It’s amazing what a good venting session does for the psyche.

I am a member of the Free Capitalist Project.  I am also a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (the LDS, or Mormon church).  The reason I choose membership in both of these organizations is because I believe the chief issues involved are moral causes.  The morality of being a member of a church should not be surprising to anybody.  That is the whole point of religion, to promote a moral premise.  The other membership may not be so obvious to some, though it is self-evident to me.  This post is an attenpt to explain that moral premise.

Capitalism, to me, is the assumption that all exchange should be free of coersion and deception.  The mission of the Free Capitalist Project (which can be found in the Free Capitalist Primer, a free pdf e-book, which you can obtain at primer.freecapitalist.com) is “to promote freedom and prosperity through civic service, ushering forth a moral revolution to sanction and complete the political achievement of the American revolution.”  The moral issue is made even more clear in the Cause of all Free Capitalists (also found in the Primer), which is, “to advance the revolution through rugged individualism and social strength, based upon the universal principles of prosperity advanced by America’s founding generation (most commonly referenced in the Declaration of Independence and subsequently protected by the Constitution of the United States).  Those who are engaged in this effort fight for capitalism, not as a practical issue, not as an economic issue, but with the most righteous pride, as a moral issue.”

In my mind, Freedom and Liberty are the ultimate virtues.  By Freedom and Liberty, I don’t mean Freedom from consequence, or Liberty to do whatever you want without consequence.  I believe that each of us has a moral duty to do things, but that the individual is the only one who has the authority to ultimately enforce the fulfillment of that duty.  In my faith, we have a scripture that says, “No power or influence can or ought to be maintained by virtue of the priesthood, only by persuasion, by long-suffering, by gentleness and meekness, and by love unfeigned.” D&C 121:41

Of course, the term “priesthood” would only be applicable to those who consider themselves subject to the authority of a priesthood.  In order for us to have a common context and apply the concepts in this scripture, we can substitute the term “authority.”  Therefore the principle involved is that no real power or authority CAN, nor ought it to be maintained simply by virtue of any external authority to the individual.  This is not to say that there ought not to be any recognized authorities.  It is not that authority, in and of itself, is moral, or immoral.  It’s that authority cannot, nor should it be the source of power or influence over other individuals.  If I feel that an individual or group of individuals is failing in their duty, the first thing I should do is think how I could persuade that individual to see how they would want to fulfill their duty – how the fulfilling of their duty is in their self interest.  The moment I presume to use either my own position of authority, or the position of authority of another to coerce that individual to do what I consider to be their duty, that is the moment that I lose any real authority over that person.  I am opperating off of a perceived authority, rather than an actual authority.  Authority is obtained only by consent of those over whom the authority applies.  This is just another way of saying what Thomas Jefferson said more than 200 years ago, when he wrote in the Declaration of Independence that governments “[derive] their just powers from the consent of the governed.”

The moral revolution that must occur has to begin with individuals, standing up for their own freedom and liberty.  This is accomplished by first learning and applying true principles in their own lives.  One of the best ways to do this is through intellectual exchange with other individuals – discussing the works of the great minds of history, and identifying true principles.

The Free Capitalist Project is set up for this very purpose.  The basis of the Free Capitalist Project is the study group, which consists of at least two and up to 10 individuals who get together to study principles.  The study is directed by a set of common principles, called the 13 Principles of Prosperity, which were articulated by the Project’s founder Rick Koerber.  They can also be found in the FCP Primer.

The premise of the Free Capitalist Project is that every other form of freedom is dependent on economic freedom, therefore part of the direction of the study is to help its members obtain economic independence and ultimately financial freedom.  Financial freedom is defined as the state of being where money is never the reason or justification for doing or not doing anything.  Because money is accompanied by a stewardship, money should always be a part of any decision which involves money, but it is never the deciding factor of any decision.  This is not so much about having a lot of money, as it is about a mentality and attitude about life and value.

In my next several posts, I am going to take each of the 13 Principles according to how I understand them.  They should not be construed as the official position or interpretation of the Free Capitalist Project, nor should anyone assume that I am the author or came up with the wording of these principles.  I learned them from Rick Koerber and the 13 Principles are his intellectual property.