De-Bunking the Modern Capitalism System. How is it Affecting our Health? What Can We Do To Change?
- Abigail Balkus - MSc. in Health and Social Psychology
- Jan 31
- 10 min read
Updated: Feb 2
Romeo & Juliet, Insider Edition:
Who Started it All? Who Placed the Montagues Against the Capulets?
Table of Contents
1. A Love Letter ♥ ✉ to Capitalism
You broke my trust
Left me in the dust
Hard lessons, harder bluffs
It was a shame,
I learned your greatness from a young age
I couldn’t believe my mistake
I felt like dumb & dumber
All in one... like the one waiting in an endless line for the new sell-out videogame
You were playing a game with me.
And you are always the main character
And I am always set to lose.
Did you have these rules engrained?
Why were they hidden from the frame?
Pies, flies, and lies
All I can think to describe this crime.
I am always seeking for more,
yet you always close the door,
before my feet can hit a run
You tell me it is this or the gun.
Helping myself, my health and safety,
you tell me is 2nd to your needs
Yet if we work better together,
the wealth is worth the pay.
Only if I leave someone else in the hay.
Hit the hay ...
I try.
Yet I fear you want me as your servant for life
Only when I am 70.. maybe 65
you release me, freeing my eyes.
Like wow life is good!
Then I die 5 years later,
with cheese fries and a beer by my side 🍻
Well that was nice,
for the short time it lasted.
Maybe it was worth your abuse ?
This was toxic
You love bomb me with money
Which I don’t even think is real
You were a complete fake!
What I feel to be real
When my emotions arise, if I feel tired or sick,
you tell me to get a grip!
Sleep when you are dead!
Rest when you are dead!
So why... would I want to be alive.
Oh, it is okay, as long as I buy.
With this new purse,
this generous gift
Surely all will be forgiven
My feelings won’t be felt,
but hey at least I have my pride
You make me feel like I am unworthy without you by my side
If I don’t follow your rules, let you use me like a tool
then I am not for shit.
I am not worth a dime
.... but then that is what you tell me I am worth
Another dollar in the big man’s pocket.
You use my body,
and mind
Held on a customer service call line.
It doesn’t matter, carry on.
I am only made of matter. ⚛
But what matters...
Taking time with my friends and family
Enjoying the little moments
Basking in the sun ☼
All you can say is... work for it, hun.
If I ask you for a break..
Then I am lazy and a disgrace.
I told you my new idea
Working less, buying less crap,
making less money, but spending less money.
And you called me names...
Delirious, hilarious, crazy.
Well I think you’re the crazy one!
Let me be!
I don’t want your high-tech, loud gifts any longer.
They only feed your ego, like the pig you are, like fodder.
Bless me and go away,
Leave me to the peace and quiet
The slow life.
Away from your fast, noisy cars.
While you are drinking your pain away at the bar
Generously gifting that “hard-earned” money to the pretty bartender.
I am going to have to be the one in charge,
to change.
It will not be easy with you stalking behind my feet.
Move over... I’m going to get someone that respects me
Or no one at all, I need so much therapy and healing
from the pressure and constant hurry you placed on my heart.
I have come to realize I don’t want a “five-year plan with you”
Or to save for our retirement...
Where is right now...
I want a garden and cows 🐮
No more a/c you freeze me and make me sick.
I’ll live away from the bricks and hoards.
Dear capitalism, I’m breaking up with you.
I am free.
Maybe I’ll need a restraining order…
The stalking and harassment will push me into close corners.
My community will protect me.
And the natural grown fruits and veggies will heal me.
The slow life will be my respite.
But at least please dear capitalism, go to therapy.
Take a break.
Don’t worry, no one will miss you, put the broken system on the brakes.
Give the “airy, fairies” some air.
We want back to the old with a modern twirl.
Kiss your silly salary goodbye. 😘
On my watch…. We don’t live on time and schedules and meetings and rushing…
We share the burden, live in harmony, protect the earth and animals you kicked to the dirt.
You monster…
Now, I will rest while I am alive.
Still fighting my fears…
Which happens to be you.
No more terrorizing the youth.
Who wish they would “grow up quicker”
Only to hope to die as an adult.
That is no life,
that is a recipe for suicide.
Now, I work hard to bring back my childishness
Can’t you seee…. You were never my ally!
We’re done for good.
Leave me to this sourdough, and go on and call that
Wall Street side-piece.
Go take those lines of coke..
Hide from being a’woke.😴💤
I’ll be here in the grass, laughing sober…
with my natural-grown self-worth.
2. How Did Capitalism Cheat on Us? 😕
Where Did it All Begin, placing Capulets vs. The Montagues?
Capitalism started as a lovely idea...
🌟 Free-market
🌟 No caste-systems
🌟 Do what you want.
💵 Make a hard-earned dollar.
Then people learned how to earn more
How to trick us, to make a big score. ⚽
How to manipulate our needs and wants.
How to make things last shorter, so we buy them for longer. 😕
The world owned by billionaires, everyone stuck on loan.
Now, no matter what we do, we are stuck under their dome.
Our pleads cannot be heard..
They run the media… silencing us while they hoard,
Our hard-earned dollars.
The system is now a trick.
They have manipulated us so far, we don’t know what we’re worth,
without contributing to their game.
If we don’t play, they shun us away
Or… place us on drugs so we are fixed, “normal”.
Those not meant for the system go crazy. 🤪
We don’t need to wonder why and think we are better…
that we just worked harder…
We just played the game.
The sick twisted billionaire game.
Yet freedom is so close…
They are losing their grip.
But first… you must release your grip.
You are holding their hands.
You act like the best course of action is continue to be their monkey slave.
With your monkey mind.
that calls you to research and solve the issues of “modern day”.
Like cancer and heart disease…
Yet… never think why we fall to these unnatural phenomena.
How we are so out of touch with our natural bodies.
While you pay a large price, and work more hours,
for that big vacation away from work.
Where you treat your body with unnatural substances.
Then, when you are sick… due to numbing your body with chemicals and sugars and daily comforts…
You numb your body some more…
Because you must, must get back to work.
SO you can afford the next trend,
Add a new color to your collection
Look better…feel cleaner…find the millionaire spouse. 👫
Live in the fanciest house. 🏡
Have the newest car and gold draws 🥇
All that hard work to still feel like shit everyday.
And die on the 1st day of retirement
The first day of what you call “freedom” at the age of 70… if you’re lucky, 65.
Dying from a “mysterious disease”
Finally getting rest…
Right when you have no money 🤔
3. The Text Messages 🗯
The Dirty Evidence
The big billionaire cheaters....
investment firms and asset management companies that manage vast sums of money across various industries globally. These companies invest in a wide range of assets, including publicly traded companies, private companies, real estate, and government bonds (like U.S. Treasury securities). Many of these investment firms own significant stakes in major companies worldwide, giving them substantial influence over global markets.
The biggest players:
1. BlackRock
Overview: BlackRock is the largest asset management firm in the world, with over $9 trillion in assets under management (AUM). They hold significant stakes in thousands of publicly traded companies across different sectors globally.
Notable Investments: BlackRock has significant ownership in major companies like Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, Tesla, Coca-Cola, and many others. It holds large portions of stock in various ETFs (Exchange Traded Funds) and other investment products.
Influence: As one of the largest shareholders in numerous companies, BlackRock has considerable voting power on corporate governance issues and is often involved in major decisions like mergers and acquisitions, executive compensation, and sustainability initiatives.
Website: BlackRock
2. Vanguard Group
Overview: Vanguard is another massive investment firm, managing more than $7 trillion in assets. Vanguard is known for its index funds, which passively track stock market indexes like the S&P 500.
Notable Investments: Like BlackRock, Vanguard holds significant shares in a wide array of companies, including Microsoft, Apple, Berkshire Hathaway, and Johnson & Johnson. It’s a major player in U.S. and international stock markets.
Influence: Vanguard’s index funds are a cornerstone of many retirement accounts, meaning it influences not only companies but also the long-term financial planning of millions of individuals.
Website: Vanguard
3. State Street Global Advisors (SSGA)
Overview: SSGA is one of the largest asset managers in the world, with over $4 trillion in assets. It’s another key player in the world of index funds, and its flagship SPDR ETFs are widely held by investors globally.
Notable Investments: SSGA holds substantial shares in companies such as Apple, Google (Alphabet), Amazon, and Facebook (Meta), among others.
Influence: SSGA is a significant institutional investor, influencing the companies in its portfolio through voting on corporate matters and engaging with management on issues like ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) factors.
Website: State Street Global Advisors
4. Berkshire Hathaway
Overview: Founded by Warren Buffett, Berkshire Hathaway is a multinational conglomerate holding company with a unique investment strategy that combines equity investments with controlling stakes in operating businesses. It has over $700 billion in assets.
Notable Investments: Berkshire Hathaway’s investments include huge stakes in Apple, Coca-Cola, American Express, Bank of America, and Moody’s. It also owns entire companies such as Geico (insurance), BNSF Railway, and Duracell.
Influence: As the largest shareholder of many major companies, Warren Buffett and his team wield significant influence over corporate strategies, including acquisitions and management decisions.
Website: Berkshire Hathaway
5. JPMorgan Chase
Overview: As the largest bank in the U.S., JPMorgan Chase is a major player in investment management, with more than $3 trillion in assets. They manage funds through their JPMorgan Asset Management division, which includes stocks, bonds, real estate, and private equity.
Notable Investments: JPMorgan has large investments in sectors like technology, finance, and healthcare. Their holdings include companies like Amazon, Microsoft, Tesla, and Visa.
Influence: As a large institutional investor and lender, JPMorgan plays a key role in financing major companies and influencing corporate governance decisions.
Website: JPMorgan Chase
6. Goldman Sachs
Overview: Goldman Sachs is a global investment bank and financial services company. It manages substantial assets through its Goldman Sachs Asset Management division.
Notable Investments: Goldman Sachs has significant holdings in Facebook (Meta), Netflix, Apple, and Amazon, among other companies. It also invests in private equity and other alternative assets.
Influence: Through its investment banking and asset management services, Goldman Sachs has a huge influence on global markets and is involved in many high-profile mergers, acquisitions, and IPOs.
Website: Goldman Sachs
7. Blackstone
Overview: Blackstone is the world’s largest private equity firm, with over $1 trillion in assets under management. It specializes in private equity, real estate, and credit.
Notable Investments: Blackstone has made investments in diverse sectors such as real estate, technology, energy, and healthcare. It has major stakes in companies like Hilton Worldwide, Crocs, and Refinitiv.
Influence: As a private equity giant, Blackstone has significant control over the companies it owns, often engaging in restructuring, management changes, and strategic direction.
Website: Blackstone
Why Do These Firms Own So Much?
These firms own such large stakes in companies because they manage investment funds for a variety of clients, including:
Pension funds
Sovereign wealth funds
Endowments and foundations
Institutional investors (like insurance companies, mutual funds, etc.)
Individual investors (through ETFs and other investment products)
The sheer volume of assets under management allows them to exert substantial influence on the companies they invest in. As shareholders, they often have the ability to vote on corporate governance issues, such as board elections, mergers, executive compensation, and more.
These firms represent the financial powerhouses that shape the global economy through their investments and holdings.
4. Post Break-up Glow Up ❇
How to Work Less AND Have More Money
Here is your escape.
Release the hand-hold
Open the door.
Welcome.....
to the magical land of no stress.
The Sun is Shining
How to leverage capitalism affecting your health...
☀ Make more things homemade.
☀ Buy less, consume less.
☀ Save & wait (patience here) to buy a quality, homemade item.
☀ Spend more time cooking & hosting at home then eating out.
☀ Utilize natural products that won’t effect your hormones and cells.
☀ Make these products homemade with simple cheap ingredients (look out for future articles on chemical-free, low-price, natural remedies).
A crumb for now… baking soda, vinegar, essential oils, Epsom salt.
Keep them in your home ALWAYS.
Any mix of these ingredients can properly and safely clean countertops, dishes, and clothing.
☀Spend more time on physical labor, and less time at the gym🏋
Don’t save & work extra hours to buy a clothes dryer…. Get a clothing rack & humidifier and spend 5 minutes hanging your clothes.
The Europeans’ secret weapon to looking fresh because clothes are less likely to shrink & dull.
☀ Embrace mindfulness & in-person, spontaneous meet-ups > the latest tech gear.
If you like to watch movies… save a film you have been waiting to watch for a special evening with friends versus the urge to watch a tv show each night on an expensive television.
☀ Utilize public transport or biking however possible. Car-pool with friends and co-workers, or lobby your company for the ability to work remote. If possible.. move closer to nature.
Reminder that working less, making more things homemade = needing transport less often.
Spending less time being still during transport means you are getting natural exercise, no need for a gym membership or extra time spent on workouts… life is your workout.
☀ Meditate… splurge :) on a meditation teacher
The more you can still your mind & find peace, the less you need additional artificial dopamine and happiness sources in shopping, fancy foods, and doom-scrolling.
Remember, it is okay to get lost a bit on the path.
Hansel and Gretel lost their breadcrumbs…
But you have sweet cookie crumbs in friends and family, teachers and mentors... utilize your resources, analyze your priorities.
Be aware of what the path even is.
Where has the path taken you?
Are you seeking past and future paths, mind-less about the current moment, remembering artificial memories & feelings in exchange for fully feeling this moment?
Where are you now? Do you know?
Be grateful for where the path has lead you.
Then, embrace the place it has taken you…
straight to this very moment.
Step into the doors that open, and let the doors that close, close.🚪
Loved this!! Nice work