dividend returns from our collective assets. Highly recommend you check out “Ours – the case for Universal Property” by Peter Barnes. It’s a vision for the world we all get to flourish in.