$7.95 U.S.

WAS
(Iteiii thi fossiUe)

Ernest Mann

Little Free Press

Within these pages you will learn

how one Robot transformed himself into
an almost free individual human being.

You will also see how we can create

a nearly Utopian world, on Spaceship
Earth within one year.

About the Author:

The
author
was
in
business
in
Minneapolis for 20 years. He gained
enough knowledge in Economics in Busi
ness College and in practice to retire
in 1969 at the age of 42. Since then
he
has
had
the
space
to
observe
economics from a different persecutive
and has had 21 years of time to travel
to many countries, read, observe, dis
cuss, think, evaluate and form his own
conclusions about the economic situa
tion,
politics,
religion,
life
and
individual freedom.
This book is a gathering of some of
the
best
issues
of
his
free
news
letter,
the "Little Free Press"
in
which he has shared his observations
and conclusions since 1969. They have
been revised to exclude most of the
duplications
and update
notes
have
been added.

11

WAS

(U topia

Now

Ernest

Little

ROBOT
Possible)

Mann

Free

111

Press

The character in this book is real,

and any resemblance to fictitious per
sons,
living
or
dead,
is
purely
coincidental.
No,
No,

No Copyright, 1990, Ernest Mann.

No

world rights reserved. Any part

or all of this publication may be
stored
in
a
retrieval
system,
transmitted,
or
reproduced
in
any
language, in any way,
including but
not limited to photocopy, photograph,
offset,
rotary
or
flatbed
press,
magnetic or other record,
with the
prior agreement and herein expressed
written permission of the authorA Public Domain Book

Little Free Press

Rt. 1, Box 102
Cushing, MN 56443

ISBN:

0-9620301-0-4

Library of Congress
Catalog Card Number;
iv

89-80274

This book is dedicated to

all little children.
L e t s create

for them

a decent world
to grow up in.

VI

CONTENTS
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13 *
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
27.
28.
29.
30.
31.
32.

Human R o b o t s ..................... 1
Waste Burner Waste ............. 11
J a i l e d ........................... 17
Missing P i e c e s ................. 27
T r u t h ............................ 37
Meaning Of F r e e d o m ............. 51
Becoming More F r e e ............. 59
World War I I I ................... 65
Utopia Now P o s s i b l e ............77
Making C h a n g e s ..................85
Wanted: V o l untee r C r e w ........ 97
What Can Farmers D o ? ......... 105
ThIS M ome nt!
113
How To Become A Millionaire .. 141
The Problem And Solution ..... 157
Talking To M y s e l f ............. 189
Like Being S q u e e z e d ? ......... 197
Slave Managemen t .............. 209
War bucks Family M e m o ......... 213
Warbucks Communiq ue ........... 217
W a rbuck s Leaving Earth ....... 227
Out Of The R u t .................233
Letter From M o t h e r ............ 243
More E l e c t r i c i t y ? ...... ...... 249
Life Can Be Beautiful . ........251
What Is H a p p i n e s s ? ............ 263
S i m p l i f y ? .......................267
P u r p o s e ......................... 277
Good Life -- C. O. D .......... 281
Memoirs Of A D r o p - o u t ........ 287
Good H e a l t h Is E a s y ...........293
C h an ging G a m e s .................303
I n d e x ........................... 313

V ll

CONTENTS
BOLD

STATEMENTS

A S o n g ............................... 138
An Hour A D a y ....................... 286
Be R u l e d ............................. 112
C a e s a r s Circus ...................... 36
Changes
............................. 232
Check L i s t ........................... 266
Class S t a t u s .........................128
Common Sense ......................... 156
C o n s t a n t ............................. 292
Get S t a r t e d .......................... 140
G r o u p s ................................280
Help W a n t e d ........................... 10
H o p e ................................. . . 84
I g n o r a n c e ............................ 196
L a w s .................................. 212
M i n d .................................. 302
N e w s l e t t e r ........................... 314
One- Way Ticket ........................ 58
Our Time Is Limited . . ............... 216
Pay S y s t e m ............................ 75
P r e v e n t i o n ............................ 16
Priceless Economic System ........... 76
P r o g r e s s ............................... 96
P y r a m i d ...............................104
Seven W o n d e r s ........................313
Slave A t t i t u d e ........................64
Ten Y e a r s ............................ 188
T h i n g s ................................ 242
Time To L i v e ............... ......... 248
Time to P l a y ......................... 208
Total L i c e n s e ........................226
T r i u m p h ................................ 26
Two P e o p l e ........................... 250
V ol unteer s ............................. 50
V o l u n t e e r s ............................ 71
W a r s .................................. 262
What Will H a p p e n .................... 276
IX

There is no enemy.
Only ignorance -of a better Game to play

HL
JMIAN

ROBOTS

I vag u e ly remember a science fic tio n movie

o f "Flash G ordon" back in th e 30s which
showed all th e w o rk e rs in some c ity moving
around lik e robots. The hero trie d to ta lk
w ith them b u t th e y d id n t pay any a tte n tio n .
He th e n noticed th a t all th e w o rk e rs were
w earing th e same kin d o f helmet. He took o ff
one w o rk e rs helmet. The w o rk e r seemed to
come o u t o f a tra n c e and to ld o u r hero th a t
w hile th e y wore th e helmets th e y were lit e r
a lly slaves and had to do w h a te ve r th e y were
to ld by th e ir Master.
In th e book, "B ra ve New W orld," th e people
were given a d ru g called "soma" each day as
th e y fin is h e d w ork. As I recall, th is k e p t th e
people in a b lis s fu l unconcerned sta te o f con
sciousness u n til t h e ir next w ork day.
I t has o c c u rre d to me th a t I have worn th e
helmet. Except my helmet was in my mind. I
was g e ttin g soma too. I even paid to get it.
In ta k e Time
In my in ta k e tim e I watched TV, liste n e d to
th e radio, w ent to movies, liste ned to re co rd s,
b a ckg ro u n d music and tapes, glanced a t b ill
boards, read magazines and new spapers. D u r
ing th is tim e I also took one o r more o f th e
consciousness a lte rin g d ru g s . These a d d ic tiv e
d ru g s in clu d e d n ico tin e , ca ffe in e , alcohol and

ERNEST MANN

sugar. Some people used harder drugs. The

d ru g s may have made me more susceptible to
'th e programming th a t I was receiving.
My Programming
My programming was achieved by many
methods. F irs t of all it is im portant to remem
ber th a t most of the mass media is owned o r
controlled by big money people. They not only
use the old methods such as; slanting, fa l
s ify in g , exaggerating, om itting, monkey-see &
monkey-do, loaded words, hypnotic music,
etc., but are also now using many new
subliminal methods^ o f im planting ideas, opin
ions, fears and desires in to o u r conscious and
subconscious minds w ithout o u r being aware
o f it. They were able to program me almost as
e ffe c tiv e ly as computers are now programmed.
Dependency
I was dependent on these various program
ming media fo r my 'entertainm ent." I th o u g h t
I actually enjoyed the movies, TV, radio, etc.,
th a t I was being programmed with and fo r
which I had to pay plenty. I th o u g h t I en
joyed the d ru g s on which I was dependent.
You cant imagine how many barrels o f coffee
and show cases of sweet ro lls I went through.
I d id n t know they were addictive. I had lost
o r had never learned the a rt of entertaining
myself. I allowed others to do my th in k in g fo r
me. I had v e ry little time to fig u re out
th in g s. So I ju s t did what was expected of
me. I was a human robot.
Merry-Go-Round
I was 10 years a salesman and 10 years in
business fo r myself. During most o f th a t time
I went b lin d ly around th a t old m e rry-g o ISublialnal Seduction, Wilson Bryan Key

I WAS ROBOT

round o f w o rkin g , spending and t r y in g to pay

my b ills by th e 10th. There were many tim es I
c o u ld n t pay by th e 10th and I would t r y to
borrow money from th e bank to pay b ills .
(You know what th e y said, most o f th e time
"Ha, ha, ho, ho! )
So I sorted th e b ills and
paid o n ly th e most im minent and stalled th e
rest. One big bummer! Who has time to do any
im p o rta n t p ro fo u n d th in k in g about life , p o llu
tio n , wars, etc., at a time lik e th a t? My
th in k in g time was to ta lly occupied w ith f in d
ing a way to make a buck and t r y in g to keep
a reasonably happy fa m ily. I dont recall th a t
I, even once, asked m yself if I were happy o r
if I were doing what was fo r my own best
good o v e r th e long ru n .
A Rut
I went p a th e tic a lly around and around th a t
wheel (endless r u t ) e v e ry m onth, alw ays t r y
ing to get a lit t le ahead o f th e game. I t was
not u n lik e a g ra ve w ith both ends kicke d o u t,
lik e a ro b o t programmed to w ork, spend and
pay. Like, I was in th e groove, man, b u t I
d id n t know how to remove my helmet. I
d id n t even know I had one.
Background Music
I th in k th a t I m ig h t lik e b a ckg ro u n d music
if I were not t r y in g to ta lk o r th in k , th a t is,
p ro v id in g I was s u re th a t th e re was no mind
c o n d itio n in g in it.
TV Kickout
Somewhere along th e lin e I got mad a t my
TV a d d ic tio n and gave my set away. I t was
almost im possible f o r me to t u r n th e damned
th in g o f f u n til th e program was o v e r o r u n til
I was exhausted. I m now happy th a t I did
th is , especially since I ve learned a b o u t th e
su b lim in a ls bom barding TV w a tchers. I dont

ERNEST MANN

need it. My subconscious must have told me

to get rid o f it. I ra re ly take in any of the
Qther news media o r movies any more. This
leaves me with more time and Inclination to do
some th in k in g fo r myself. In fact, I would not
even dream o f vo tin g fo r anyone to represent
me and to make laws against me anymore.
In Business
I was ta u g h t in Economics class, in busin
ess college, the rule, Charge ail the tr a ffic
will bear, (and a little more so th a t you can
come down)," th a t I must make a p ro fit and
th e more the better. Then it sounded logical,
so when I went in to business it seemed quite
natural to follow th a t old rule, so I did. I
d id n t stop to realize th a t everyone else
would be using th a t same ru le on me too.
That fo r e v e ry th in g I would buy there would
be someone tr y in g to get all they could out of
me. This kind o f economics ferm ents tru s ts ,
monopolies and cartels. So those with the
most, make the most.
I d id n t w o rry about the w orkers in foreign
cou ntries who made only a few cents a day on
the Imported products th a t I bought, u n til I
visite d some o f those countries recently. Then
I saw some o f th e ir liv in g and w orking condi
tions. I t made me s ta rt to th in k . I also real
ized th a t w orkers in the U.S.A. are exploited
too, only on a d iffe re n t level and more su b tly.
My belief th a t everyone here had freedom
o f "choice o f w ork" fell apart. I could see
th a t most of us were doing work th a t we
d id n t like. Because we needed the money to
pay the rent, food bills, etc., we had to take
work at any place th a t was h irin g , whether
we liked the job o r not.
I d id n t question whether the m anufacturer
o f what I was buying, was polluting my
d rin k in g water su p ply, my fre sh a ir supply

I WAS ROBOT

o r my fcK)d s u p p ly . I tru s te d governm ent to

p ro te c t those su p p lie s fo r me. I tru s te d my
c ity sewer disposal and my c ity w ater p u
rific a tio n departm ents. I t never once o c cu rre d
to me th a t if we d id n t p o llu te o u r w ater s u p
ply we w o uldnt need th e p u rific a tio n d e p a rt
ment.
I tru s te d my c ity governm ent many years
ago when th e y said th a t it was hazardous to
o u r health to p u t human waste on cro p lands.
I had fo rg o tte n th e fa c t th a t my dad always
p u t o u r human waste from o u r o u t-h o u se , on
o u r crop land. I fo rg o t th a t I had seen th e
Japanese fa rm e rs doing th is 30 years ago.
Screwed Up
We have
been
m aking
g re a t technical
advancements. We have developed fa b u lo u s
new te ch n iq u e s, alloys, compounds and m eth
ods th a t give p ro d u c ts more s tre n g th , d u ra
b ility and all k in d s o f w o n d e rfu l new q u a li
ties. But th e y sell us p ro d u c ts th a t are a l
ways b re a kin g down, w earing o u t and p o llu t
ing more, e.g., cars wont s ta rt, th e y r u s t o u t
in 3 years and s ta r t fa llin g a p a rt before you
get them paid f o r and to y s break before you
get them home. We have w o n d e rfu l mass p ro
d u ctio n machines and trem endous c ro p yie ld
seed v a rie tie s and excellent ir r ig a tio n fa
c ilitie s , y e t we are o fte n to ld th a t th e re are
sh o rta g e s ju s t before severe p ric e increases,
e.g., meat, s u g a r, oil and coffee. For some
s tra n g e reason th e p ric e s n e v e r came down
a fte r th e "so called'* sh o rta g e s were o v e r.
P risons dont re h a b ilita te o r c u t down crim e.
They say th e re are crim es even when th e re is
no victim . Laws are w ritte n by th e big money
people to p ro te c t big money. G overnm ents
spend money lik e it was w ater. Many m oneysa vin g devices are k e p t o f f th e m arket. Laws
are w ritte n to keep down th e lit t le man.

ERNEST MANN

Nightmare
My f ir s t reaction to my study o f the overall
p ic tu re , was th a t th in g s are sure screwed, all
backwards and muddled up, a re g u la r n ig h t
mare. But on closer examination I decided th a t
th is is the natural tre n d th a t must take place
under the present w orld-w ide economic sys
tem. (The "Pay System," where people take
pay o r p ro fit fo r th e ir work and sell the
p ro d u ct.) With th is Game there can only be a
few big winners and the re st must be big
losers. (S u rv iv o rs , but not winners.)
M ultinationals
I understand th a t corporate tr u s t agree
ments have given way to large corporate con
glomerates which more easily corner national
markets. These conglomerates have o r are
evolving
in to
m ultinational
conglomerates
which are co rn e rin g the world markets. I f we
continue to use the
present w orld-w ide
economic system, the m ultinationals will proba
bly be co rnering one market a fte r another.
Soon th e re may be no work o r p ro d u ct th a t
will not be under the d ire c t o r in d ire c t con
tro l o f the m ultinationals. This leaves me at
th e ir mercy. (Are corporations m erciful?) I ll
have to pay th e ir prices and take whatever
p r o fit o r wages they allow. This doesnt give
me ve ry good feelings.
I Went Along
^
Why did I allow these th in g s to happen?
F irs t o f all, I wasnt aware o f much o f the
BS th a t was going on.
Second, when I became aware I trie d the
usual th in g s , e.g., w ritin g to my congress
persons, to the President and fin a lly I worked
in the Republican P arty. (I had been a Demo
c ra t all my life .) All to no avail.
T h ird , why d id n t I drop out and stop

I WAS ROBOT

p a rtic ip a tin g
in
th e
consum ing,
p o llu tin g ,
e xp lo itin g and d e p le tin g o f resources? Well, I
th o u g h t I needed th e Income to pay fo r o u r
house, food, c lo th in g , auto payments, business
loan
payments,
taxes,
in surance,
upkeep,
e n te rta in m e n t, medical,
vacation,
etc.
How
could I have said, "No." to a boss o r to a
c lie n t and take th e ris k o f losing e v e ry th in g
I had? I t seemed lik e I had no v ia b le a lte rn a
tiv e .
F o u rth , I mulled o v e r all these th o u g h ts fo r
some time before I decided on a p a rtia l way
out. (I th in k th is m ig h t be th e p o in t where
many people have n e rvo u s breakdow ns if th e y
dont see a way o u t o f th e mess. Then th e y
go to a s h rin k who tr ie s to " f i x them, so
th a t th e y can get back in to th e old ra t race
and ru n again. What a bummer!)
Drop-Out
A fte r about 20 years o f s la v in g in th e race
I was s ta rtin g to get ahead a little . I s ta rte d
to ta k e a lit t le tim e to th in k about m yself and
my needs. I decided to get o u t o f th e race
and sold e v e ry th in g I had when I was 42. De
cided to ta ke o f f f o r a few years. F ig u re d I
had learned how to make money and could do
it again if I e v e r had to. I have been le a rn
in g , g ro w in g and e n jo y in g so much in th e la st
8 ye a rs th a t I d o u b t If I ll e v e r go back in to
th e ra t race.
Save Money
Since
I
have stopped
ta k in g
in
th e
program m ing I can walk th ro u g h any o f th e
big s to re s and n e v e r get a d e s ire to b u y any
o f t h e ir s t u f f (c ra p ). What lit t le I need I buy
a t rummage sales f o r ju s t a few cents. I have
no idea w h a ts in s ty le any more, and care
less. Of course I cant buy second hand food
b u t I m e a tin g more o f th e basic foods, I.e.,

ERNEST MANN

the unprcx:essed foods; they

are purer,
cheaper and taste better. What more can I ask
' for?
I got rid o f my car because It was always
eating my money and ta kin g up a lot o f my
time. I now live close to where I do my th in g ,
so I walk most o f the time o r bus to fa rth e r
places. I dont spend much money so my small
income (savings, actually) is s u ffic ie n t fo r
e v e ry th in g th a t I desire.
Free Time and Purpose
Not spending much money means not need
ing to use any time earning money, o r using
up much o f my savings. This gives me more
fre e time to look, listen, smell, feel, taste,
th in k and reason. Sometimes I feel like w r it
ing and I do. I dont know if anyone will un
derstand what Tm saying but it feels good to
w rite it anyway. I have created a purpose fo r
my life and it feels rig h t and good fo r now.
E ight years ago when I dropped-out, I
asked myself, "What is the highest and best
use th a t I can p u t to my mind, heart and
body? What kind o f work needs to be done
th e most? What can I do th a t will be fo r my
own best good o ve r the long haul?" My deci
sion was to t r y to discover o r to design a
more pe rfe ct system o f liv in g to g e th e r on th is
planet.
I derive much happiness from my purpose
(my w ork), and sometimes much agony when I
cant seem to reach people. I work fo r free
and I m my own boss. I can q u it anytime, and
go back to my work anytime. I do my work as
I see f it . I dont give a damn if my new sletter
sells, because I give it away. Ha ha. I f my
ideas fo r freedom are valid, I expect people
may use them. I f the seeds th a t I plant are
fe rtile , I tr u s t th a t they will grow, and th a t
some aware people will water them and c u lti

I WAS ROBOT

vate them. I f th is happens we will all share in

th e harvest.
Big Money People
My guess is th a t th e big money people who
o rd e r th e mind program m ing in th e media, are
in a dilemma them selves. They sometimes seem
to be in a com petitive game w ith each o th e r.
I t s lik e th e y have ahold o f th e chain th a t
holds a vicio u s bulldog (Power) and i f th e y
let go, someone else will grab it and go a fte r
them w ith it. So th e y dont dare le t go o f
th e ir power. The Priceless Economic System
will remove all th e teeth from th is bu lld o g .
Then th e y can "le t go" and relax a litt le w ith
th e re s t o f us.
They seem to be w o rkin g to g e th e r some too.
Big money is going s tro n g in A g rib u s in e ss .
They are ta k in g o v e r land lik e it is going o u t
o f s ty le . They alre a d y seem to have a c o rn e r
on th e m arke t in meat, su g a r, coffee and oil.
Whenever a p ro d u c t doubles in p ric e o v e r
n ig h t, you can be p r e tty s u re th a t th e y have
co rn e re d th a t too. I t is in e v ita b le th a t th e y
will c o n tin u e th e game u n til th e y can set all
p rice s w h e re ve r th e y wish and th e same w ith
wages. What freedom w ill th is leave f o r me
and you? I f we w ait u n til th e n to t r y to make
change it w ill p ro b a b ly be too late. Most peo
ple w ill by th e n be so th o ro u g h ly programmed
(b ra in flu s h e d ) th a t th e y
w ill believe w ith
Pollyanna, th a t, " E v e ry th in g th a t happens is
f o r th e best."

10

ERNEST MANN

z z z

Help

Wanted

z z z

Electronics In v e n to r
P roject: Subliminal Sound Detector
Build a gadget which will detect and con
v e rt to audible sound those hidden subliminal
messages which are present on radio, TV,
stereo and tapes as reported in the compre
hensive book, "Subliminal Seduction'* by Wil
son Bryan Key, Signet. Key says, on page 163,
th a t sublim inals are fa ir ly easy to plant in
sound and visual media. He said th a t it is
nearly impossible to consciously locate them.
He said th a t subaudible effects can be planted
at low volume intensities, at various speed
harmonics and at e ith e r high o r low fre q u e n
cies all he said, are unheard by conscious
perception.
P roject: Subliminal L ig h t Detector
Build a gadget to detect and make visible
the low in te n s ity lig h t messages used on
movies and TV. (See above book, page 23.)
Why ?
1. Open up another Pandoras Box like the
Watergate scandal. Reveal how the big corpo
rations are mind conditioning us sublim lnally.
Help people see fo r themselves what the Pay
System is doing to them. Teach people how
human robots are being made. I t will not only
be amusing and revealing b u t also mind blow
ing to be able to hear and see some o f the
subliminals.
2. Or make y o u rs e lf a bundle o f money by
selling the gadgets.
3. Or publicize the b lu e p rin ts (schematics)
and let people solder to g e th e r the detectors
by themselves.
December 27, 1976

11

WASTE

BURNER

WASTE

A Basic G overnm ent Rule:

"Dont get rid o f th e problem
ADD TO IT !"
For example:
b u rn e r p la n t.

B uild

an

expensive

waste

Instead of;
p u ttin g a ban on all disposable cx>ntainers.
(T h is so lu tio n w o uldnt cost th e ta x p a y e rs
a n y th in g so n a tu ra lly , it wont be co n sid
e re d .)
Instead o f;
c re a tin g an economic system th a t w o u ld n t
re q u ire a d v e rtis in g . (L ik e th e P riceless Eco
nomic System .)
J u s t th in k o f th e percentage o f th e con
te n ts
in y o u r garbage can o r d u m p ste r th a t
is ju s t a d v e rtis in g . T h in k how th in th e news
papers and magazines would be w ith o u t ad
v e rtis in g .
J u s t look a t th e P ro fit th e In d u s tr ia lis ts
w ill make when th e y sell th e waste b u rn e r
p la n t to th e g o ve rn m e n t and how much more
th e y w ill make e v e ry y e a r fro m its m a ln te -

12

ERNEST MANN

nance.
P ro fite e rs Promote Waste!
The L ittle Free Press new sletter has been
pointing out fo r years, th a t people are ju s t
spinning th e ir wheels try in g to stop a bad
situation by w orking against the symptoms of
the problem.
They will build th a t b u rn e r plant some
place, no m atter how many people demonstrate
against it!
So, why not use o u r time and energy to
help set up a system in which no one can
P ro fit from doing bad and wasteful th in g s to
o u r planet and its people?
Waste
The Hennepin County Government is b u ild
ing a m ultim illion dollar in cinerator in down
town Minneapolis. This huge in cin e ra to r is the
f ir s t o f its kind and has never been tested,
according to the "Stop the In c in e ra to r Coali
tio n ." I t is s ta rtin g to draw many opponents.
Most people would ra th e r they pollute the a ir
50 miles, out o f town, but not rig h t here
where we can see it coming out o f the stacks.
Do these people th in k th a t the a ir stands s till
out in the co u n try? Do they not care th a t it
will pollute o u r food source area? I t takes a
few years to discover the poisons th a t even
tu a lly fin d th e ir way Into o u r food.
Some o f the opponents say we should ex
pand o u r recycling plants and t r y to reclaim
more o f the tra sh . Of course th is is more sen
sible than the b u rn in g , but i t s s till avoiding
the basic cause o f the problem, so, instead of
stopping the d rillin g in the bottom o f our
boat it merely deals with plugging up the
holes in a less d e s tru c tiv e manner.
Why do we always ju s t deal w ith the imme
diate problem? When will we "wise up" and

I WAS ROBOT

13

b u ild a system which will not in clu d e th e

"basic cause" o f o u r problems? L e t s elim inate
th e reason why we d r ill holes in th e bottom
of our
boat!
Then
we
wont
have
to
co n tin u o u s ly plug them!
S traw man?
Is th is garbage in c in e ra to r ju s t a n o th e r
straw man set up to b u rn th e aw akening peo
ples energy? When was th e last stra w man
set up fo r th e M inneapolis radicals? Was it
th e domed stadium near o u r downtown? Did
people b u rn up lots o f e n e rg y ; th in k in g , a r
guing and de m o n stra tin g ag a in st it?
This is s u re ly a "S traw man" s e t-u p . Any
c ity p la n n e r could have to ld them o f th e im
p o s s ib ility o f th e loop location from a t r a f f ic
s itu a tio n alone, (you know o f th e t r a f f ic jams
we a lre a d y have in th e loop)
What w ill it be
lik e w ith th e h u n d re d s o f garbage tr u c k s
from th e c ity and c o u n ty c o n v e rg in g in th e
loop all day and n ig h t long lin in g up to u n
load! T his alone makes th e loop placement
im possible, b u t it is v e ry im pressive, and w ill
an g e r more people to b u rn up th e ir e n e rg y in
te a rin g down th is elaborate stra w man. In th e
end th e E lite w ill p ro b a b ly compromise by
b u ild in g fo u r pla n ts. One on each c o rn e r o f
th e c o u n ty .
Would th e "E lite " ra th e r see th e " th in k in g "
people spend th e ir b io -c o m p u te r (m in d ) tim e
fig h tin g a n o th e r stra w man, o r have them use
th a t tim e to d is c o v e r th e fa c t th a t th e y are
"wage slaves" and th a t th e y d ont re a lly have
to p u t up w ith th is s h it any more?
I t seems to me, th e ra d ic a ls are ta k in g th e
ba it; hook, lin e and s in k e r. They are th ro w in g
up a n o th e r d e fe n sive action to stop th e mas
te rs fro m w h ip p in g us. (U n d o u b te d ly w ith th e
aid o f some h ig h ly paid go ve rn m e n t o r c o rp o
ra te agent p ro v o c a te u rs .)

14

ERNEST MANN

Seems to me we would get more progress In

the direction of o u r own liberation by taking
an offensive action. I t is not possible to gain
ground by defensive actions. Gaining ground
only follows offensive action.
Lets begin th is action by pointing out the
"basic cause" o f the pollution. Lets examine
the rubbish cans and dum psters and see
what s in them. Besides the disposable con
ta iners, you will fin d products which were
made fo r PROFIT, i.e., not to last. Things
which were made with b u ilt-in planned d e te ri
oration and planned obsolescence. Why were
they b u ilt th a t way? To make more PROFIT! I f
the o bjects were well designed and con
stru cte d many o f them would last a 100 years
instead o f one o r ten. We all know th is! But
we dont do a n yth in g about it. We th in k th a t
th is creates more jobs so we are quiet.
We dont stop to stu d y the fa ct th a t if we
were using a People oriented system instead
o f the P ro fit oriented system we would s triv e
to eliminate work by building only beautiful
long lasting th in g s which were easy to rep air
with universal parts. People who enjoy t in
kerin g with these th in g s would be happy to
do the re p a irin g . In a sane system we would
not use these "th in g s " as status symbols. We
would not th in k it necessary to throw away
o u r old and replace It with whatever is now
In style.
In a priceless system, I th in k , we would
t r y to create s h o rte r w orking s h ifts fo r the
essential jobs, then more people would get a
chance at playing with the wonderful fu n ma
chines th a t we in v e n t fo r production, but no
one would have to work ve ry long hours. In
o u r present P ro fit motivated system we cant
have much fu n ru n n in g these machines when
some slave d riv e r boss is constantly causing
stress as he/she attem pts to make more

I WAS ROBOT

15

P ro fit.
Before th is In c in e ra to r Straw man is d is
posed o f In one way o r th e o th e r, it is my
guess th a t many thousands o f good in te llig e n t
people will add th e ir e n e rg y (and money) to
th is drama, on one side o r th e o th e r. I t is
also my guess th a t if ju s t 105IS o f these t h in k
ing people would p u t th e ir c re a tiv e energie s
behind an o ffe n s iv e action d ire c te d a t c re a t
ing a P ro fitle s s S ociety, th e y would succeed.
Once we are o p e ra tin g a p rice le ss economy
th e re would no lo n g e r be a "re a so n " to do
d e s tru c tiv e th in g s
like ; p o llu tin g ,
w a rin g ,
s ta rv in g o r ste a lin g . We w ill elim inate most o f
th e w o rld s p re s e n t m ajor problem s w ith a
price le ss economic system . So why not p u t
some e n e rg y behind c re a tin g one?
Com puter
Teach an old dog new tr ic k s ?
You can! I ju s t ta u g h t th is 61 y e a r old dog
to ru n a com puter. I had fo rg o tte n how much
fu n it is to learn som ething new. ( I have had
many g re a t h ig h s in te a ch in g m yself to ru n
th is IBM clone th a t I have.)
They say th e
Macintosh is easier to learn on, b u t it costs
about tw ice as much. My clone has a 640K
RAM and a 30 meg. HD and a 5 1 /4 " flo p p y
d riv e . The Epson LQ850 24 pin p r in te r is fu n
too. I s ta rte d w ith th e A b ility s o ftw a re p ro
gram b u t th a t ju s t w o u ld n t do w hat I needed
so I got th e M icro so ft Word, Windows and A l
dus Pagemaker. I d o n t
know w hich
was
g re a te r, th e jo y o r th e
agony in le a rn in g
these program s.
I f I hadnt th o u g h t I had a g re a t use f o r
th e co m p u te r I m ig h t have chucked it all. As
it was, th e co m p u te r o u t f it cost a b o u t th e
same as th e ty p e s e ttin g would have f o r my
book. And now I ll have th e co m p u te r to use
fo r th e word pro ce ssin g o f my f u t u r e w r itin g

16

ERNEST MANN

and my newsletter. I t also feels like I am

jo in in g the great leap forw ard In progress
th a t the world is now taking. I can under
stand and use some o f its new technology.
Wow! The jump forw ard is fa r greater than
the leap from the q uill to the ty p e w rite r, but
Tm s till glad I learned to ty p e back In *43.
I th in k we will never get senile in our old
age if we keep adding in te re stin g new in p u t
in to o u r minds.
March 20, 1988
[F o r people interested in doing th e ir own
book - - I did the typ e se ttin g on th is book
with my IBM XT clone computer with the
"M icrosoft Word" word processing program
and my Epson LQ850 24 pin dot matrix
p rin te r. I used a Sans S e rif proportional
spacing
12
point
fo n t
(which
actually
measured only 10 p t.) (sans s e rif fo n ts stay
clear even a fte r several generations of copy
ing). Finally, the p rin tin g company reduced it
to 78%, which makes it 8 p t.]

"An ounce
of prevention,
is worth
a pound of cure."

17

J
P
A IL E D

When a governm ent has its police p u t

"good" people (I happen to know th a t I m a
good person) in ja il, it may be tim e fo r me to
reassess its value.
I can th in k o f n o th in g th a t governm ent
does fo r its c itiz e n s (who make less th an
$50,000 p e r year, i.e., 98.6% o f us in th e
U.S.A.) th a t we c o u ld n t do cheaper, b e tte r
and more e ffic ie n tly w ith p riv a te e n te rp ris e .
T his in clu d e s th e police fo rce . At least we
could f ir e them, if th e y tu rn e d on us w ith
harassm ent. They w o u ld n t dare harass us if
th e y feared being fire d .
A fte r being locked up, from ab out 4:30 to
11:30 pm, on March 21, 1988, In th e Hennepin
C ounty ja il in M inneapolis, I again realize a
lit t le b it o f how degraded th e police can make
a human feel. J u s t to be co n fin e d and not a l
lowed to come and go as one wishes, to be
tre a te d w ith a to ta l lack o f respect. To be
presum ed g u ilty and a dangerou s crim in a l. To
be
fin g e r p rin te d (g e t th is 4 complete
sets o f f in g e r p r in t s ) is not a good fe e lin g ,
and to be th re a te n e d w ith violence by th e
v e ry a ttitu d e o f th e policemen (policewomen
too) Is not e xa ctly a good fe e lin g . I tended to
lose re sp e ct f o r most o f those in d iv id u a ls (?)
in u n ifo rm .
However, I m ust t r y to u n d e rs ta n d th e fa c t

18

ERNEST MANN

th a t these employees are "a ctin g " under the

direction o f th e ir su p e rio r o ffic e rs who take
o rd e rs from th e ir Chief, who takes orders
from the Mayor, who takes orders, not from
the vote rs o r the Aldermen, but from the big
money people. I must not fall in the tra p of
using these police personnel as the scape
goats fo r my anger. I must p u t the blame
where it honestly belongs on my own
shoulders. As long as I m ig norant (or lazy)
enough to continue to play th e ir Pay System
Game with them, I must expect events like
th is to continue and worsen. This is ju s t the
way it is and always has been. This is the
way the "Money Game" is played. So if I dont
like th is Game o f "them with the most money"
ru lin g , I ll need to s ta rt a new Game fo r my
self!
I f I hire a person to do a job fo r me and
they tu rn on me, I feel I have a rig h t to
p ro te st to th a t person o r persons in some e f
fe c tiv e
way.
W riting
to
yo u r
congress
men/women is not an e ffective way. T ry it, if
you dont believe me. However if yqu slip a
million dollar campaign check in with your
complaint, I suspect they m ight at least th in k
about what you have to say. I believe I have
a r ig h t to fir e them and hire someone else to
ru le me o r do the job myself. I have found
th a t I can do the job myself. We have been
h irin g politicians fo r 200 years o r more to
p ro te ct us from each other.
Now th a t I have taken some time to tra ve l
th is c o u n try and several fo re ig n ones I have
come to the conclusion th a t most o f those
o th e r people are really good people and th a t I
dont need any protection from them.
What I need now, is protection from my own
politicians and the police persons and the
armies they have hired. I f you give someone a
little Power over you watch out! Power

I WAS ROBOT

19

c o rru p ts ! They keep adding more power to

th a t. Soon you have an in v is ib le d ic ta to rs h ip .
That is what we have today in th e U.S.A.
and in many o th e r co u n trie s . Some c o u n trie s
have v e ry v is ib le d ic ta to rs h ip s .
Democracy is supposed to be GOVERNMENT
by th e m a jo rity ! Ha! I t Is a ctu a lly
d ic
ta to rs h ip , by those w ith th e most money.
Money is a tool used to d ic ta te Power.
Government is D icta to rsh ip by those who con
tro l th e money.
Knowledge
can
lib e ra te
us
from
d ic
ta to rs h ip s !
Knowledge o f a way to live , produce and
d is tr ib u te goods and se rvice s w ith o u t using
MONEY, b a rte r o r w ork c re d its . L iv in g w ith
less money helps to lib e ra te me from th is
d ic ta to rs h ip .
S u p e rs titio n is also a tool used to d ic ta te
Power.
Knowledge o f th e u n tr u th s in h e re n t in s u
p e rs titio n has lib e ra te d me from th is d ic ta to r
ship.
Jail Learnen
What did I learn from th is dem onstration
and ja ilin g ?
F ir s t o f all I havent been in
e ith e r one fo r many years. I th o u g h t I had
learned from th e Vietnam War era th a t th e y
are a waste o f my e n e rg y and th a t th e re are
more beneficial ways to spend my tim e and
c r e a tiv ity
to
help
make
change
th a n
p a rtic ip a tin g in dem onstrations o r be ja ile d .
Is d e m o n stra tin g som ething we do when we
f i r s t get a n g ry w ith governm ent? I w ent to
th is one o n ly to pass o u t some o f my a n tiwaste b u rn e r lite ra tu re . I was doing th is and
happened to be near w hat tu rn e d o u t to be a
f r o n t line. The cops appeared and w ith t h e ir
long police c lu b s s ta rte d p o kin g young people
who were s ittin g p e a ce fu lly. A n g e r to o k o v e r

20

ERNEST MANN

my feelings and I stepped up to the line and

told the policemen to stop doing that. Two o f
them were gentlemen and stopped. Then a
tough looking tall cop In sta n tly appeared from
behind th e ir line and told me to get o ff the
street. I told him "NO! This Is my stre e t and I
have a rig h t to be here!
Well, he grabbed
me by the shoulder and said to come with him
o r he would knock me down. (I was unable to
see a badge number o r name tag on his u n i
form, so I asked him his name and he said It
was Sergeant Wonderful. Can you believe
this?) He was big enough to do it, so I went
along and was s tu ffe d into a small van which
was soon fille d with young people and one
older man like myself. At least two had been
te a r gassed. One in his mouth and eyes and
was s u ffe rin g . We were kept in the van fo r a
long time and I was worried th a t we might
use up all o u r oxygen as the van seemed to
be a ir tig h t. Later I asked the d riv e rs and
they did open a window fo r us.
This all happened only minutes a fte r o u r
march reached the Minneapolis Federal B uild
ing. I had not heard any glass break. One of
my frie n d s was not fa r behind and he d id n t
hear any glass break either. So the police
must have jumped the gun and started th is
violence before the agent provocateur had a
chance to break the glass door with the
bowling ball. Maybe he was a lousy bowler.
Meanwhile, I and 45 others got arrested fo r
d iso rd e rly conduct!
I f it Is d is o rd e rly conduct to pro test the
actions o f my employees (the policemen and
the President) then It Is high time we change
the GAME we are all playing to a game
where we wont need police persons and
Presidents. Who needs all th is harassment? I
sure dont! I f I have to drop whatever I m
doing and go out in to the streets and

I WAS ROBOT

21

dem onstrate e v e ry
time
governm ent
does
something WRONG, T il be spending all my time
(life ) In the s tre e ts . E v e ry th in g th a t g o v e rn
ment does is w rong! What a waste. A t r illio n
d o lla rs a year waste and ris in g ! I th in k
dem onstrations do little o r no good anyw ay.
Except maybe to awaken more people to th e
fa c t th a t we people have some rig h ts too.
The E lite have always allowed th e ir slaves
to scream and complain when th e y w hipped
them. So w hats new? Is th a t freedom to be
allowed to scream while being whipped?
L ife is not all; OBEY, OBEY, OBEY! We have
r ig h ts too! But we w ill have to TAKE them! No
one is going to give them to us. In d iv id u a l
freedom is som ething th a t each In d iv id u a l
m ust take f o r h im /h e rs e lf o r th e y wont
e v e r get it. However, i f th e y p re fe r to be
slaves, th e y have a r ig h t to be!
Wake Up! Wake Up!
We dont have to p u t up w ith th is s h it any
more!!!
I f we wake up and s ta r t doing o u r own
th in k in g we w ill soon see th a t in th e p re s e n t
w o rld -w id e PAY SYSTEM we are n o th in g b e tte r
th a n slaves. A t w o rk we m ust do as we are
to ld , i.e., OBEY! Or we get fir e d , q u ic k ly ! Is n t
th a t w hat s la v e ry is all about? Today, you
obey, o r get w hipped w ith th e d o lla r b ill!
You know th is "When you ta k e pay, you
m ust o b e y !
So f ir s t , if you can adm it you
are a slave when you ta k e pay, th e n you are
ready to look f o r a way to pro d u ce and d is
t r ib u t e th e w o rld s goods and s e rvice s. L e t s
look f o r a way w here it wont Pay o r P ro fit
anyone to do bad th in g s to us o r o u r old
spaceship. E a rth .

22

ERNEST MANN

Motivate 'em?
Would the follow ing rewards motivate us to
worl< If we d id n t get pay o r p ro fit?
1. What will happen to wars when no one
can make a p ro fit from s ta rtin g one any
more?
2. What will happen to pollution when there
Is no longer more p ro fit In polluting than In
reclaiming and recycling all waste?
3. What will happen to starvation when
th e re is no longer a p ro fit in using much of
o u r best land fo r non-food cash crops and
fo r not grow ing anyth ing to collect govern
ment soll-bank cash subsidies?
4. What will happen to th e ft when e v e ry
th in g is free? (94% o f the people In prisons
and ja ils are In fo r stealing.)
5. What will happen to taxes and govern
ment when we discover the fact th a t we will
have no need fo r them?
6. What will happen to money, b a rte r and
work c re d its when e v e ry th in g is free?
7. What will happen to peoples health when
th e re Is no more stress from job and money
worries? ,
8. What will happen to family life when
th e re is no more stress from job and money
worries?
9. What will happen to products when de
sig ners cooperate to create only the ve ry
best, instead o f compete to produce the most
planned obsolescence and planned deteriora
tion?
In a Nutshell
Lets get down to the n itty g r itty o f the
whole plan.
1.
Would you, as an in d ivid u a l, like life bet
te r if you could have any products o r ser
vices you wanted and as much as you wanted,
fre e o f charge?

I WAS ROBOT

23

2. Would you lik e it b e tte r i f you could

w ork at any jo b you wanted, w ith fre e o n th e -jo b tra in in g , w ith a bunch o f happy con
te n te d people?
3. Would you lik e it b e tte r if all schooling
was v o lu n ta ry and fre e and you could learn
as much o r as litt le about a n y th in g you
chose, fre e o f ch a rg e from v o lu n te e r te a ch e rs
who loved th e ir jo b s and stu d e n ts ?
4. Would you lik e to w ork a t a jo b where
th e boss and o th e r employees tre a te d you
re a lly well because th e more help th e y had,
th e s h o rte r s h ifts th e y could cre a te f o r
everyone?
5. Would you feel more FREE if you could
q u it y o u r jo b a t any tim e and s till get e v
e ry th in g you wanted, fre e o f charge?
6. Do you th in k th a t you would do y o u r
share o f w ork to make such a fre e system
possible? Do you th in k most o f y o u r fr ie n d s
would?
We have been programmed to believe th a t
no one else would do t h e ir share, so most
people th in k th a t th is p rice le ss system would
not w ork. B ut do a lit t le th in k in g and re
search on y o u r own. S ta rt a skin g people i f
th e y could e n v is io n a jo b th a t th e y m ig h t ac
tu a lly e n jo y d o in g , if th e y had fre e choice
and fre e tr a in in g a va ila b le and freedom at
w ork to make t h e ir jo b in to an even more en
jo y a b le way to spend p a rt o f t h e ir life . The
d u ll and dang erou s jo b s we can easily re le
gate to autom ation and rob ots.
I f th e re are some people who w ill not w o rk,
we w ill s till be b e tte r o f f in th e P riceless
System because it w ill not cost us a n y th in g to
g iv e o u t w elfare. Those people can ju s t p ic k
up w hat th e y w ant lik e th e re s t o f us do,
o n ly th e y w ill n o t g e t in on any o f th e fu n
and c r e a tiv ity and good fe e lin g s we get fro m
o u r w o rk. They may n o t w ant to miss p la y in g

24

ERNEST MANr4

w ith some o f the fu n machines th a t we will

work with. ( I m fin d in g the computer to be a
fu n machine. I m told, some people get paid to
n jn em.)
How to:
How do we get from here to there? I f you
want to know the t r u th about it I dont
know! All I can do is guess and tr y . I can
tell you what has been w orking in my own
life and what I th in k I must do in the fu tu re .
I re tire d from the ra t race 19 years ago in
1969. I sold a n d /o r gave away all my things,
except fo r what I could c a rry away in a
backpack. I sold all my real estate fo r less
than $100 down payments to make them sell
quick and with real easy monthly payments so
the buyers couldnt a ffo rd to let the p ro p e rty
go back to me. (However, some did give them
back, but I resold them r ig h t away.) I cre a t
ed fo r myself and my ex-w ife 20 year re tire
ment fixed Incomes. This has given me the
fre e time to look at the whole p ic tu re from a
v e ry d iffe re n t perspective. I began then to
see o u r slavery and what was causing it. My
leisure time was the key here, I th in k .
In o rd e r to make the small income I had
created s tre tc h enough to cover my basic
needs and allow me to tra ve l quite a b it both
in t; is c o u n try and abroad I had to really
pinch my pennies. I always looked fo r ways to
save money.
I lived in an unfinished basement fo r a few
years in a slum area near downtown fo r free.
Later I had to pay $50 per month to a new
landlord fo r it. In the w in te r time the
tem perature stayed around 56 I took my
baths in one section o f a concrete la undry
tu b . I s h it on a newspaper and buried it in
th e back yard to fe rtiliz e the big elm trees.
They prospered. I wasnt flu s h in g it in to the

I WAS ROBOT

25

M ississippi R iver (my d rin k in g w ater s u p p ly )

lik e everyone else did.
I found th a t th e fe w e r " th in g s " I owned,
th e few er expenses I had to m aintain and
house them. I e v e n tu a lly discovered my own
cooking to be fa r fa r cheaper than re s ta u
rants. (And much ta s tie r and more fu n .)
So now I am n e a rly at th e end o f my 20
year personal pension, b u t th e n I w ill be e li
gible fo r my Social S e c u rity pension, which
wont be much b u t it w ill help. I w ill need to
reassess my position and decide if I ll go
back in to th e ra t race again fo r a w hile o r
head fo r th e woods, a boat life o r maybe walk
around th e w orld.
Or perhaps a few o f us w ill get it to g e th e r
enough to liv e somewhere and share o u r s k ills
and learn cooperation and see how we lik e
th a t. Thousands are already doing th is in l i t
tle communities. Perhaps th is is how we w ill
tu r n th is d ir t y old sock in sid e o u t and b u ild
us a b e tte r w orld. Perhaps by tu r n in g all o u r
excess e n e rg y in to b u ild in g com m unity ra th e r
th a n te a rin g it down, we w ill gain more and
gain it fa s te r? We may even be able to b u ild
s e lf s u ffic ie n t com m unities. The In d ia n s did it
r ig h t here w ith v e ry sim ple tools. The e a rth
Is v e ry generous i f we w ork w ith her.
On A p ril 1st I plan (Sometimes I change my
plans) to g ive my la n d lo rd 30 days notice th a t
be m oving. I plan to move o u t in to th e
c o u n try where I can re cyc le my own waste
and have less o r no re n t to pay. I m tir e d o f
p a yin g sales taxes and hidden taxes to th is
c ity f o r them to waste.
How else can I cre a te my b e tte r w orld?
Maybe th is is w here th e R evolution re a lly is!
Making on e se lf aware, happy and fre e ! I know
th a t I am n o t th e f i r s t one to say th is , b u t i t
is fin a lly s in k in g In to th is old n u t o f mine. I f
I am too s tu p id to make m yse lf h a p p y, I may

ril

26

ERNEST MANN

as well rejoin the slaves In the ra t race.

I f enough o f us stop g ivin g government
o u r th o u g h t time, anger and energy and learn
to make ourselves happy, we m ight ju s t cre
ate a happy world as a b y -p ro d u c t.
March 24, 1988

"The only thing

necessary,
for the triumph
of evil
is for good people,
to do nothing"
Edmund Burke

27

MISSING

F^IECES

I got m yself a n g ry ye s te rd a y a t c o u rt,

w a itin g from 9:00 am (my appointm ent tim e) to
about 1:00 pm to say, "NOT G uilty!*' and get a
date to come back in tw o m onths to say It
again. How long would a p riv a te business last
If it was always 4 h o u rs late w ith its a p p o in t
ments and 2 m onths behind its schedule?
(D octors being an exception.)
Somehow it
doesnt seem r ig h t th a t I should have to h ire
someone (a la w y e r) to p ro te c t me from these
people (p o litic ia n s , ju d g e s and th e ir h ire d po
lice people) th a t I a lre a d y had h ire d to p ro
te c t me. I t ju s t doesnt q u ite tra c k .
I d id n t notice th e a n g e r th e n , o n ly th e
d is g u s t I had f o r governm ent and its w asting
o f peoples tim e and money. In th e G overn
ment C enter, I could see t h is waste a ll-ro u n d
me. I t rem inded me o f all th e taxes we have
to pay. I t rem inded me o f all th e re la tiv e s th e
p o litic ia n s have had to im p o rt fro m all o v e r
th e c o u n try and h ire to f ill it. I t rem inded me
o f th e 23 ye a r old expensive a d d itio n and th e
s tu r d y old c iv ic a u d ito riu m th e y are te a rin g
down in M inneapolis, to make room to b u ild a
much more expensive one. I w onder whose
pockets w ill get well lined w ith th is boondog
gle? Whose is g e ttin g lined w ith th e dow ntow n
waste b u rn e r boondoggle? Boondoggle is a
v e ry old w ord. I t in d ic a te s th a t D o llticla n s

28

ERNEST MANN

have been boondoggling fo r a long long time

and we have been le ttin g them get away with
it fo r a long long time. And we have been
paying the taxes to su p p o rt boondogglers fo r
a long long time. What does th is all mean?
Does it mean they have kept us too busy and
too a ngry to create a NEW GAME, where boon
doggles wouldnt be profitable?
A ctually the benefits to the politicians from
th e boondoggles are only a drop in the
bucket, compared to the outrageous p ro fits
th a t the land speculators, contractors and
su p p lie rs will reap from the taxpayers. I won
der if boondoggle can be equated with sw in
dle?
Later in the afternoon, I had a ru n -in with
a (c ity paid) bus d riv e r and th e re It was, all
ove r again. The same kind o f th in k in g and
browbeating. I got kicked o ff the bus fo r not
paying an extra 15 cents. My watch said it
was 6:30 (the time the fa ir drops to 60 cents)
and the d r iv e r s watch said 6:28. We hassled
and he threatened to call the police, so I got
o ff and lost the 60 cents I had p u t in the
box. And th is is supposed to be a Peoples
owned bus company? Bah, and humbug! I t s
more of a boondoggle than a service to the
people! (However, most o f the d riv e rs are re
ally frie n d ly and courteous.)
Then I became aware o f my anger. My poor
stomach was all knotted up and not digesting
the pea soup and chocolate brownie. I trie d to
relax it, d u rin g the walk home, but couldnt.
A fte r laying on my stomach on my bed fo r a
half hour it settled down and was OKThe new postal Increase in rates and de
crease in service (how long could you stay in
business if you operated like that?) in fu ria te s
me fu r th e r w ith government in efficiency and
waste.
Probably all citie s and county seats have

I WAS ROBOT

boondoggles.
L iv in g in a
boondoggles.
t r y , at least

29

I dont wish to pay fo r them.

c ity , even re n te rs pay fo r th e
I f I liv e modestly in th e coun
I wont pay fo r much o f them.

Decent World
I saw a tin y ch ild on her tip s y toes in a
c a fe te ria t r y in g to see what was available and
my* h e a rt went o u t to th e dear litt le person.
What kin d o f w orld are we leaving fo r her?
What w ill she have to s u ffe r yet? I decided to
co n tin u e my cru sa d e from my space in th e
woods. We have no r ig h t to w o rk, play and
o th e rw ise escape o u r re s p o n s ib ility to leave a
decent w orld fo r her to grow up in.
A M issing Piece
I m ust t r y to see th e above actions as
merely a p a rt o f th e "blockade o f scapegoats"
th a t are set up by th e E lite f o r them to hide
behind, to b u rn up o u r e n e rg y , to d issip a te
o u r a n g e r and o f course, to occupy o u r
th o u g h ts and c r e a tiv ity w ith reveng e and
o th e r d iv e rs io n s . T his blockade o f scapegoats
concept, is a new in c ite fo r me. I t s lik e
fin d in g a n o th e r m issing p a rt to a jig sa w p u z
zle. These scapegoats conceal th e t r u t h , so
th a t we w o n 't see, who o r w hat th e source o f
o u r tro u b le re a lly is.
If
we p ro p e rly
id e n tify
th e
prim e
cause," we see th a t th e E lite who c o n tro l
money and th u s c o n tro l g o vernm ent and in
d u s tr y are NOT th e source o f o u r tro u b le !
The problem lies in th e Game we agree to
play! "The ta ke pay f o r y o u r w o rk and pay
f o r th e p ro d u c t," Game. T his Game re q u ire s a
g o vernm ent to p ro te c t th e W inners from th e
Losers, i.e., to enable it to co n tin u e . In th is
Game we au to m a tica lly become slaves. "When
you ta k e pay, you m ust o b e y!"
T h is o b e d i
ence, i.e., s la v e ry , allow s th e Game to c o n tin u e

30

ERNEST MANN

and causes us to do these bad th in g s to o u r

selves and o u r Spaceship Earth. We, w orking
people, are the ones who take the jobs as po' lice persons and the o th e r scapegoat jobs.
These people only follow o rd e rs and get all
th e blame. I should feel s o rry fo r them in
stead o f a n g ry.
When I c o n fro n t these various scapegoat
b a rrie rs I keep myself too occupied, angry,
sick and depressed to be able to th in k clearly
and see th a t it is all ju s t a Game and th a t I
am one o f the 5 billion losers. C onfronting
these scapegoat b a rrie rs , I ju s t wear myself
out and am too tire d to fig u re out a b etter
Game to play.
This ru n -in w ith the law has been a d i
version and I have allowed it to keep me in a
v e ry negative and a ngry space. I t has kept
me too occupied to be in ve n tive and creative
in tr y in g to fu r th e r the peace and happiness
my vision te lls me the Priceless Economic
System (PES) would provide.
B uckm inister F u lle r said we should play a
game where everyone is a winner! That is the
kind o f game to in v e n t o r discover! That is
the kind o f Game I th in k I present in the PES
Game. I f you can reason y o u r way back to the
"prim e cause" o f war, pollution, starvation
and stealing you may even come up with a
b e tte r Game than the PES. But remember th is,
it is u n lik e ly we will ever fin d the solution to
any problem unless we f ir s t discover the ve ry
"basic" cause o f it. Now, dont give me th a t
often stated cliche , "People are by nature
selfish and greedy." Dont buy th a t. Scarcity
causes greed and selfishness. Who bothers to
be selfish and greedy when th e re is abun
dance, e.g., who hoards sugar when th e re is a
p le n tifu l supp ly in the stores?

I WAS ROBOT

31

Business As Usual
How do we awaken th e people who are
b u s ily engrossed In th e ir w ork t r y in g to s u r
v iv e and advance? They appear to be to ta lly
o b liv io u s to th e boat th e y are rid in g in and
to th e fa c t th a t th e y are d r illin g holes In its
bottom. E very time th e y buy o r sell some
th in g , in d u s try produces a replacem ent and
po llu te s o u r e n viro n m e n t more w ith each sale.
They are p ro b a b ly unaware o f any a lte rn a
tiv e s except w elfare o r s ta rv a tio n , so th e y
co n tin u e on down th e ir well greased slides.
Yard Birds
Walk o r d riv e th ro u g h a "so called'* m iddle
o r u p p e r class re sid e n tia l section o f Min
neapolis (and p ro b a b ly o th e r c itie s as w ell)
and see th e same old game going on, same as
40 years ago. See th e ya rd b ird s and house
p a in te rs b u s ily tra p p e d
in th e ir
s la v e ry
(ja il? ) to th e ir house and lawn. (And m o rt
gage, taxes, in surance, u tilitie s and upkeep
paym ents.) These ya rd b ird s are too busy to
see th a t th e y are also d r illin g holes in th e
bottom o f th e ir boat and th a t th e y have a
choice. E ve ry tim e th e y " b u y " som ething, in
d u s try p o llu te s th e ir e n v iro n m e n t a lit t le b it
more to re p ro d u ce th a t Item.
Joggers
Did you e v e r s it and watch jo g g e rs go uy?
They seem to be in such a h u r r y . Such a
waste o f so much e n e rg y . P ro b a b ly a re lie f
va lv e to get rid o f a n g e r and fr u s tr a tio n .
None o f them look happy o r lik e th e y are
e n jo y in g it. Well, w h a te ve r w orks!
Witness
Someone who had seen me 'p e o p le w a tch
in g , called me a Witness. As I th in k a b o u t it,
th a t does d e s c rib e me. I have o b se rve d many

32

ERNEST MANN

th in g s In the 19 years o f fre e time I have

created fo r myself th in g s I was unable to
see when I was busy in the Rat Race. I have
reported (I suppose I m a Reporter, too) what
I have seen (o r th o u g h t I saw) In the many
Issues o f the L ittle Free Press newsletter. For
some readers these re p o rts may help to con
firm th e ir own observations fo r others,
these observations may present some addi
tional avenues fo r consideration.
What to do?
How can I become more fre e of the need fo r
money?
a. Live w ith out needing to pay re n t by
b u ild in g a small inexpensive s tru c tu re (from
lumber I found in Minneapolis dum psters) in a
woods I own near Cushing, MN, o r on a
frie n d s land somewhere.
b. Stop p u b lish in g the LFP?
c. ?
How can I be happier?
a.
Stop co n fro n tin g the Systems Scapegoat
Brigades^ They attem pt to suck us into has
sles (w ith the aid o f th e ir agent provocateurs
and war scare headlines) which make us an
g ry , fe a rfu l, defeated and depressed, i.e.,
subservie nt. You ve heard o f blood suckers
these are Energy Suckers. When we fig h t with
them, we give them energy, i.e., they hire
more people and m u ltip ly th e ir harassing and
raise o u r taxes. This increases the emotional
drain on o u r happiness. Energy Suckers are
professionals. They have been trained fo r
thousands o f years to e ffe ctive ly humiliate
and break peoples s p irits (not unlike horse
tra in e rs ) and to make people angry. When I m
an g ry, I lose some control and I dont see, do
and say what is most logical. When I allow
them
j e t me a n g ry, I give them some o f my

I WAS ROBOT

33

Power. I f I can avoid c o n fro n tin g them, th e y

will not need to h ire more help and then th e y
will have more fre e time to spend In cafes
and g irl w atching. We w ill both be b e tte r o ff.
b. T ravel more and observe.
c. Find m yself an old lady and go sa ilin g .
d. Write.
e. Remember not to eve r th in k about has
sles when I m eating. T h in k o n ly about th e
food! E njoy e v e ry bite!
f. ?
Presidential Election
I can s till remember going house to house
d is tr ib u tin g lite r a tu r e and a sking fo r dona
tio n s fo r candidates. How ig n o ra n t I was. I
was t r y in g to get o th e r people to be as fo o l
ish as I was. (Maybe I s till am?) I was t r y
ing to get people to go to th e polls and s ig
n ify th e ir agreem ents to have someone RULE
them. I th in k I had some vague th o u g h t th a t
laws were made to p ro te c t me and c o n tro l th e
o th e r people. We were and are g iv in g these
p o litic ia n s c a rte blanche pow er to make laws
to r e s tr ic t, dominate and to ta lly enslave us
(and raise t h e ir own salaries w henever th e y
w ish). Which th e y d id , and are s till doing!
I f we were p la y in g a Sane Game, we could
easily p roduce abundance f o r all, as B ucky
F u lle r pointed o u t in his World Game, ye a rs
ago; th e n we would have no need f o r g o v e rn
ment, laws and taxes. What a s a v in g s th a t
would make o v e r a t r illio n d o lla rs a year!
T his s a v in g s alone would am ount to about
$5,000 p e r ye a r f o r each man, woman and
c h ild in th e U.S. Each one could b u y a lo t
more food th a n th e y could p o s s ib ly eat in a
y e a r and have money le ft o v e r.

Do

you

Cottage In d u s try
remember w hat Cottage

I n d u s tr y

34

ERNEST MANN

was? I t was m anufacturing done at home, like

a m ln i-fa cto ry w ith the w orker paying all the
, overhead. The fa th e r forced his wife, kids (I
was one o f those kids on a farm. Small farms
are a remnant o f cottage in d u s try .) and
sometimes the grandparents to work long
hours, seven days a week fo r ju s t board and
room. And th a t was about all the fa th e r got
a fte r paying his taxes o r rent.
The customers bought from the cottages
which sold th e ir products the cheapest. Are
the big shots tr y in g to make th is happen
again? Are they already farm ing out much of
th e ir work to small firm s, i.e., the lowest bid
ders?
Are the Day Labor (Slave Market) jobs on
the same order? Big la y -o ffs have made peo
ple so desperate th a t employers can now buy
p a rt time w orkers fo r v e ry low wages, with
no benefits and no union.
To be more honest, Instead of saying
"Where do you work?*'
We should say, "Who
owns you?"
Are in d ivid u a ls s ta rtin g to work from home
w ith th e ir computers and doing work cheaper
than the businesses can do it with th e ir own
help? On the surface, th is looks really good
to the small business person. To be able to
have th e ir own business rig h t at home with
little overhead! But look at it from the stand
p oint o f no more benefits, like; hospital in s u r
ance, pension plan, paid vacation, unemploy
ment checks, sick leave, a steady pay check,
etc. All th is ; one can live with, including the
longer hours, to be ones own boss. I did.
What will it be like when there is an over
supply o f cottage w orkers competing fo r the
same jobs? Will they be wise enough to hang
to g e th e r in Guilds and hold up th e ir prices?
Or will they be hung separately as the small
farm ers were and are? Will new cottagers o r

I WAS ROBOT

35

desperate ones c u t p rice s to get in on a litt le

o f th e business? Will we have to go th ro u g h a
sim ila r cycle to what th e old cottage in d u s
trie s went th ro u g h ? What was it? Will wages
go down so low th a t big in d u s trie s w ill h ire
people back again fo r almost n o th in g to do
th e same w ork? I f we co n tin u e w ith th e p re
sen t w orld wide Pay System, we may have to
go th ro u g h th is cycle again. Look at th e rem
nant o f small fa rm e rs tho u sa n d s going
b ro ke e ve ry year.
What would happen?
I f people who were fin a n c ia lly able would
ta ke a sabbatical leave from th e ir jo b s (and
those who c o u ld n t get a sabbatical, would
ju s t q u it) and fo cu s a g re a te r amount o f th e ir
th in k in g , s tu d y in g , o b s e rv in g and c re a tin g on
h elping to develop a peaceful and happy way
fo r people to liv e to g e th e r on th is planet,
BEFORE
we d e s tro y it and ourselves?
IF
we d e s tro y o u r e n v iro n m e n t w ith p o llu tio n
o r war, w hat good would come fro m th e a d d i
tio n a l money th e y would have accum ulated in
th e Rat Race?
Free Sharing Club
Would anyone be In te re s te d in fo rm in g a
fre e s k ills s h a rin g clu b? I t m ig h t be p a tte rn
ed somewhat a fte r th e Free S k ills Pool o f
Montereiy, CA. Members would lis t th e s k ills
th e y would be w illin g to share w ith anyone
w ith in o u r c lu b , fre e o f charge . And on th e
o th e r hand receive o th e r member s s k ills fre e
o f charge.
T h is may be a way th a t we could make o u r
liv e s a lit t le b e tte r and a lit t le less d e p e n d e n t
on MONEY! We m ig h t ju s t t u r n th is d ir t y old
sock in s id e -o u t and le t o u r g ra ss ro o ts re c y

36

ERNEST MANN

cle the d ir t as they were meant to. Wouldnt

it be nice to ju s t call someone from the club
,to fix yo u r car fo r fre e (except fo r the
parts)? Or take music lessons from a club
member. Have a member come over and clean
house? Get advice on yo u r computer program?
Legal advice? A tooth fille d ? E lectric toaster
fixed? A broken arm set? An ad w ritte n? A
le tte r typed? A poster typeset? A room
painted? A to ile t repaired? Garden advice o r
help? Etc.
And on the o th e r hand wouldnt it be fu n
to do one o f yo u r s k ills fo r someone in the
club, fre e o f charge, once in a while to help
them o u t and save them a little money? Also
knowing in the back o f yo u r mind th a t th is
fre e sharing ju s t m ight be the lead-in th a t
will end the Pay & P ro fit System. And besides
th a t, know th a t when you need something the
club o ffe rs, you can get th a t fo r fre e too.
The more we use the club and the more peo
ple and wider range o f s k ills we b rin g into it
the less need we ll have fo r a job, in the
pay system.
Anyone care to make comments and sug
gestions? Would th is be yo u r cup o f tea?
Would you like to coordinate it o r one in your
area? Lets kick th is idea around and see if it
will fly .
Friendship Club?
This Free Sharing Club m ight also be a
dating club. Like everyone listed in the club
d ire c to ry would also lis t w hether o r not they
are open to dating and if so could lis t what
they desire in a date p a rtn e r and lis t th in g s
about themselves and th e ir interests.
A pril 8, 1988

muTics m ctESUis ciiciis

37

TRUTH

- The t r u t h w ill set you fre e ."

I have lcx)ked fo r t r u t h to d is c o v e r what
re a lly s ta rts wars. I th in k I have fo u n d it. I
have looked fo r t r u t h to fin d a b e tte r m otiva
tio n fo r th e p ro d u c tio n and d is trib u tio n o f
th e w o rld s goods. I th in k I have fo u n d it.
The P riceless Economic System seems lik e th e
sim plest and most p ra c tic a l way f o r " a ll th e
w o rld s people to liv e w ith abundance (lik e
m illio n a ire s, b u t w ith o u t e x p lo itin g anyone and
w ith o u t w ars.)
To know th e t r u t h about th e w o rld s s u p p ly
o f resources th a t th e re is re a lly an a b u n
dance (as B u c k m in is te r F u lle r pointed o u t In
his "W orld Game") is to set us fre e o f o u r
mind c o n d itio n in g th a t te lls us th a t th in g s are
scarce, th e re fo re p ric e s m ust be h ig h .
To know th e t r u t h about almost all th e
mass media th a t it Is c o n tro lle d by th e
E lite few is to set oneself fre e o f t h e ir
co n tin u o u s mind < 'onditioning, i.e., all th e lies
th e y have ta u g h t us to believe as t r u th s . I f
we stop w a tch in g , re a d in g and lis te n in g to It
we ll have a b e tte r chance to fin d th e t r u t h
about any m atter.
I have fo u n d in my 22 ye a rs in sales and
19 ye a rs as a w orld tr a v e le r and people
w a tcher, th a t most people are re a lly good
people who do more th a n t h e ir share if give n

38

ERNEST MANN

half a chance. But we are lead to believe by

the mass media th a t, (because we read almost
daily o f ONE m urder, a tro c ity o r wrong doing
' among m illion s o f people) we should be fe a r
fu l o f all people and dependent on gov
ernm ent and its police, army and courts fo r
protection. They seldom re p o rt the millions of
good deeds people are doing daily. I f the
tr u th about these p ro p o rtio n s were publicized
we would not be as d is tru s tfu l and fe a rfu l of
one another. We m ight even be able to work
to g e th e r and build a fre e society.
I would not p u t it past the Elite to even
have th e ir henchmen fake some o f the k illin g s
and a tro citie s th a t are reported in the mass
media. To ju s t have the "v ic tim " drop out of
s ig h t a fte r the staged funeral o r maybe have
plastic s u rg e ry o r ju s t change to a d iffe re n t
ru b b e r stage mask fo r the next staged event
and a name change a n d /o r move to a d iffe re n t
area and be "k ille d " again. Perhaps th e re Is a
secret profession o f "h ire d victim s?"
I am
not the f ir s t one to have a rriv e d at th is
conclusion.
Hollywood has had much practice in faking
deaths and atrocities. We even have a Presi
dent and o th e r politicians who came d ire c tly
from Hollywood. Would staged assassinations
and staged attem pts make people afraid to be
leaders, especially radical ones?
I f people are kept fe a rfu l o f each other
and dependent on the police, army and
courts, are they easier to control?
How do
set free?
guess we
tra d itio n a l
only way
remember,

How ?
we fin d " t r u t h so th a t we can be
That is one H e ll-of-a question! I
ju s t s ta rt questioning o u r beliefs,
ways, customs, laws, the one and
(always be skeptical o f th is one,
"There is more than one way to

I WAS ROBOT

39

skin a c a t.") and question a u th o rity . Perhaps

q u e stio n in g to learn why, and th in k in g , to
d isco ve r b e tte r ways, may be tw o o f th e keys
in fin d in g tr u th .
C rocodile Dundee II
I w ent to see th is movie. I enjoyed it. I
lik e a d v e n tu re movies w ith p le n ty o f action. I
always th o u g h t I o v e rro d e th e k illin g s be
cause I was aware o f Hollyw oods s tu n ts .
I dont dare own a TV. I d be w atching th e
damn th in g ail th e tim e and w o uld nt accom
p lis h a n y th in g .
BUT, on th e way to my van in th e movie
p a rk in g lo t th a t e ven ing, I became paranoid
not o n ly o f th e few people in th e lo t b u t o f
my
w ork.
I
became
scared
to
cc" tin u e
c o n fro n tin g th e "system " w ith my L ittle Free
Press n e w sle tte r. T his fe a r fo r my personal
sa fe ty has s tru c k me before, when leaving
movie th e a te rs . T his n ig h t ju s t confirm ed my
p re v io u s o b s e rv a tio n s o f one o f th e purposes
o f violence in movies. I believe i t s th e re to
in s till fe a r, so th a t th e wage slaves w ill be
a fra id to rebel a g a in st a u th o rity ! I m o v e r my
fe a r now, b u t i f I took a dose o f TV o r
movies e v e ry day. I m s u re I d soon be too
scared to c o n tin u e my e ffo r ts to make radical
change. I w onder if o th e r people e v e r feel
a fra id to help make radical change?
I suppose if one saw real violence on th e
s tre e ts e v e ry day, it would be n a tu ra l and
h e a lth y to be w a ry and fe a rfu l o f people and
th e s tre e ts .
E v e ry th in g seems so p o w e rfu lly real and
immanent on th e screen o r TV th a t o u r
subconscious may o v e r - r id e o u r know ledge o f
th e u n re a lity and accept th e violence as re a l
ity and au to m a tica lly generate fe a r and w a ri
ness in us.

40

ERNEST MANN

Just Think
I f we ever realize;
a. th a t, we can do th in g s better, cheaper
and more e ffic ie n tly than government does
them,
b. th a t, aii people the world over would be
happier w ith the Priceless Economic System
than the present P rof it/w age System,
c. th a t, all people would p re fe r to change
ove r to the PES immediately,
d. th a t, we can each help to spread these
ideas out to more people,
then, we may soon be ready to agree on a
date to all stop accepting pay o r p ro fit fo r
o u r work and begin to give all products and
services away fre e o f charge. That would end
wars, p o llu tin g , starvation, stealing, a need
fo r any governm ent and taxes.
The t r u th can set us free!
When you take pay, you must obey!
A world o f volunteers could be a world of
FREE BEINGS!
Dropped Charges
The Minneapolis government dropped th e ir
charges against me. I should have expected
th is , instead o f fre ttin g (o ff and on) about it
while waiting the two months fo r my c o u rt
tria l concerning my a rre s t th a t I spoke about
in the last two chapters. They reverted to
th e ir re g u la r handling o f me they ignored
me! They act as if I m not here at all and
th a t I have nothing to say.. They ra re ly give
my ideas p u b lic ity , not even adverse p u b lic
ity .
In o rd e r to s u rv iv e , the P a y /p ro fit System
must w ithhold p u b lic ity fo r the tru e and sim
ple a lte rn a tive to itse lf.

I WAS ROBOT

41

I t can give ail o th e r opponents p le n ty o f

press coverage because th e y would all con
tin u e th e P a y /p r o fit System if th e y won th e ir
re v o lu tio n s , i.e., s u p e r-ric h people would ru le
on ly u n d e r a d iffe re n t name.
Moved Again
On May 2nd I gave up my a partm ent and
moved back to th e woods where I had no re n t
to pay. I fig u re d I would b u ild a lit t le house
from th e lum ber I had scavenged last year. I
decided last ye a r to experim ent w ith s ta rtin g
from scra tch and not liv e in th e log cabin,
b u t to b u ild som ething m yself to see how I
liked th a t. I sp e n t about $20 on nails and $19
on cement and $5 on sand. I fig u re d on b u y
ing souin s id in g boards and relied ro o f .ig at
a farm auction sale, saw mill o r d is c o u n t s to re
fo r u n d e r $300. I fig u re d on using saw d u s t
from a saw mill f o r in s u la tio n w hich may be
fre e o r n e a rly so. I got a wood heating stove
from a frie n d f o r fre e . I fig u re d I can always
add on to my lit t le e ffic ie n c y home if I e ve r
get an old lady to share life .
Free re n t is a m ig h ty BIG DEAL f o r one
who liv e s well on v e ry lit t le money. I w ill not
have a 30 year m ortgage o r a p e rp e tu a l re n t
paym ent to enslave me to someone elses wheel.
I can b u ild w hat lit t le f u r n it u r e I w ill NEED. I
do not feel a need to conform , be b e tte r than
th e Joneses o r to show anyone how successful
o r im p o rta n t I am. I a lre a d y KNOW th a t I am
th e most im p o rta n t person in th e w o rld to
me. I f it wasnt fo r me, I w o u ld n t be here.
The same is tr u e fo r e ve ryo n e else, if th e y
o n ly dared to th in k it. In fa c t, we are each
s u p e rio r to most o th e rs in one way o r an
o th e r, even as we are in fe r io r to most o th e rs
in one way o r a n o th e r. So why should we
waste tim e w o rry in g about it. L e ts get on
w ith
and fo cu s on using o u r best ta le n ts

42

ERNEST MANN

to get the most out o f th is present moment.

Lets also take a long range view and see
th a t we do not destroy ourselves and our
environm ent, so th a t we ll have a chance to
use and enjoy the fu tu re moments th a t are
marching ra p id ly toward us.
When I moved out o f my apartment I
dumped a lot o f my s tu ff in the garbage. I
had found much o f It in dumpsters and
bought some at v e ry cheap rummage sales,
how else could I have lived fo r the past 19
1/2 years on my $50,000 investm ent at Q%
in te re st. I have traveled the U.S.A. and the
world widely. I ve had lots o f fu n . I have ob
served much. I have attempted to share in
th is book
what I th in k I ve seen and
experienced. I ll soon be broke, but I will
have had about a 20 year vacation while I m
s till young enough to enjoy one. I told myself
in 1969, when I was 42, th a t I d be damned if
I would give the best years o f my life as a
slave to the dollar!
But back to the here and now. I did an
o th e r s o rtin g o f my possessions up in the
woods. I got rid o f it by g ivin g It to my
neighbor; Easy come, easy go. I t was good
useful s tu ff, b u t I d id n t really need it. I t
was in my way.
The f ir s t th re e weeks out there, the
weather was beautiful and warm (not hot) and
I enjoyed ju s t s ittin g around in the sun and
using the outdoor kitchen I had made last
year. I watched the b ird s, saw a deer, wild
geese, ducks and did a little th in k in g , picked
Morel mushrooms and wild greens. I went fo r
walks, answered mail, visite d some neighbors,
went swimming, wrote in my jo u rn a l, made a
t r ip to Minneapolis to v is it a granddau ghter
who came to town fo r a v is it, made tr ip s to
the local towns fo r groceries, drank some
beer, made a couple o f new frie n d s and drove

I WAS ROBOT

43

around th e c o u n ty looking fo r a sto re fr o n t

to re n t.
When I fin a lly had enough o f th is and o f
ju s t s ittin g a round, I decided to s ta r t my
b u ild in g . I took an in v e n to ry o f th e 2 x 4s
and discovered I had enough to fra m e -in a
12 X 12 house. So, I laid it o u t w ith s tr in g
and dug a shallow d itc h fo r a fo u n d a tio n . One
o f my fr ie n d ly n e ig h b o rs came o v e r w ith his
tr a c to r and t r a ile r and we hauled th re e loads
o f stones from nearby stone piles. He and his
w ife helped me get s ta rte d la yin g th e fie ld
stone fo u n d a tio n . I had n e ve r done it, b u t
th o u g h t it would be as easy as p la y in g w ith
c h ild re n s blocks. Well it wasnt. I t was v e ry
f r u s tr a tin g t r y in g to fig u r e o u t w hich stone
would be th e best to lay on top o f th e last
one. My n e ig h b o r laid th e fo u n d a tio n fo r
about a y a rd and th e n I took o ve r. By th e
tim e I fin a lly got to th e end o f th e f i r s t 12
fo o t long wall, I was s ta rtin g to get th e hang
o f it a litt le and it wasnt q u ite as f r u s t r a t
ing.
The w eather was s ta rtin g to get real HOT
and I was w o rk in g up on a lit t le h ill w ith no
shade and ju s t c o u ld n t get m yself to do any
more. I sat a round in th e shade f o r a few
days and fin a lly fig u re d I would ra th e r "pay
re n t" to e n jo y a b a th tu b , and have e le c tric ity
f o r a r e fr ig e r a to r , a fan and be able to ru n
my co m puter r ig h t now, so th a t I could get
on w ith p u b lis h in g th is book. I had planned
to buy a wind o r a gas powered g e n e ra to r to
ru n my com puter. Maybe th is fa ll wtien it
cools o ff. I ll c o n tin u e th e p ro je c t.
I should add th a t I was c o n s ta n tly p ic k in g
wood tic k s o f f my e n tire
body and th e
m osquitoes were o u t a fte r d a rk . I s le p t in my
van and had to use a m osquito n e ttin g to be
able to sleep. E v e ry th in g I owned (in c lu d in g
all th e LFP n e w s le tte r file s , com puter, s o ft-

44

ERNEST MANN

ware and o th e r o ffice equipment and supplies)

was in th a t van, so I d id n t really have all
th a t much space unless I stepped outside
(where I spent most o f my time).
I moved back to Minneapolis and lived In
my 79 Dodge van in a frie n d s parking lot
fo r a few days while I looked fo r a store
fr o n t in Minneapolis to re n t and live in. I
couldnt fin d one th a t they would allow me to
live in. I ended up re re n tin g the apartment
where I had spent the w inter. Lucky fo r me
it hadnt been rented. The phone, company
even gave me my old phone number.
But gee, it feels good to be back in th is
apartm ent. I guess my fiv e weeks in the
woods were my vacation. I feel a new commit
ment to my work. I m g e ttin g myself into fu ll
swing now to get th is book published.
M ysterious ?
In th e last few years I have experienced
something th a t I cannot explain conclusively
to myself. I t seems th a t sometimes when I am
tr y in g to do something o r make some changes
in my life, I ru n into obstacles which prevent
me from going any fa rth e r w ith the plan I m
try in g . Then I must go back and t r y one o f
my o th e r plans o r th in k up a new one. I t
seems th a t when I fin a lly fin d a plan th a t
works, it is always (always? I th in k so) fo r
my best in te re st. Some people may call th is
Fatalism. Some may call it God. Some may call
it the hand o f o u te r space beings co n tro llin g
th e ir creation. But, I p re fe r to th in k th a t it
is merely my subconscious mind using some
kind o f telepathy o r maybe ju s t jum ping to
logical p ro b a b ilitie s and reaching out to dis
cover the best route fo r me to take. A n d /o r it
searches th ro u g h my memory bank and picks
up fa c to rs I am consciously unable to re
member and then it communicates w ith o th e r

I WAS ROBOT

45

peoples subconscious minds and to g e th e r

th e s e h igher levels of o u r minds formulate a
plan or meeting t h a t would be a d v a n ta g eo u s
to both of us.
We get a hunch to do or go to a certain
place and we do it. We meet (our conscious
minds th in k in g it merely a "chance" meeting)
and th in g s t u r n o u t much b e tte r th an what
we could have expected from o u r original
plans. My explanation probably d o esn t have
any scientific backing and probably no g re a t
following, but it is su fficien t to satisfy me at
th is point in time. (I wonder if negatively o ri
ented people always manage to have bad
th in g s happen to them when th ey follow th e ir
h u n ch es?)
Sale" = Happiness ?
I can now see how we have been, and are
being conditioned to "enjoy" BUYING. They
have "Sales" which make us even h a p p ie r be
cause
we
subconsciously
th in k
we
a re
"beating th e game." We feel like winners! So
we buy, buy, buy to t r y to get th o se good
deals, i.e., good feelings.
If we would really face th e facts, we would
d e te s t and f e a r buying, because it u se s up
o u r money (our leisu re time) so t h a t we must
work more and sav e less. About 90% have to
work at jo b s th e y Hate!
I am learning to e n te r ta in myself and am
learning to c re a te good feelings in myself
without buying much of a n y th in g .
Why Continue?
Some people may wonder why I p e r s i s t with
my e f f o rts to promote th e PES. IM tell you.
When I r e tire d in 1969, I could have re tire d
to some South Pacific o r Caribbean island and
s p e n t th e r e s t of my d a y s laying on th e
beach, looking at nearly
naked beautiful

46

ERNEST MANN

women and sipped on "Coco Locos" and drank

and fucked myself to death.
But I soon observed what the Game was all
.about. In my eyes it looked like, "Make all the
Profit (or wages) you can, and to Hell with
people and th e environment!"
I realized the environment was my "boat"
and th e Profit/wage Game was motivating peo
ple to sink MY boat.
Well, I still have a strong survival instinct
and I desire to live! So th a t is why Ive
sp e n t most of my time and money attempting
to save OUR boat.
We May Be Wrong!
Regardless of how much we hope, believe or
assume th a t th in g s will work out and th a t the
environment will heal itself we may be
wrong. Prestigious scientists tell us once
again in the "Star Tribune" of Minneapolis on
6/24/88, th a t our continued polluting of the
environment is causing the "greenhouse ef
fect" and is putting us dangerously close to
th e end of our rope, i.e., to "the point of no
return," where the earth will not be able to
heal itself and sustain our species, if we wait
too long to stop polluting.
Politicians TALK a lot now (to get votes)
about how government should help out the
farm ers and about passing more laws against
factory pollution. They do not point out the
"basic reason" of why industry and farmers
pollute. No one s u g g e sts changing the cause
of most of ou r troubles. No, it is much more
profitable to continue adding to the problem.
We are each responsible for this. Every
time we buy something, industry (or farmers)
reproduce it and do th e ir Profit oriented pol
luting. In o u r p rese n t system almost all pro
duction pollutes in one way or another. In
o ur p rese n t Profit/wage motivated system

I WAS ROBOT

47

every time a person b u y s something, it Is like

we hire someone to drill a n o th e r hole in th e
bottom of o u r boat. More people had b e tte r
wake up and focus more of t h e ir attention,
time and e n e rg y on th is problem o r we will
ALL go down with o u r boat! If we each buy
less, it may give us some additional time to
begin a Game where we can all be w inners
(including o u r environm ent).
I hope we will th in k up a way to publicize,
"How th e Profit/Wage Game is causing th e fall
of th e Homo s a p ie n s ., t h a t th e b u s in e s s and
industrial executives can relate to. We need
t h e ir help d e sp e ra te ly to expedite a b e tte r
Game. We must help them u n d e rs ta n d t h e fact
t h a t th ey and t h e ir families will sink with th e
r e s t of us, if we d o n t ch an ge t h e game.

48

ERNEST MANN

Advantages of the
Priceless Economic System

1. In d u stry
will
have
happy
healthy
employees who willingly take responsibility for
th eir work and enjoy doing it and therefore
are b etter workers.
2. They will have no payrolls to meet.
3. Employees will have no money worries
and will not feel exploited.
4. Employees will look for ways to make a
b e tter product or service because they are
proud of it.
5. Employees will not sluff-off every time
managements back is turned.
6. Places
of
employment
may
become
communities where the workers enjoy each
o th er and th e ir work and may even live there
or nearby.
7. We may discover cooperation to be more
efficient than competition.
8. There would be no more labor or wage
disputes.
9. No more government interference.
10. No more need to make a PROFIT!
11. No more need to build weapons to kill
people and destroy property.
12. No more TAXES!
13. No more stockholder interference.
14. No ren t or mortgage payments.
15. No more need for burdensome and
wasteful advertising and sales forces.
16. Bookkeeping and accounting would be
substantially reduced or eliminated.
17. Production would be geared to fill the
demand, ra th e r than to create th e demand.
18. Products would be created to have
long trouble free lives, instead of being
designed
with planned obsolescence
and
planned deterioration factors.
19. Producing more with less.

I WAS ROBOT

49

20. Saving o u r e a r t h s reso u rces, instead

of sq u a n d e rin g them to make some s to c k
holders richer.
21. Reducing th e amount of human labor
needed for production, instead of cre atin g
"make work" jobs.
22. Employees will th en have no reason to
sab o tag e automation and robots.
23. More s h ifts could th en be cre ate d to
c u t down th e working h o u rs for each indi
vidual and allow more people to get in on job
satisfaction.
Once we get some of th e movers, s h a k e r s
and d o ers working on th is p ro ject. Ill bet
they (with t h e ir e x p e rtise and use of th e
mass media) will ch a n g e th e e n tire world o v er
to th e Priceless Economic System in less th an
a year.
How a re we going to get th e f i r s t of th e s e
big "w heelers and d e a le r s to b rea k-aw a y and
give evolution a good hard kick in th e r ig h t
direction? I wonder if th is is where we should
focus o u r th in k in g and action rig h t now?
J u n e 24, 1988

50

ERNEST MANN

VOLUNTEERS ARE FREE

SLAVES MUST OBEY
WHEN YOU TAKE PAY
YOU MUST OBEY

51

MEANING OF FREEDOM
Freedom s t a r t s In my mind.
If I believe I c a n t fig h t city hall, I dont.
If I believe th e world is flat I do n t v e n tu r e
o u t v e ry far. If I believe t h e r e is a bogeyman
in th e basement, I am fearful of going down
th e re . If I believe a bicycle c a n t fly, I dont
t r y to make it fly.
What I believe to be t r u e (w h e th e r it is o r
not), more o r less Rules my life.
If I deny I am a slave to th o s e who control
money, I will not seek freedom from them.
No one "gave" freedom to me. If th e y had
trie d I p robably would have found someone
else to tell me what to do.
Freedom s t a r t e d in my own mind. When I
discovered th e fa c t t h a t I was an individual
and t h a t I could be in control of myself if I
chose to be, I found ways to r e je c t th e con
trol t h a t society had conditioned into me. I
s t a r t e d making my own decisions based on
what Is b e st fo r t h e individual. I now attem p t
to make my own individual self happy.
With a world of happy individuals, we
would have a h appy society. So, what is b e st
fo r t h e individual Is b e s t fo r society. I t is
not th e o t h e r way a ro u n d , as I was ta u g h t. I
was t a u g h t to obey t h e ru le s t h a t somebody
s e t up fo r society. And I was told I would
th e n be happy. (Or a t least, when I got to

52

ERNEST MANN

Heaven, I would have happiness.)

I was
ta u g h t to take care of others. Serve others. I
was not to worry about myself. This was a
very proper training for a serv a n t or a serf.
Society do-gooders cannot force me to con
form to th eir concepts and expect anything
but a slave.
What is best for me, individually, must be
considered over the "long term." It ties in
with th e tendency to "get even."
If I take
advantage of another person, I must expect
th a t person or th eir friends to do the same
or worse to me somewhere down the road. So
th e sh o rt term advantage is not worth the
long term worry and trouble th at may lie
ahead.
If I tr y to make my own life hotter, ^Mth a
view of the long term effects, I will be doing
things which will affect o thers in a positive
way, so I will be planting seeds of happiness
for my own fu tu re as well. This may help to
make a happier and more peaceful world.
An example of th e "short term" view of
individual happiness is the Profit and Pay
System th a t is used worldwide today. I cannot
make "even exchanges" in this system. I must
always striv e to get the "best" of each deal,
i.e., I must make a Profit or I wont be able
to pay my ren t and stay in business (when I
was in business). I didnt look down the road
and see th a t everyone else was doing the
same to me every time I bought something.
The Pay System is one constant stru g g le to
make more money than one spends. Only a
very few win at th is Game. I won! Not really
very much in money though. But what little I
did win, I used to buy 20 years of 'reedom
for myself!
When I took pay I had to obey! I was
conditioned by TV, radio, movies, books,
magazines and newspapers to desire and bijy

I WAS ROBOT

53

th in g s. Paying for th e s e th in g s and taking

care of them, kept me too busy to have time
to th in k and d iscover my slav ery o r to find a
way out, i.e., to find Freedom.
Not only was I enslaved to th e "things" I
owned b u t to my p e ts and vices. I allowed
them to keep me too busy to have time to
wonder at: n a tu re , dreams, day dreaming, th e
th in k in g p ro c e ss and at learning how to di
re c t it fo r my own personal happiness.
Music
They achieved effective mind conditioning
with th e music th e y sold and gave me. Music
is a mood s e tte r . I scanned my radio and
seemed to hear a similarity in almost all th e
music and especially in th e song lyrics. In
th e s i n g e r s voices, I th in k I h ea r a loneli
ness, a whining, a moaning, a sorrow ing, a
d esp eratio n , a s a d n e s s , a lamenting, a melan
choly sometimes almost like th e y a re g e t
ting ready to c ry . I hear something like t h a t
in th e music too. Can you h ear it? If th is
o b serv a tio n is c o rr e c t, why a re th e y o v e r
loading th e air waves and ta p e s with th is
ty p e of mood s e t?
Why a re nearly all th e so n g s a b o u t love?
And usually a loss of love. Not happy songs.
Not m arching s o n g s (yet). Not ab o u t t h e t h o u
s a n d s of good t h i n g s in life t h a t th e y could
sing about. Is t h e r e some reason t h e b e h a v
ioral modification people want me to fo cu s my
t h o u g h t s on love and sex? Are th e y t r y i n g to
g et me to make more babies? Use more r u b
b e r s ? Are th e y t r y i n g to make me believe I
am d e p riv e d and should focus my t h o u g h t s on
finding more sex? They p rev io u sly stole many
h o u rs p e r day of th o u g h t-tim e from me with
th is s u b j e c t and t h e moods it induced. Why?

54

ERNEST MANN

Golden Rule

[Do to o th ers as you would have them do to

you.] Taking freedom, I think, is for me to
give myself the right to do, think or say
anything I please. Herein lies instant learning,
i.e., the Golden Rule. I soon learn what gives
me good reactions from o th ers and what gives
me unpleasant reactions. In a sane society it
is not difficult to predict which reactions
other people and I would prefer.
Presently however, we live in an insane
society because we play the Money Game
which makes most people losers, sick and
sometimes mean.
In the Priceless Economic System we will
have no reason to exploit, cheat, nor steal. It
will therefore be much easier to be a sane
and happy individual.
Speaking of us all, it would then be said
we were a happy society, a happy world.
Only I can decide what is best for me. If I
go through life merely doing what I am told
to do, I will not experience Freedom.
Taking freedom, is also admitting how s u g
gestible I am and then avoiding the media
which implant th e subtle suggestions which
have motivated my actions and formed my ba
sic belief systems. Then I begin to reevaluate
my beliefs and see if they hold up on their
own.
When I stopped accepting things "on faith
alone" from my parents, teachers, preachers,
government and th e news media; I could use
my own reasoning, experimenting and experi
encing to check th e validity of my old beliefs.
I developed some new belief systems which
give me more freedom and happiness.
I do not have to let o th ers rule me. I can
find ways to avoid many rules. Rules and laws
only work if people agree to obey them, as I
did.

I WAS ROBOT

55

Freedom and h ap p in ess can be v e ry tric k y .

One can be in prison and make ones self feel
fre e and happy. That is insane, b u t it helps
p ris o n e rs s u r v iv e t h e ir term. I told myself
and o th e rs t h a t I liked my work for 22 years.
I really th o u g h t I liked it. But now as I look
back on it, I can see how miserable I was
much of th e time.
I remained in my slav ery because I did not
tak e th e time to th in k my way o u t of it. It is
sooooooo much ea sie r to tu n e -in to a t h o u g h t leader like radio, music, TV, movies, books,
magazines and th e new spapers. Or to get
stoned o r d ru n k . Or to j u s t talk t r i v i a with
someone. I know! I ve done it! I still do some
times.
Group Action
Freedom is not a group action. It is not a
dem onstration o r a march d irected by someone
with a bull horn telling me what to shout.
This merely b u rn e d up my a n g e r e n e rg y in a
way which did little to s c a re th e Masters. In
fact th e y e n c o u ra g e it and even hire a g e n t
p ro v o c a te u rs and give it media coverage.
Groups do not promote Freedom fo r me.
Their lead e rs usually expect conformity to
t h e i r rules, i.e., s la v e ry again. In d iv id u als do
e v e ry th in g . Even in a group, it is t h e indi
viduals, who do all th e work. It is when I
make my own decisions, t h a t Freedom can ex
ist. Could th is happen in g ro u p s ?
We a r e all individuals. Yet, we ail a r e al
most alike, inside and out. We all have Imost
t h e same basic n ee d s and d e sire s. We al' need
food, w ater and s h e lte r. We all d e s ir e love,
f r i e n d s and h ap p in ess. Yes, we have a few
minor d iffe re n c e s like size, color and p r e f e r
ences. The m anipulators in s tig a te race and
religious p r e ju d ic e s to keep u s from uniting.
When we realize t h e fa c t t h a t we will all be

56

ERNEST MANN

better off In the long run, by cooperating in

stead of competing, we can begin to appreci
ate differences and accept each o th ers help.
Perhaps then love will flow more naturally.
Down through the ages and even today the
Elite use the old "Divide and Rule" concept
with th eir relentless encouragement of compe
tition, to keep us fighting one another instead
of cooperating to get ourselves out of our
bondage. We could do it easily, with both our
hands tied behind our backs, if we cooperated
because th e re are over 98.6% of us.
In 1980 98.6% of the U.S. population made
an adjusted gross income of less than $50,000.
1.3% made between $50,000 and a million and
only .0018% (4,112 people) made over a million
dollars^. The few make the rules and we do
the work and pay the bills.
The world is populated by people who were
once Free individuals. But the minute they
submitted to, or elected a leader they became
slaves.
I see nothing wrong with asking advice
from someone I believe knows more about a
particular su b ject than I do. I will take that
advice and use it, if it sounds good to me.
And Im willing to give advice if asked. But I
do not wish to be forced to take advice, no
matter how good it Is.
In a mob or group, leaders are able to c re
ate a "mob hysteria" in which people do in
sane things th a t they wouldnt do If they
werent In th e group, e.g., lynchings, wars
and religious atrocities.
Freedom began in my mind. As I discovered
and began replacing the negative and limiting
programming in my bio-computer (mind) with
positive programs which helped me discover
my biocomputers limitless potential, I began
IWorM

1983.

I WAS ROBOT

57

to experience my Power and th e real meaning

of FREEDOM. Freedom is not a b a tte ry o r a
b rassiere. Freedom is th e Natural Way of Life
which o u r a n c e s to rs lost, long long long ago,
th ro u g h th e ir Ignorance about s u p e rs titio n s ,
magic, wage slav ery , politicians and gov
ernment.
When I began to believe t h a t I would be
b e tte r off with th e Priceless Economic System,
I began to promote t h a t new system with all
my en e rg y . I may as well have th e BEST t h a t
I can help to create.
I have asked myself and my f r ie n d s th e s e
questions:
1. Would th e individual be b e tte r off if
e v e ry th in g were fr e e and e v e ry o n e worked
without pay o r Profit?
2. Is it more fun to give o r to sell?
3. Is it more fun to do some work fo r some
one for fre e o r to work for pay?
4. Would th is be t r u e for mostly e v e ry o n e?
5. Then wouldnt e v e r y th in g be f r e e fo r
ev ery o n e, if e v e ry o n e enjoyed giving more
th an selling?
6. Wouldnt ev e ry o n e be h a p p ier th e n ?
A ugust 4, 1986

58

ERNEST MANN

O N E - W A Y

T X O K E T

We each have a one-way ticket

through life.
If we d o n t enjoy each minute
of the journey,
i t s our own damn fault.
We had better start
doing what makes our heart sing,
RIGHT NOW!
Why not?
We will never get another chance
to use this moment."
We cannot own it

but we can use it.

We can use it to our detriment,

we can just let it drift by
or we can use it wisely.
We actually have a choice
at this very moment!
June 24, 1988

59

BECOMING

MORE

RREE

1. Getting More Free Time:

A.
I am wasting less of my time (LIFE
with THOUGHT LEADER media. They a re like
s p e c ta to r s p o rts . They cause me to live life
vicariously, i.e., s e c o n d -h an d , not real, only
in fan ta sy . These mind co n d itio n ers a re su b tly
designed to c re a te not only fe a r and a n g e r
emotions bu t also c re a te feelings of guilt and
inadequacy. How many times have you heard
y our fellow Americans intimate t h a t we a r e th e
"cause" of th e worlds problems? That o u r
co rp o ratio n s a re doing th e s e bad th i n g s to
th e environm ent and to people? Did you e v e r
stop to realize th e fact t h a t th e s e Giant Multi
national Conglomerates a re "controlled" by a
few Intern atio n al Elite people. Not Americans!
But th ey have laid t h a t GUILT t r i p on th e
Americans. If we c a r r y guilt, a re we ea sie r to
manipulate?
These feelings stifle growth and keep one
secu re ly In o n es ru t.
And of c o u rs e th e more visible p u rp o s e of
t h e media is to c r e a te a deep h u n g e r to ac
q u ire (BUY! BUY! BUY!) and keep up with th e
Joneses. "Buying" u se s up my sa v in g s. I
s p e n t 22 y e a r s of my TIME (life) working as a
Wage Slave. I helped p e r p e tu a te th e s t a t u s
quo, i.e., a c o u n try of 98.6% Slaves and less
th a n 1% Elite (49 Billionaires). I d o n t wish to

60

ERNEST MANN

do th a t any more.
Almost every time I buy something, I am In
fact, hiring the industrialist to hire one of us
for wages, to drill another hole in the bottom
of our boat, i.e., to destroy our environment a
little bit more.
If I continue buying products from them, I
help sink th e boat in which we all ride.
As I stop buying th eir junk, I use th at
time and money to help build an economic
system in which it wont Profit anyone to drill
holes in our boat.
B.
I am talking less "trivia."
I try to
take responsibility and lead conversations into
areas th a t are meaningful and interesting to
me or I find someone else to talk with. This
gives me more meaningful input and more free
time; to think about what I really like to do
with my life (with th is moment), to experiment
with different ideas and to continue to expe
rience the ones I like best. I wish to discover
what it is like to be a "Natural" human being,
(instead of a "Normal" one, who conforms and
obeys) to see if I like th a t better. I spend
more of my time try in g to discover what
makes ME happy.
2. Got rid of all my debts and credit cards.
3. Getting rid of my su rp lu s possessions.
4. Getting my ren t down as low as I can.
5. Stopping my destruction of my body.
6. Teaching myself how to choose my
thoughts, so th a t I can choose not to linger
on self-d estru ctiv e tho u g h ts and am learning
to focus on thinking about creating more
freedom and happiness for myself.
7. Learning ways to live happily on very
little money, i.e., becoming more Independent.
(People with lots of money dont need to do
this. In th e p re se n t system MONEY is IN
DEPENDENCE.)
8. Experimenting with food. Im discovering

I WAS ROBOT

61

which fcx>ds and how much my body p re fe rs .

It tells me when I pay attention.
9. Get rid of my vehicle as soon as it feels
like a b urd en .
10. Wont attem pt to gain Power o v e r a n y
one. A slav e s chain has two ends.
11. S triv in g to be fre e and happy. I s h a r e
my methods of h ap p in ess with o t h e r s if th ey
a re in tereste d .
12. Overcoming th e fea r of being alone. I
realize t h a t loneliness is only a th o u g h t and I
am gaining control of my th o u g h ts .
13. Worrying
less
about
what
people
(including mother) th in k about me.
14. S ta rtin g to t r y
some new th in g s ,
frie n d s, places, skills, routes, foods, ideas,
etc.
15. When I drop ped out in 1969, I sto p p ed
o b s e rv in g all holidays, including b ir th d a y s
and Xmas. I dont give c a r d s o r g ifts on holi
days. However if I feel moved to give a gift
o r send one of my own self d esigned c a rd s , I
will do so, b u t not on a governm ent d e s ig
nated holiday. I th in k I m almost o v e r t h a t too
now. I get enough gift giving satisfaction
from " g iv in g my f r e e n ew sletter (my work).
The holidays card and gift exchanging was
a te r r ib l e waste. I received th in g s I d id n t
want and co u ld n t g et rid of without h u rtin g
someones feelings and th e g ifts I b o u g h t were
p robably j u s t as d ete ste d .
Only th e s t o r e s gained from all t h a t old
nonsense. I am enjoying my complete igno
ran ce of holidays. On th o s e d ay s I do j u s t as
I do on any o t h e r day, except th e y a r e a n u i
san ce sometimes when I attem p t to bank o r
post office.
16. A bsorbing new and useful in p u t into
my biocomputer and avoiding much triv ia,
helps me s u r p a s s my old program ing of
g a rb a g e In g a rb a g e out," i.e., my old way

62

ERNEST MANN

of life.
Each person has the potential to become a
genius in some area. But most are too busy
with trivial diversions.
Plow your furrows deep, while sluggards
sleep, and you shall have corn to sell and
keep."
Benjamin Franklin
Trivial Diversions

How much is too much?

What portion of my conversation Is trivia?
How can I expect to accomplish anything
but TRIVIA if I allow th a t to be my major fo
cus? (However, at this point in time, I seem to
need some trivia. My ability to focus on the
important is still quite limited.)
Democracy Is Not Freedom
(Except for the Elite)

I was programmed to feel rev eren t when

ever I heard, saw or thought the word
"Democracy." Tears would almost form in my
eyes. I assumed th a t Democracy was a won
derful thing to have. I never looked it up in
the dictionary. I never thought of it as
"Government and Bureaucrats."
I thought of
it as an entity; being th ere to protect, care
for me and give FREEDOM! What an ignoramus
I was. I had no notion th a t th e re was any
"alternative" except some worse kind of gov
ernment. I took it all for granted. I assumed I
(we) controlled it because I (we) voted. It was
a DEMOCRACY! How naive I was. J u s t another
one of the "suckers" Barnum said is born ev
ery minute.

I WAS ROBOT

63

Webster's New World Dictionary:

Democracy: Government by th e people, di

rectly o r th ro u g h re p re s e n ta tiv e s .
Government: The exercise of a u th o rity o v er
a s ta te (people), organization, etc.; control;
rule.
To rule someone wasnt t h a t what slave
m asters did? Is governm ent j u s t th e "fro n t
men" of th e slave ow ners? Well, I re fu s e to
play t h a t game anymore. I will not be owned!
The "Rule of th e Majority" is a farce!
In p ractice it has always been, "The Rule
of th e Minority," i.e., th e m anipulators, i.e.,
th e Elite.
No th a n k you! You can have them both. I
dont have a need o r a d e sire to be ruled by
e ith e r o r anyone!
DEMOCRACIES and o th e r g o v ern m en ts have
kep t people in Wage Slavery for th e p a st
5,000 y e a rs or more.
ALL GOVERNMENTS a re basically th e same - th ey RULE!
Rules c re a te conformity.
Rules p e r p e tu a te th e s t a t u s quo.
Rules p ro d u ce sla v ery .
Rules stifle c re a tiv ity .
Rules p r e v e n t INDIVIDUAL freedom!
I do not d e s ire to have people rule me di
rectly o r th r o u g h re p r e s e n ta tiv e s . I am not a
cow o r a sheep. I re f u s e to remain domesti
cated. I am fully capable of Ruling myself! I
do not d e s ire to ru le anyone. I j u s t want to
be FREE! And I am g ettin g more f r e e because
Im not playing t h e i r games much anymore. I
no longer GIVE my c o n sen t to be ruled. I
d o n t vote fo r a Ruler o r fo r Laws any more!
My chosen work r ig h t now is writing and
p u b lish in g . I give my work fo r fr e e in my
Little Free P r e s s n ew sletter. My p a s t 18 y e a rs
of pay Ie s s working have been f a r more fu n
and s a tis fy in g th a n my p re v io u s 22 y e a r s of

64

ERNEST MANN

paid working.
Volunteers have more freedom tlian paid
workers.
Wlien everyone Is a volunteer everything
will be FREE for me, and for everyone else as
well!
February 12, 1987

S L A V E

A T T X T U D E

To protest
is to admit subservience.
A slave begs or makes weak demands
to his/her Master for changes.
To build and create
is to be in charge.
A Freeperson (a God) makes change.
We are either Slaves or Gods.
If we acknowledge someone else
as God or Boss,
that makes us something less.
We just gave away
our freedom, our Godhead.
We gave away (or sold)
the control of our life.
We have a right to do this.
We have as much right
to give away our power,
as a leader has to accept i t .
It is our choice
once we become aware of i t .
Since I discovered myself
to be a lion,
I quit acting like a sheep.

65

WORLD

WAR

III?

Will it soon seem logical to th o se who con

trol th e World-wide Pay System Game to cause
a s e v e r e d epressio n as th e y did in t h e 30s?
Is th is how th e Game must go to term inate
th e corcinuous y e a rs of inflation since 1930?
And th en , must th e Pay System Game have
a n o th e r World War to pull us o u t of th is
d e p re ssio n ? Is th is th e way th e P a y /P ro fit
System Game must be played to make it work?
If so, maybe we should quit playing th is
dumb game and s t a r t a sm art game w here we
d o n t need to beat o u rs e lv e s to death.
How many more farm s and homes will th e y
foreclose on? How many more b u s in e s s people
will be d riv en b a n k r u p t? When will th e y col
lapse th e stock m arket? How many more b an k s
will th ey close? Hou/ many more city gang
wars will th e y in stig ate? How much more
violence in th e s t r e e t s will th ey s ta g e with
a g e n t p ro v o c a te u rs ? When will th e y have one
of t h e i r p u p p e ts s t a r t World War III, by
launching th e f i r s t missile a tta c k s on o u r
cities? (Nuclear o r b lo c k b u s te rs you get
j u s t as dead.)
When? When th e lead ers decide we a r e
meek, sc a re d and b ro k e enoughl

66

ERNEST MANN

WHEN THEY ATTEMPT TO DRAFT YOU OR

YOUR SWEETHEART, YOUR SON OR YOUR
FRIEND FOR THEIR NEXT WAR - - WHAT WILL
,YOU SAY?
Why?

Corporations make gigantic profits when

they
supply
governments with OIL for
"defense." Can you imagine the Profits they
make when they sell army bases, naval bases
and missile bases for "Defense?" Think how
much money they collect annually from gov
ernment on ju s t th e upkeep and maintenance
of these bases. Not to mention tires, typew rit
ers, computers, uniforms, housing, d ru g s and
even contraceptives for Defense.
Think how corporate Profits will soar, when
governments are "at war" using up and
destroying these products and bases!
SHALL WE CONTINUE SLAVING AWAY FOR
THE BIG CORPORATIONS SO THAT THEY CAN
CONTINUE TO REAP PROFITS FROM DEFENSE
CONTRACTS?
98.6% of th e U.S. population earned less
than $50,000 adjusted gross income in 1980.
1.3% earned between $50,000 and $1,000,000.
,0018% (4,112 individuals) made more than a
million dollars.
Do you think any of th e 98.6% have the
time, money, expertise or the desire to s ta r t
World War III?
Which group does th e shit work and foots
th e bill?
Which group manages the corporations?
Which group are the people in, who make
th e decisions to s t a r t war?
Is the War-profit potential great enough to
tempt th e World Elite to enact another
"surprise" attack, like they did on Pearl Har

I WAS ROBOT

67

bor? How much easier for them now with

Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles.
We have always had wars and always will
have wars UNTIL we tak e th e Profit o u t of
war!
Time fo r P revention?
There is still time to p r e v e n t World War III
rig h t up to th e last minute before th e Elite
decide to have th e b u tto n s pushed to launch
th e f i r s t 1,000 missiles on o u r cities and th e
"enemys" cities.
No m atter how good we a re told o u r missile
d efen ses a re (you know how inefficient gov
ernm ent is) some missiles a re bound to hit
o u r cities. Then Americans will see and feel
what WAR does to homes, frie n d s, lovers and
children. It wont be like World War II with
Americans enjoying safe easy "Defense" jobs
with lots of overtime, big wages and plenty of
money to spend. In stea d , it will be worse than
Londons "Buzz Bombs," d e s tro y in g a few
ap artm e n t buildings and killing a few people
each time one d ro p s unexpectedly o u t of th e
sky. No! The In terco n tin en tal Ballistic Missiles
c a r r y much more d e v a sta tin g war heads and
b e tte r t a r g e t finding technology.
"WORLD WAR III, MAY NOT BE HEALTHY FOR
LITTLE CHILDREN AND OTHER LIVING THINGS."
Who Is T ry in g ?
Do you know of anyone who recognizes th e
basic cau se of War and is actively tr y i n g to
eliminate it?
I have read o r heard of no one in th e r e g
ular news nor in th e U n d erg ro u n d news
(except th e Little Free P re s s n e w sletter) who
is promoting a P ro fitless economic system . The
Communist, Socialist, A narchist, Capitalist, Lib
e rta ria n and religious sy stem s all use money.

68

ERNEST MANN

So, where th e re is money or barter, th e re is

a way for the Elite to get th eir hands on the
lions sh are of It, and even more so, when at
War.
Therefore if almost "no one" is promoting
the workable solution isnt it logical to as
sume th at the Profiteers will prevail and s ta rt
WW III, whenever they please, with no effec
tive opposition? J u s t like leading their lambs
to slaughter!
Many good people have become alert to the
fact th a t the "system" is doing bad things to
our people, planet and other living things.
They have discovered the symptoms of
destruction growing in our "life-support"
system. They have warned us th at human ex
tinction will happen soon if we dont take ac
tion to halt this destruction.
This is an extremely vital work these peo
ple are doing shaking-up people who are
"working, consuming and doing the TV Trance
Dance." People need to become aware of the
fact th a t something is wrong before they can
relate to "help make change."
People may
need to become angry before they can leave
th eir secure routines (ru ts) and take action.
Many good people are already working with
Nuclear Freeze, Central American and other
revolutions, Third World exploitation, world
hunger, pollution, alternative energy, animal
cruelty and helping people in world catastro
phes.
Nuclear arms and all Defense is Profitable.
After a Revolution, people end up with the
same or a new group or Party of profiteers
exploiting them.
Cash crops produce Profit and Hunger.
In d u strialists make more Profit by polluting
than by reclaiming and recycling th eir wastes.
Farmers make more Profit by polluting than
by fariTiii.g organically.

I WAS ROBOT

69

Oil ca rte ls Profit by ignoring and su b d u in g

alte rn a tiv e en e rg y .
Drug companies Profit from animal cru elty .
When a c tiv ists begin to see t h a t th e same
basic motive is behind most all th e worlds
problems, they will see th e ir "common i n t e r
est." They will see t h a t by cooperating with
th e o th e r o rg an izatio ns th ey can become more
effective. Instead of b u rn in g up o u r e n e rg y
fighting th e system, we will use t h a t same e n
erg y to cooperate and build a NEW system
which will not include th e "prime cause" of
problems t h a t we s h a r e in common today.
That "prime cause," of course, is Profit.
More Profit can be made by doing th e s e d e
s t r u c t i v e th in g s to life th an by doing o t h e r
wise. li. is t h a t simple.
The problem is not political, b u t economic.
So how do we s e t up an economic (production
and d istrib u tio n of goods) system which will
o p e ra te without th e Profit motive?
That is also simple, a fte r some th o u g h t. To
day in ev e ry c o u n try of th e world, people
ta k e "pay" (or Profit) for t h e ir work and
must " p a y fo r p ro d u c ts and se rv ic es. Pay
(or Profit) is th e p r e s e n t world-wide motive
for working. So we merely need to c h a n g e th e
work motive.
We merely need tn show people t h a t if th ey
would work as v o lu n te e rs and make th e ir
work into p leasu rab le ex p erien ces and use
automation and ro b o ts fo r th e dull and d a n
g e ro u s work, th e y could th e n d i s t r i b u t e th e ir
p r o d u c ts and s e rv ic e s fre e of ch a rg e . Then
th ey would have no need fo r money (pay).
They would t h u s relieve th em selv es of th e
d r u d g e r y of being "forced" to work and th e y
would rid th em selv es of th e b u r d e n s of taxes,
governm ent, war, pollution, h u n g e r, stealing
and money worries. These re w a rd s should be
su ffic ie n t to motivate v o lu n te e rs to work.

70

i f l N E S t MANN

There a re already 84 million

U.S.A. Why do they work?
In a priceless econori^i
th e job th ey lilted and
job training. They w o ^ ^
they
liked and
knoM
contribution allowed th e p r i c i t ^ i t
function. Work woyld th en
hobby. People could beCsnilie
work.
Some jobs allow one to work
pensive equipment which oh#
buy fo r ones home. When one doeiri^i
to" do something It can be p o r e fun
Most people tell me t h ^ no one wouM
if they didnt get paid. But
count for th e 84 million Ame^ricans who
as volunteers (as reported in th e
Science Monitor of March 30,

.
' - 'v '- c

r.'

71

I WAS ROBOT

Here is a partial list of th o se volunteers:

C u rre n t Volunteer S tre n g th
of 20 National Agencies^
Organizations
U.S. Committee for UNICEF
American Heart Association
American Cancer Society
United Cerebral Palsy
Muscular D ystrophy
American National Red Cross
National Boy Scouts of America
American Lung Association
National Assoc. Retarded Citizens
National E aster Seal Society
National Multiple Sclerosis Soc.
National Council of YMCA
Girl Scouts/U.S.A.
The A rth ritis Foundation
The National Foundation
The Salvation Army
National YWCA of U.S.A.
Camp Fire Girls, Inc.
Boys' Club of America
U.S.O.
Total

Number of
Volunteers
3.000.000
2J27,000
2.300.000
2.000.000
1.880.000
1,357,290
1,105,245
1,000,000
1,000,000
1,000,000
950.000
757,727
572,362
351.000
250.000
230.000
145.000
135.000
50.000
40.000
20,850,624

There were already nearly enough people

willing to work without pay to handle th e 104
million jobs t h a t t h e r e were in th e U.S.A. in
1980. Think of how many many more people
will be e a g e r to v o lu n te e r when th e y realize
t h e i r e ffo rts will rid th e world of the:

lAmerican Association of Fund Raising

Editorial Research Reports Dec. 12,1980.

Council,

1980;

72

ERNEST MANN

SEVEN GREATEST EVILS

WAR
STARVATION
POLLUTION
STEALING
TAXATION
MONEY WORRIES
GOVERNMENT
"Is an ounce of prevention, still worth a
pound of c u re ? *
What Can One Person Do?
It has done no good in the past to ask
governments to disarm. This only deals with
the symptom of the disease. To cure the ill - the CAUSE must be eliminated.
I had to face the fact th at PROFIT is the
cause of WAR! After I realized this I was
ready to help create an economic system in
which th e re is no Profit.
I help change the above "no one is help
ing to "everyone" by spreading th e word on
what and whom CAUSES War.
I t r y to tell people how we can set up an
economic system which will be almost like Par
adise for everyone, with no reason to s ta rt
Wars.
I tr y to use th a t Utopian System In a small
way in my own life. I make my life a little
richer and b etter today. This will make my
tomorrows better, with something to look forward to. "Hope" is what it is called. Happiness
and satisfaction began some years ago for me
when I decided th a t I work on the worlds
most important and u rg en t task helping to
free us all, of the burdens and misery of
WAR!
This near Utopian or Paradise system could
be called the Priceless Economic System. It

I WAS ROBOT

73

would c re ate t r u e Freedom for th e Individual!

"Power to th e People." is meaningless. P rice
less Economics r e t u r n s "Power" o v er o n es
own life, to th e individual. This is what
FREEDOM is really all about!
Individuals would th en have Power ov er
what p ro d u c ts o r s e rv ic e s th ey would tak e
and how much they would take. P ro d u c ts and
serv ic es would then have no resale value and
they could not be s t a t u s symbols because
th ey would be fre e fo r everyone. It would
only be a b u rd en to tak e more th an one
needed.
There would no longer be a Profit in c r e
ating sca rcitie s b ut much a d v a n ta g e in c r e
ating abundance. With abundance, s e lfish n e ss
and greed become obsolete. "In a d e s e r t, no
one steals sand from th e ir neighbor."
With Priceless Economics, each individual
would control th e when, where, why and who
th ey accepted p r o d u c ts and s e rv ic e s from or
worked for. Thus, V olunteers would be tre a te d
decently o r th e y could quit anytime and
would still get e v e r y th in g they wanted fre e of
ch a rg e.
The more V olunteers a place of work had,
th e fewer h o u rs each worker would need to
c o n trib u te to p ro d u ce ab u n d an ce, so it would
be to e v e ry o n e s a d v a n ta g e to e n c o u rag e and
n u r t u r e newcomers and give them fre e o n th e - jo b train in g .
We d o n t need to convince th e whole 4 1/2
billion world population. The little kids p r e tty
much do what t h e i r p a r e n ts do. Most of th e
v ery old a re no help or hin d ran ce. Most of
them a re j u s t t r y i n g to hold it to g e th e r. The
silent majority mostly j u s t conforms to w hat
e v e r th e media tell them is "Public Opinion,"
i.e., th ey do what th ey a re told.
So really, we have only a few " th in k e rs ,
s h a k e r s and movers" to reach with th e s e logi

74

ERNEST MANN

cal advanced ideas, then the youth, aged and

silent majority will jump on the band wagon
so fast, itll make your head swim. Then they
will say, "I was for it all along. I ju st didnt
think anyone else was." (Almost everyone tells
me that, now!)
If you can relate to these ideas, you can
decide for yourself what you will do to help
promote them.
10/24/85

I WAS ROBOT

75

THE PAY SYSTEM

The Pay System is a system in which peo
ple work for profit or pay. This makes p r o d
u cts and s e rv ic e s cost money.
WORK: People own in d u s try , p ro p e r ty and
natural re s o u rc e s if th ey make a profit. The
re s t of us work fo r them. We work w h erev er
and w henever th ey want us. Were afraid t h a t
o th e r w orkers may tak e o u r jobs. Ju n k p r o
duction, p a p e r shuffling and o th e r useless
jobs flourish if someone profits.
Useless
p ro d u c ts and planned obsolescence c re a te mil
lions of jo b s and r e q u ir e to n s of natural r e
s o u rc e s and e n e rg y . Work is boring, u n
healthy and unfulfilling.
NEEDS:
E v ery th in g t h a t we want co sts
money so t h e r e is reason to steal and s ta rv e .
RELATIONSHIPS: We get bad feelings from
o u r work and bad feelings from not g ettin g
all th e th in g s we need. Were u n h ap p y. Being
d e p e n d e n t on someone for o u r needs, we often
form o u r rela tio n sh ip s unwisely.
CONTROL: There is p ro fit in stealing, wars
and pollution; so we have a need for police,
soldiers, governm ent and taxes. Most people
a re u n h ap p y with th e Pay System.
SWITCH-OVER: We can p r e s e r v e th is g r e a t
world-wide Pay System and
p r e v e n t any
sw itc h -o v e r if we all co n tin u e to work fo r pay
and be insatiable consum ers.

76

ERNEST MANN

THE PRICELESS ECONOMIC SYSTEM

The PES is a system in which all people
work for free. This makes all products and
services free.
WORK: No one will care to own industry,
property or natural resources when they
can't make a profit from them, so we will each
be our own boss. We will work wherever we
choose. Other workers will welcome us and
teach us because the more help they have,
the fewer hours they will each need to work.
We will then stop doing junk production, pa
per shuffling and all other useless jobs. This
will free millions of workers and resources for
essential production. Well make our work en
joyable, healthful and fulfilling.
NEEDS:
Everything that we want will be
free so th e re will be no need to steal or
starve.
RELATIONSHIPS: We will get good feelings
from our work and good feelings from getting
all the things we need. Well be happier. Not
being dependent on anyone for our necessi
ties we will form our relationships more
wisely.
CONTROL: There will be no profit in steal
ing, crookedness, wars or dishonesty so well
have no need for government, taxes or
boundaries. All people will be happier with
PES.
SWITCH-OVER:
As soon as everyone
u n d erstan d s and wants the Priceless Economic
System well all switch over together.

77

unroF>i/v M O W

f>o s s i b l _e

A revolutionary b re a k th ro u g h in employee
motivation may be forthcoming which will make
jobs so a ttra c tiv e , in te re s tin g and enjoyable
t h a t employees will work without pay. These
v o lu n te e rs will be a ttr a c te d by good working
conditions, th e latest in fine tools, machines
and technology, such as;
robots, com puters,
satellite communication system s, etc. Volunteerism would eliminate th e "monetary cost" of
production which in t u r n would permit all
p ro d u c ts and s e rv ic e s to be d is trib u te d fre e
of ch arg e, t h u s allowing people to work with
out pay and enabling In d u s try to p ro v id e th e
marvelous technologies and tools. Work would
th en become a privilege instead of a duty.
This P riceless Economic System would cause
th e following d e p a rtm e n ts to become u n
n e c e ssary :
1. Payroll
6. In s u ra n c e
2. Sales
7. Legal & Tax
3. A dvertising
8. Much Accounting
4. C redit
9. Much Admlnistra.
5. Banking
10. S ecu rity
This would make trem en d o u s s a v in g s in
r e s o u r c e s and e n e rg y and fre e more th an 16
million people for useful work.
People leaving th e s e u n n e c e s s a ry
jo b s
could v o lu n te e r fo r any jo b s th e y liked and
receive fre e o n - t h e - jo b tra in in g and begin to

78

ERNEST MANN

learn and produce Immediately.

Volunteers take more responsibility to do
b etter work and create better working en
vironments for themselves. Instead of working
because one "had to" and hating it, people
would work because they desired to. Then
employees would take more interest and think
of ways to make improvements, thereby get
ting satisfaction from th eir work in creative
ways without p re s s u re to make profits.
The people who now claim they own the raw
materials would then have no need for money
because everything would be free for ev ery
one. Regardless of their claimed "ownership,"
th e ir employees would be distributing the raw
materials free of charge as would all employ
ees in all industry and on farms.
Stockholders would have no need for money
nor any reason for worries about inflation,
depression or stock market ulcers. They could
use th eir certificates for wallpaper.
Because everything would be free there
would be no reason to steal. 94% of the peo
ple in prison and jails^ are th e re for stealing.
Priceless economics would end 94% of the need
for:
1. 4,052 jails and prisons
2. 630,000 lawyers and judges
3. 1,267,000 g u ard s and police
4. 412,000 prisoners
Thus giving us 2,170,460 more people to
help with th e essential work.
There would no longer be a reason to
s ta rv e or revolt when everything is free.
Malnutrition would become a thing of the past
when land Is used to feed people instead of
for "cash crops," soil bank income and spec
ulation.
IStatistical Abstract of the U.S., 1985; American Prisons
& Jails> 1980, Vol. 3.

I WAS ROBOT

79

Because t h e r e would no longer be a

"profit" in s ta r tin g wars, t h e r e wouldnt be a
need fo r defense o r military, t h u s releasing:
1. 223.3 billion dollars worth of re s o u rc e s
each year.
2. 4.1 million active military personnel, dir e c t- h ir e civilians and defense related work
ers.
When th e u n n e c e s s a ry d ep a rtm e n ts a re
discontinued we could stop producing th e
su p p lies th e s e d ep a rtm e n ts had been consum
ing, i.e., th is would lower th e demand for:
1. office buildings
5. fix tu re s
2. office machines
6. electricity
3. su p p lies
7. facto ries
4. f u r n i t u r e
8. fuel, etc.
This would sav e millions of human workh o u rs and billions of to n s of raw materials.
S avings in c h e c k -o u t clerk s, c a s h ie rs and
cash r e g i s t e r s alone would be fan tastic.
With no monetary cost for labor, materials,
re n t, e n e rg y and machines, it would become
feasible to reclaim and p ro c e ss all facto ry
waste materials and use it to restock su p p lies
fo r o t h e r production instead of polluting
th e environm ent.
With f r e e labor, th e fa rm e rs would all be
able to p rac tic e o rg a n ic farming m ethods and
p ro d u ce more n u tritio u s food and halt th e i r
pollution.
T here would be no inducem ent to ru s h new
p r o d u c ts into th e market. They could be t h o r
oughly te s te d to g et all th e b u g s o u t and be
s u r e th e y were safe and t h a t t h e i r w astes
could be reclaimed.
With p rice le ss economics t h e r e wouldnt be
a reason for special i n te r e s t g ro u p s to s u p
p r e s s c h e a p e r e n e rg y s o u rc e s, more efficient
p ro d u ctio n and d is trib u tio n m ethods and ma
c h in es which used less o r c h e a p e r fuels.
With p ric e le ss economics t h e r e wouldnt be

80

ERNEST MANN

a profit in designing planned obsolescence

and planned deterioration into products. In s t
ead products would be designed for utility,
long life, efficiency, beauty, safety and be
tro u b le-free and easy to repair with universal
parts.
Work would take on a new meaning. It
would become an a r t and employees would all
become a rtis ts doing creative things to make
th eir products or services better and the
process more enjoyable.
People would no longer resist automation
and robots because these machines would be
employed to do the dangerous and boring
work. This would f u rth e r reduce human
working hours.
We may discover the fact th a t we have
very little or no need for government,
thereb y saving most of the nearly trillion
dollar budget and freeing 15.8 million more
people for essential work. The few useful s e r
vices which government now performs are:
1. postal service
5. forestry
2. fire departm ents
6. parks
3. sewer and water
7. and others
4. highways
These departments could function more ef
ficiently without bureaucratic and political in
terferen c e and without budget limitations.
People would no longer have:
1. money worries
5. taxes
2. credit problems
6. recessions
3. rent/m tg. pymts.
7. inflation
4. unemployment
There would be no need for TV commercials
and war fear mongering. This will reduce
s t r e s s and restore hope and confidence.
There would be an abundance of good food^
ZThere are 7.28 acres of food-growable land per person in
the world, FAO Production Yearbook, 1981, Vol. 35, By
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

I WAS ROBOT

81

for everyone and much more fre e time to e n

joy ones family and frie n d s. Happy people get
along b etter. People could then cooperate in
stead of compete and c reate a s y n e rg y which
would yield more health, cre ativ ity , efficiency
and happiness.
There would no longer be a reason to c r e
ate make-work p ro jects. There is plenty of
important work which needs to be done.
Without th e s t r e s s e s of th e Profit System,
people could enjoy working with th e n e a t
fa n ta stic tools, machines and com puters which
in d u s try provides. Work would th en become a
place th a t people could go to enjoy them
selves, to gain satisfaction in cre atin g b eau
tiful p ro d u c ts or s e rv ic e s and enjoy th e
cam araderie th a t would be sh are d . Work could
become o u r most t r e a s u r e d recreation.
We have what it ta k e s to p ro d u ce a b u n
dance:
1. resources^
4. machines
2. labor
5. facto ries
3. skills
6. land
With an a b u n d a n c e of top quality p ro d u c ts
which were free, t h e r e would be no reason to
ta k e too much. Too much, is a b u rd e n and
fre e th in g s a re not s t a t u s symbols.
Competing companies could th en cooperate
to p ro d u c e th e b est p ro d u c ts th ey could mu
tually design cooperation being more effi
cient th an competition.
The "Law of Supply and Demand" would
function more efficiently when we work to fill
th e demand, r a t h e r th an attem p t to c r e a te th e
demand.
This Motivation Revolution would work b est
on a worldwide scale because ALL th e worlds
people would be fa r b e tte r off with th is new
3Buckminister
Fullers "World
Game"
findings.
statistics from: Handbook of Labor Statistics,
Dept. of Labor.

Other
1983,

82

ERNEST MANN

system. Underdeveloped nations could then

develop as quickly as they desired, with free
guidance from advanced nations if they
wished it.
If we are able to increase the life of
durable goods (cars for example) to twice
th eir p resen t useful life, th at alone would re
duce the consumption of resources for
durable goods by 50% and reduce working
hours for th eir production by half.
When the 38 million people now engaged in
th e above mentioned non-essential jobs; enter
essential employment, they will greatly reduce
the working hours for everyone or, they
will greatly expand certain fields, such as;
research and development, reclamation of fac
tory waste products, cleaning up the envi
ronment, working on organic farms, th e space
program a n d /o r they may p refer to slow
down the pace of all work to have more time
to enjoy th e journey through life.
Priceless economics would create an almost
Utopian atmosphere by eliminating the seven
g rea test problems of th e world.
"Giving" produces b etter feelings than
"selling."
Getting something for "free* pro
duces b etter feelings than parting with
money. (Who can resist a Giver?)
Being p a rt of the work force which creates
this near Utopia would be an Honor. Thus, we
would pass something on to o u r children and
grandchildren th a t fu tu re generations would
be grateful for and remember us by, instead
of th e wars, pollution and starvation th a t our
p are n ts and g ra n d p a re n ts left for us.
Some say th a t people dont deserve Utopia,
but if people create it they will deserve it!

I WAS ROBOT

83

End Wars, Pollution and Begin Utopia

First:
MY job which I have chosen for
rig h t now, is to get th e word out and get
people talking and a rg u in g about th e P rice
less Economic System.
Second: After ev e ry o n e u n d e r s t a n d s P rice
less Economics th ey can s e t a date to all stop
taking pay and begin giving all p ro d u c ts and
se rv ic e s fre e of charge.
July 20, 1985

84

ERNEST MANN

"While
we still breathe
there is hope.
Tarzan

86

-I O

MAKING

CHANGES

We could be on th e v e rg e of a s tu p e n d o u s
leap forw ard into th e Space-age. One which
would make th e last 50 y e a rs look like a
sn ails pace. A b r e a k - th r o u g h which would
p rod u ce e n e rg y s o u rc e s and th e ir utilization
to send people to o th e r galaxies and colonize
unpeopled planets. A real jump Into th e Sci
ence Fiction World! T here a re at least seven
rea so ns why we a re y e t unable to make th is
leap:
First: We dont have th e money.
Second: P a te n ts and big money enable oil
i n te r e s ts to keep certain e n e rg y s o u r c e s u n
d e r w raps and off th e market. P a te n ts also
keep in v e n to rs from th e s y n e r g y th e y could
develop, with each o th e r, if th e y s h a re d t h e i r
ideas instead of concealed them. I n v e n to r s
would not need p a te n ts if e v e ry th in g th ey
wanted was free.
Third;
People d o n t do t h e i r b e s t when
th e y a re doing work th e y hate and know th e y
a re being exploited.
F ourth:
The wonderful billion dollar Bio
com puter we each c a r r ie s aro u n d u n d e r o u r
hat is not being n u r t u r e d and developed to
its full capacity. In fact, th e y a r e being
d iv e rte d , channeled, r e s tr ic te d and damaged.
Fifth: We a r e being b le d -d r y by t h e taxes,
low wages, rising prices, in t e r e s t and by

86

ERNEST MANN

Profiteers wasting o ur natural resources and

our labor.
Sixth; People are more creative and effi
cient when they are not being scared and
angered, as they are now, by the endless fear
and anger arousing of th e mass media.
Seventh:
Some inventors may be wise
enough not to release th eir Inventions to the
world, until its people have grown smart
enough to use them sanely. They may have
noticed th a t Competition has driven people to
rape and destroy environments, kill off entire
populations of natives and steal th eir land
and resources. Any intelligent person would
surmise th a t Competition would also drive
space explorers to these same practices on
o th er planets.
These seven reasons block our progress
into interstellar travel and exploration. If you
examine them closely, youll discover Profit Is
at the root of each one. This makes th e solu
tion simple. Produce and distribute the
worlds goods without making a Profit. Then
well all profit in th e long run.
Buckminister Fuller, with his World Game,"
years ago listed in his computer all the
worlds natural and recyclable resources. He
pinpointed where they were and how much
was available. He found th a t th e re was an
abundance of resources for the entire worlds
population. He discovered th e problem. The
resources were mostly owned or controlled by
the Elite few who held and manipulated them
for maximum Profit, instead of for maximum
benefit for people.
Banana Peeling
It may have been necessary for th e human
race to go th ro u g h thousands of years of
competition for the e a r th s resources, to
solidly learn th a t competition is the wrong

I WAS ROBOT

87

route to take, as we can almost see th e brink

of o u r self annihilation.
We may discover th e fact t h a t Cooperation
is much more pleasing and more efficient than
Competition. Think of th e reso u rces, lives and
time we will no longer waste on Wars, p r e p a
ration for Wars, and th e Rebuilding a fte r each
War!
We a re sta n d in g at th e doorway of Coopera
tion. The door is open. All we each need to do
is walk th ro u g h it. There is no g u ard at th e
door to stop us, except o u r old idea t h a t
Competition is th e best. We dont have to wait
for th e rest. We can each ste p th r o u g h t h a t
doorway by o u r self o r with a frien d , today.
The r e s t will follow when th e y see th e fun we
a re having. Some people still need someone to
lead th e way. Some of us already have one
foot th ro u g h th e doorway and th e o th e r on a
banana peeling. We a re giving some of o u r
s u r p l u s th in g s and labor fre e of c h a r g e o r
obligation.
Fight Them?

Are we being en co u rag ed by th e big c o r

porations to f ig h t them? Does th is give them
fr e e publicity by g ettin g t h e ir names on f r o n t
pages and on TV? (Hollywood proved long ago
t h a t even bad publicity was good fo r p ro fits)
Does t h e i r stock go up ev e ry time t h e i r name
a p p e a rs in th e media? Take Honeywell, fo r in
s ta n c e we have been fig h tin g them fo r at
least 15 y ea rs, attem pting to stop them from
p ro d u cin g weapons. Why? They a re still
p ro d u cin g weapons. Does it drain us of o u r
e n e rg y and s p a r e time so t h a t we d o n t look
for th e prim ary cau se of why c o rp o ra tio n s
make war m aterials and why th e y pollute o u r
environm ent? Have we been sp in n in g o u r
wheels a g a in s t th e symptoms of o u r problems
and g ettin g nowhere f a s t? Is it costing us

88

ERNEST MANN

time (life) and money too? If an ounce of

prevention is still worth a pound of cure,
lets quit wasting ou r time (lives) fighting the
symptoms of a bad economic system and s ta r t
creating a better one.
There are millions of good sincere people
struggling, resisting and fighting the symp
toms. They are telling the Government to stop
Wars. They are telling Government to stop
Pollution. It does little good. We dont control
Government. We have allowed it to control us.
Are we being used as "dupes" by the big
corporations to clean up corporate messes?
After corporations have polluted land or a
river or stripped a forest, or have gone
broke, the government (I mean the taxpay
ers) often pays for the clean-up.
It is a good deal like trying to keep a
bathtub from overflowing by putting up side
boards and by bailing with buckets and mop
ping up what constantly overflows. Dont you
see th a t the obvious solution is to get at the
primary cause of the trouble and work on
that, i.e., tu rn off the faucet? We will never
be able to clean up the environment or plant
trees, etc. as fast as they are destroying
them. And why should we?
What would happen if these millions of good
sincere people withdrew th eir energy from
struggling and fighting and led the way, by
building an economic system (the production
and distribution of goods) in which th ere
would be no reason (Profit) to do these bad
th in g s to o ur environment and to people?
What would happen? This would s h u t off the
faucet! Then we could soon find our proper
place and balance in Nature.
We could build a world-wide economic s y s
tem th a t would be for people instead of for
Profit. Now, with all our new communication
equipment and home computers we could

I WAS ROBOT

89

change th e world-wide system in one year! All

th e worlds people a re in th e same bad fix
and most of them a re in much worse sh ap e
and would all welcome such a change. All th ey
lack is th e knowledge t h a t such a system is
available and th ey lack th e knowledge t h a t all
o th e r people would be as anxious to have it
as they.
FIRST of all, you must ask yourself, "Would
I be b e tte r off if e v e ry th in g I wanted
were fre e and I had no more money o r c re d it
worries and I could work at any kind of job I
wanted and get fre e o n - th e - jo b tra in in g ; and
th e r e would be no more reason (Profit) to
s t a r t wars and d estro y o u r environm ent and
people?" How could anyone answ er a n y th in g
but, "Yes!"? Wouldnt th is be t r u e fo r e v e r y
one else too? I have asked th o u s a n d s of peo
ple and o v e r SS% have said "Yes!"
That
o u g h t to be a s tro n g enough majority to make
it work and be easy to implement. Actually if
th e 4,112 people in th e U.S.A. who made o v er
a million dollars in 1980 really u n d ersto o d th e
Priceless Economics, th ey would s u re ly want it
too. They would get e v e ry th in g for free, j u s t
like e v e ry o n e else, and besides t h a t th ey
would have all fre e labor in th e ir factories.
They would have people working who really
enjoyed t h e ir jobs, made beautiful, efficient
and
long
lasting
p r o d u c ts
and
took
responsibility fo r doing good work. Now,
w o rk e rs s lu ff-o ff e v e ry chance th ey get, be
cau se th ey know th ey a r e n t g ettin g a fair
s h a r e of t h e i r p ro d u ctiv ity .
In th e c h a p te r, "What Can F arm ers Do?",
th e p e rc e n ta g e s I re p o rte d , a r e for th e total
num ber of individuals who filed tax r e t u r n s .
If we include th e people who d id n t make
enough to file, we must use th e total U.S.
population fo r 1980, which was 226,504,825.
This c h a n g e s th e s ta tis tic to:
98.6% of th e

90

ERNEST MANN

U.S. population in 1980 had adjusted gross

incomes of less than $50,000.
, This is a strong majority. As I point out in
the chapter, This Moment," we are in the
middle-lower-lower-lower class (and most of
us even lower) and we are the ones who are
doing all the worlds work. Who needs us?
"They" need us and we" need us. There Is
really no one to stop us from causing change.
It is "our" world. But th e re is our own s h o rt
sightedness. Our lack of hope. Our inability to
see th e alternative we have. Our inability to
see the value of our own individual contribu
tions of ideas and energy. Our unwillingness
to admit the SLAVERY we suffer. Our own
ignorance in taking jobs as police persons,
soldiers and ju d g es and suppressing our own
class. You never hear of any of the Elite be
ing sen t to prison for 30 years. Why? Yet
they s t a r t Wars which murder thousands of
people, ju s t for Profit.
We have been hoodwinked for thousands of
years into joining parties, movements, lodges,
clubs and radical organizations. Always we
have recognized leaders and followed them. We
gave them our Power and they always
screwed us. If th is were not so, we (98.6%)
would not still be in the middle-lower-lowerlower class (or lower) and we would not now
be feeling the financial screws being tig h ten
ed on us.
In Common

The Elite have one thing in common they

cooperate with each o ther and retain their
power. We 98.6% have one thing in common
we compete with each other and lose our
power.

I WAS ROBOT

If we
t h e r e is
monotony
r e s t home

91

Changes
dont make ch a n g es in o u r lives,
no growth only stagnation,
and a down-hill greased slide into a
and senility.

We can each begin rig h t now, by working

alone o r with frie n d s, to implement th e P rice
less Economic System. We can follow o u r own
common s e n se and s t a r t doing what we each
th in k would help. We can choose to follow
su g g e s tio n s of o t h e r s if th ey look logical to
us, but we a re not u n d e r any s t r e s s from any
P arty , Movement o r Government Leaders to
OBEY. This p u ts th e individual in control of
h i s / h e r life, i.e., in th e d r i v e r s s e a t fo r a
change. If we wish advice o r leadership on a
p a rtic u la r m atter we will seek o u t a p erson o r
book we th in k might be helpful, and th en still
have th e option of using it o r not. This p u ts
th e individual in control of only h er/h im self
and we d o n t give o u r power away to a
leader, m aster o r governm ent th is way. If we
do its Slavery!
The P riceless Economic System Is based on
th e fa c t t h a t If ev e ry o n e worked fo r fre e
(i.e., without pay o r profit) t h e r e would be no
monetary cost of production, so th e n all p r o d
u c ts and s e rv ic e s could be free." Anyone can
begin th is system , today, at t h e i r own a c c e p t
able pace. We can begin to make available th e
s u r p l u s "th in g s" we have accumulated. We can
Give them fo r f r e e to people who want them
o r sell them at co st o r lower, j u s t so we dont
make a Profit (u n le s s we need th e money
badly).
It is not as easy as it s o u n d s, to Give
th in g s . F irs t one m ust d isco v er who wants
them. Some people s e t up a Free Box in t h e i r
home and give t h e i r f r ie n d s f i r s t ch an ce at
t h e i r s u r p lu s . Some s e t up a Free Box at

92

ERNEST MANN

th e ir Co-op. Some put up notices in stores. I

saw a Free garage sale. These are the be
ginnings.
Some hand out papers, e.g., th e Little Free
Press newsletter, to encourage o th ers and ex
plain the new economic system and what it
will do for people.
Some make a directory of people who are
willing to sh are some of th eir spare time and
Give th eir skills and labor for free, to people
within a group of like-minded. You will no
doubt think of o ther ways to begin this new
system.
This example of people Giving away their
excess of things, products or services will
help o th e rs to see th is system would work
and is working for us and o thers already. As
people within your circle of friends u n d e r
stand what you are doing and set up their
own Free Boxes, you s t a r t to get some Free
things and services back. This gives you a
little less need for money, th u s enabling you
to Give even more. Once set into motion, this
idea should become a self perpetuating grow
ing energy force. Anyway, what can you lose
by try in g it, except your burdens?
Of course it is obvious th a t one should not
Give away more than one can spare. One must
fir s t take care of Number One. Have enough.
This keeps you fit and fiddle, th u s enabling
you to ca rry on this work. Actually, to have
too much su rp lu s is a burden, but to have a
little su rp lu s of some things is a must. We
each find ou r own balance. With these ex
periences you discover for yourself, which
you like b etter the sell way or th e Give a
way.
When th is idea becomes popular we can
vote, to set a change-over date so that
everyone can stop taking pay simultaneously.
I really believe th e Elite would like to see

I WAS ROBOT

93

th e PES happen. Remember, a slave-chain has

two ends. One of th e reasons th ey dont help
remove it, I th in k , is t h a t it Is something t h a t
must o riginate from us (the slaves) a fte r we
have su ffe red enough. We must offer o u r la
bor and o u r ideas for free, FIRST, before we
can make p ro d u c ts free. We must p u t some
corn into th e mill, before we can expect any
grits. AND we must expect to t u r n th e cran k
a little too. That is th e way life is, my frien d .
There is no "free lunch."
One must "bend
o v e r to pick up th e apple. It seldom falls
into ones mouth already chewed. Nor can
slaves be s e t free. They would only seek a n
o th e r Master. We need to f i r s t realize we a re
in bondage, decide what kind of life we would
like to have, th en we must ta k e o u r Freedom.
We will ta k e o u r Freedom by GIVING o u r la
bor, not selling It. WHEN YOU TAKE PAY
YOU MUST OBEY! In th e PES we will have e v
e ry th in g we want fo r free, so t h a t we wont
have to ta k e any s h it at work, any more, ei
th e r . If we a r e n t tre a te d rig h t, we can quit
and work where we a re ap p reciated .
This kind of Movement (w ithout leaders)
cannot be broken up o r sto p p ed easily, once
it g e ts s ta r te d . Without leaders, t h e r e Is no
top of th e pyramid to co n q uer, s u b v e r t , kill
o r buy off. People happy with th e ir new s y s
tem wont d e s ire to change.
I have been openly promoting th e PES
since 1972 and have n e v e r been hassled. I
believe th is is b ecause ev e ry o n e would really
like to have e v e r y th in g for f r e e and be al
lowed to work a t a job th ey really enjoyed.
The worlds g r e a t e s t u n d erta k in g =
"To
c h a n g e th e world system of living, from th e
com petitive (dog e a t dog) system to th e coop
e r a tiv e (s c r a tc h each o t h e r s back) system ."
The com petitive system is where you t r y to
ta k e something away from y o u r com petitors

94

ERNEST MANN

(everyone being your cx>mpetitor) and attempt

to gain th e most. You know how hard th a t Is!
The cxxDperatlve system is where people
(everyone being a cooperator) help each other
get enough from n atu re and no one wishes to
have too much. Too much being a burden.
With happy individuals we create a happy
society.
This undertaking looks impossible. But so
does a big oak tre e from a tiny acorn or 60
million spermatozoon in a little dab of come.
So does 75,000 seeds from one Lambs Quarter
plant. People knew th a t the Wright brothers
would never get th eir bicycle to fly. People
could easily see th at Thomas Edison would
never get his glass bottle to light up like a
candle.
Think how difficult It must have been thou
sands of years ago to make wild free people
into slaves forcing them to do things they
didnt want to do. Not unlike breaking wild
horses. But think how much easier it should
be to encourage people to do something th at
they would really like to do.
Of all the acorns a squirrel buries, if only
two grow into tre e s each year th e re will
soon be bucketsful more from each tree. If
you and I can plant our ideas where other
people will help them grow the idea will
multiply like th e acorn, even fa ste r than the
multiple progression of numbers pyramid.
You can see how important your participa
tion really is. If each squirrel didnt plant
lots of acorns, we wouldnt have oak tre e s al
most alt over th e world. It isnt what the
group or society does they do nothing. It
is what each individual (in o r out of a group)
does, th a t counts. If each individual does
nothing th e re is no change. Some people
will make changes in th eir own lives by sim
ply making copies of th is chapter and giving

I WAS ROBOT

95

them to frie n d s, (You h ere b y

have my
permission to do th is o r to r e p r i n t it in your
own publication. This book is being published
to end Profit!)
This ta k e s a lot of co u rag e
when doing it for th e f i r s t time. Then one
gains more co u rag e and does even more
rem arkable th in g s. One begins to discover
what power one has and what freedom is and
how to get more of it.
May 23, 1985

96

ERNEST MANN

PROGRESS
Progress is a mat
ter of trying new
ideas.
For example,
try - not beating
your head
a brick wall,
for a change.
See how you
like that.

97

WANTEOi

VOLUNTEER

CREW
Have you e v e r wanted to crew in space?
You a re even now a p a s s e n g e r on a gigantic
spaceship! We a r e tra v e lin g at 66,636 miles
p e r hour (18 1/2 miles each second) in o u r
o rb it around o u r e n e rg y source. Our s p h e re
sh ap ed ship is sp in n in g at 1,037 mph at its
eq u ato r. We may even be moving th ro u g h
space (with o u r little convoy of 8 planets,
moons and o u r e n e rg y ball) at a much h ig h er
velocity.
The s t a r s seem to be tra v e lin g th e same
ro ute at ab o u t th e same inconceivable speed.
We a re moving "Hell b en t on election, for:
no one knows where no one knows why
we c a n t locate th e Captain and weve d is
covered m alfunctions on board.
A few p a s s e n g e r s on S paceship E arth have
v o lu n teere d as crew p erso n s. They have b e
come aware of t h e fa c t t h a t o u r lif e - s u p p o r t
sy stem s on aboard ship a re being d e s tro y e d
by u n th in k in g p a s s e n g e rs . Our life -s u p p o r t
sy ste m s a re commonly r e f e r r e d to as "The
Environm ent." They a r e th e onboard sy stem s
which p ro d u ce all o u r food, air and water.
P a s s e n g e r s have u n th in k in g ly ta k e n fo r
g ra n te d t h e belief, t h a t o u r sy ste m s could
s u p p ly an unlimited amount, r e g a r d le s s of how

98

ERNEST MANN

much pollution they dump Into them.

We crew persons cannot tolerate having our
llfe-support systems damaged. Not any more
than a farmer would tolerate having a cow
stand on his foot. First well Inform the cow
th a t she Is on o u r foot. If th a t doesnt help
well tell her to get off our foot. If she p e r
sists we will be forced to use s tro n g e r means.
We must! Our survival Is at stake! Fortu
nately, people can think better than cows and
will not knowingly sink the ship they ride on.
Some p a rts of ou r life-support systems may
already be damaged beyond the point of no
retu rn " and o th e rs are rapidly approaching
th a t point where they will not be able to re
new themselves. Several species of life are
becoming extinct at an alarmingly accelerated
rate. All species have a place in o ur life-support food-chain and th e loss of even one,
eventually will affect th e entire balance of the
chain. Therefore, we are taking appropriate
actions to show p assen g ers th a t they have as
much need for functioning systems as we do.
FIRST:
We have discovered the problem.
Our air, water and soil are being poisoned.
SECOND:' We have discovered what causes
p assen g ers to compulsively continue th is de
struction.
A few thousand y ears ago a few p assengers
figured out a way to make people believe th a t
they (the Elite few) "Owned Spaceship Earth.
They invented a "Game" they called "Buy and
Sell" which was played with something they
called "Ownership" and "Barter" (which was
later streamlined into "Money.")
With this
Game they were able to invent "Slavery" be
cause they could buy people to be th e ir sol
diers and policemen, and th ere b y force their
scheme on th e remainder.
The Elite eventually discovered th e idea of
destroying the natives wild Free food supply

I WAS ROBOT

99

and th e ir Free places to live. They a re still

doing th is with poison s p r a y s , "No T r e s p a s s
ing" sig n s and o th e r pollution. This makes
people d e p e n d e n t on Money, to buy food and
sh elter, t h u s forcing them into th e Labor
Market.
In th e game of Buy and Sell one must make
a "Profit" in o r d e r to "Win."
The I n
d u s tria lis ts make more Profit when th e y dump
t h e ir "Wastes" into o u r riv e r s , o u r a ir and on
o u r land, th a n when th ey reclaim and recycle
them. The Farm ers make more Profit when
th ey use poison s p r a y s and artificial f e r
tilizers th an when th ey use safe o rg an ic
farming methods. We have trie d with "Laws"
to make them both stop, b u t to little avail.
They continue to d e s tro y o u r life - s u p p o r t
sy stem s j u s t to make more PROFIT!
Because th e Elite g ro u p (with t h e i r hired
so ld iers) convinced th e e a rlie r p a s s e n g e r s
t h a t th e Elite owned all th e stateroom s and
s e a ts on Spaceship Earth; th ey made th e p a s
s e n g e r s work, to make Money, to buy tic k e ts,
for sp ace on o u r sp acesh ip .
This Elite g ro u p did not build Spaceship
Earth. They did not buy it from some aliens
with a few b ead s and m irro rs and colorful
cloth. But fo r some s t r a n g e re a so n s we now
believe t h a t th e y own it?
They allow some of t h e p a s s e n g e r s to Own
small s p e c k s of it. T hus we th in k t h a t Own
e r s h ip is a good idea. But, t h e Elite claim
o w n ersh ip to t h e most and t h e b e s t of it.
Much of t h e sp ace sh ip , t h e Elite say, is
Owned by g r o u p s th e y call "Government."
But th e Elite a r e t h e o n es who ra p e t h a t so called Government Land of its tim ber and
minerals. So t h e Elite make more Profit. But
t h e r e s t of u s p a s s e n g e r s m ust Pay to use it.
P a s s e n g e r s will do almost a n y th in g fo r
Money (Profit). They d e s ire Money so t h a t

100

ERNEST MANN

they can Buy "Things." The Elite have con

vinced them th a t the people who have the
most Things are the BEST, and th at everyone
should
s t r i v e
to be th e BEST. This
they named Competition."
The more Things
th a t they convince us to Buy, the more we
must Work (for them) to Pay for our space on
Spaceship Earth.
So, th e re It is. This Game of "Buy & Sell"
is what is CAUSING good passengers to d e s tr
oy th eir own survival system.
THIRD: Now the solution. Instead of using
our time to continuously attempt to repair the
damages they are causing, we are setting up
a survival method th a t will yield no Profit to
those who are now damaging our systems.
We volunteer crew persons, who are now
taking action to correct this problem, are go
ing back to th e principles prevalent in the
prior system which worked for hundreds of
thousands of years to sustain Spaceship
Earth. Then all people were crew persons; as
are and were, all o ther living things on this
spacecraft. All things helped to keep balance
in the Nature of Spaceship Earth. They did
not attempt to Control it. They allowed it to
be. It worked harmoniously. They had no rea
son to shit in th e stream th at they drank
from. There would have been no Profit in
selling a water purification plant or selling
bottled imported water, then.
In th a t old system people "used" the space
they needed on th is old spacecraft. There was
no reason (Profit) to attempt to keep more
than one needed. There was plenty of space
and th e re still is. My p aren ts fed a family of
four with about a half acre garden on our
farm. BUT, with the p rese n t Buy. & Sell Game,
most people do not have access to th e ir share
(or even one half acre). Why not?
We volunteer crew persons are setting the

I WAS ROBOT

101

lead, blazing th e trail; we a re showing th e

p a s s e n g e rs what th ey a re doing to o u r lifes u p p o r t system s. We a re also showing them
how to live happily without doing th e s e de
s tr u c tiv e th in g s. We a re weaning o u rs e lv e s
from Money and Barter. We a re Giving o u r
s u r p lu s p r o d u c ts and se rv ic e s away, Free of
Charge. We dont make a Profit from th is
work, so we have no reason to lie, ch eat o r
do harmful th in g s to o u r ship. We a re work
ing at what we enjoy doing o r at what we be
lieve u rg e n tly n eed s to be done, at th is time.
The more p a s s e n g e r s who v o lu n te er for
crew d u ty , th e more Free th in g s will become
available for everyone. Then th e less need we
will have fo r Money; so th e more we will be
able to Give. This should work v ery well be
cause it is much more Fun to Give th an to
Sell. (Ask any sales person. You g et much
b e tte r feelings o u t of Giving something to
someone th an in tr y in g to Sell something to
them. Believe me! I s p e n t 22 y e a rs tr y i n g to
sell.)
With th is Free System, we have no reason
(Profit) to pollute and d e s tro y o u r life -s u p p o rt system. (Why drill a hole in y o u r boat If
you a re aware of th e fa c t t h a t w ater will come
in?) We end th e monetary co st of production.
Thus, e v e ry th in g becomes FREE again and so
do we become FREE again, as we were before
we sold [sic] o u rs e lv e s Into s la v e ry and b e
came domesticated.
We a re making immediate re d u c tio n s in in
d u strial pollution by not buying much of
a n y th in g , new o r used. Used is b e tte r , b u t it
usually allows th e seller to buy som ething
new. Because we a r e not buying; t h e s t o r e s
o r d e r less, so th e fa c to rie s p ro d u c e less,
t h e r e b y th e y pollute less. We a r e buying
mostly Organic Farm p r o d u c ts (when th e y a re
not o v e r p r ic e d ) t h e r e b y re d u c in g t h e demand

102

ERNEST MANN

fo r th e polluting fa rm e rs prod ucts. This new

demand for o rg an ic p ro d u c ts may encourage
more farm ers to c o n v e rt to organic p ro d u c' tion.
We v o lu n teer crew p e rso n s are making
CHANGES on Spaceship Earth by f i r s t making
th e ch an g es In o u r own personal lifestyles.
This is th e place where we have Immediate
control. We dont need to ask anyone. We
dont need a committee meeting. We dont need
to elect a new politician. We dont need to
ta k e around a petition o r ask for donations.
We dont need to impeach anyone. We dont
have to go on a long march o r picket th e
white house o r camp In fro n t of a bank. We
dont have to wait fo r anyone else. We dont
have to buy g u n s and learn how to shoot. We
j u s t go and do what we th in k Is rig h t and
b est for o u rse lf o v e r th e long haul.
We practice what we preach 1 Actions speak
louder th an words. And we a re having fun
doing It. We a re creatin g new lifestyles for
o u rse lv e s t h a t a re easier and leave us more
fre e time to learn more abo ut what fun Is re
ally all about! We a re making o u r work into a
F UNGAMEl Why not? I t s la te r th an you think!
We had b e tte r learn to have fun today. Be
cause tomorrow n e v e r really g ets here. All we
really have in life is today, actually all we
have is th is MOMENT! If we make th e most of
th is moment, th e n we a re really LIVING!
We a re Giving away o r selling cheaply o u r
s u r p lu s accumulations. We a re discovering th e
fact th a t each Thing th a t we Own demands
something from us. When we buy something,
we usually must also buy something else to
ta k e care of th a t f i r s t thing. The more Things
we own, th e la rg e r Place we need to sto re
and P rotect them. We have discovered th e
simple fact th a t Things a re Burdens. They
had become o u r Masters and we th e ir Slaves.

I WAS ROBOT

103

Taking c a re of and Paying f o r t h e s e T h in g s

was ta k in g up most of o u r time (lives). They
w ere s u p p o s e d to be la b o r - s a v e r s b u t th e y
t u r n e d o u t to be sla v e d r iv e r s . So we v o lu n t
e e r crew p e r s o n s a r e u n b u r d e n in g o u r s e lv e s
and gaining more F ree time becoming more
FREE! And a t t h e same time we a r e sa v in g o u r
s p a c e s h ip from d e s tr u c tio n , simply by o u r ex
ample. What an easy way to fly!
If you wish to join th e crew , begin r i g h t
now. Dont se n d in money! Dont sig n a n y
thing ! Dont p le d g e y o u r life away! Make y o u r
own Buck R ogers Pin. Anyone can join. Be
c a u s e we c a n t locate t h e C aptain, y o u ll have
to d ecide on y o u r own d u tie s , and o v e r s e e
y o u rse lf.
Welcome a b o a rd , shipm ate!
April 24, 1985

104

ERNEST MANN

Wow! Think how j u s t 2 copies of th is idea

could sp read :
Convince 2 people In one week =
2
to each convince 2 th e 2nd week =
4
who do th e same th e 3rd week =
8
th e 8 do it th e 4th week =
16
th e 16 th e 5th week =
32
etc.
64
If each person who is
128
convinced; j u s t convinces
256
two more people
512
to do th e
10th week =
1,024
same and
2,048
if each person really got
4,096
busy and found t h e ir two
8,192
16,384
people within one week
32,768
th en in 31 weeks (less
65,536
th an a year) we would
131,072
have p re se n te d th is
262,144
a lte rn a tiv e to almost
524,288
th e e n tire
20th week = 1,048,576
worlds
2,097,152
population
4,194,304
8,388,608
Personally, Im
16,777,216
tr y in g to convince
33,554,432
more than j u s t two
67,108,864
people, hoping th is
134,217,728
will help to make up
268,435,456
for th e people who
536,870,912
drop o u t of th is
1,073,741,824
information
31st week= 2,147,483,648
pyramid.
4,294,967,294
Total

105

WHAT
ABOUT

CAN

RARMERS

DO

RORECLOSU RES-?

In s te a d of su icid e, th e y could immediately

go on welfare. Not so much f o r t h e money,
b u t j u s t to g e t e v e n , to g e t back some of t h e
tax d o lla rs th e y h a v e paid in.
Then th e y would h a v e a b r e a th in g s p a c e
w here th e y could g e t some farm in g done fo r
THEMSELVES. Before, th e y w ere farm in g to
p ro d u c e som ething to sell. With no o r little
o v e rh e a d th e y could in s te a d , fo c u s on p r o
v idin g a b u n d a n c e f o r th e m s e lv e s and th e n
h av e much le is u r e time to en jo y life.
They could g e t some sy m p a th e tic f a rm e r to
sell them a b o u t 10 a c r e s of land f o r $1.00
down and low m onthly p a y m e n ts (o r b a r t e r
t h e i r s u r p l u s p r o d u c t s o r labor). Then camp
on t h e land and build a cabin from w h a te v e r
m aterials t h e
land
c o n ta in e d , e.g .,
logs,
s to n e s , adobe, sod, rammed e a r t h , willows and
mud, c a v e s, etc. I n d ia n s lived h ap p ily on t h i s
v e r y land some 300 y e a r s ago, long b e fo re
lum ber y a r d s o r b a n k s w ere h e re . We live
h e r e with big m o rtg a g e s an d t r u c k e d - i n lum
b e r an d T h in g s. We a r e n o t h a p p y . T his
sh o u ld tell u s so m e th in g ?
10 a c r e s o f land will grow f a r more g ra in ,
v e g e ta b le s , meat an d f r u i t t h a n o n e family
n eed s. If th e y farm ed It o rg a n ic a lly ( t h i s is

106

ERNEST MANN

how ev ery o n e farmed when I was a boy)

th e y could even sell th e ir s u r p lu s o r use It
for b a rte rin g .
They would have no bank mortgage on
th e ir dwelling to worry about. Building codes,
would have to be ignored. The codes were
made to Profit th e c o n tra cto rs, unions and
b a n k e rs and to enslave th e home builder in
bondage called a mortgage.
If they could get a farm er to sell them (for
$1.00 down, and small paym ents o r b a rte r) a
cow, pig and some chickens, th e y could soon
eat b e tte r th a n most city folks;.
If th e y stu c k with simple hand-tools for
th e ir farming th e y would have no machinery
m ortgages and no machine breakdowns.
The organic farm er, Nasanobu Fukuoka, In
his book "One Straw Revolution" shows how
he has not plowed o r cultivated his soil for
th e p a st 25 y e a rs (can you possibly imagine
how much work t h a t saved) y et he g ets as
good o r b e tte r c ro p s and has as good or
b e tte r soil th a n his n eig h bo rs who use big
machinery and s p ra y s . He h a sn t used poison
s p r a y s o r artificial fe rtiliz e r in all th is time
eith er. (Think of all th e money he saved
th e re .)
He sa v e s gigantic amounts of money and la
bor by his farming methods so he doesnt
need to farm many a c re s to make a good liv
ing fo r his family and he has more Free time
to enjoy life.
I th in k it was th e East-West o r th e New
Age Journal which interviewed him a fte r he
made a to u r of th e U.S.A. He said th a t he
couldnt find any place in th e U.S.A. th a t
couldnt use his farming methods. The EeistWest Journal did a review of his book in th e ir
August, 1985, magazine which included sto ries
of two large scale U.S. farm ers who are now
using his" methods.

I WA S ROBOT

107

If people w ere wise th e y would s ta y away

from having e le c tric ity p u t In and not a c c e p t
a S e a rs Catalog. The mass media Is c o n s ta n tly
conditio ning " u s to DESIRE "Things.** T hese
th in g s c o st u s labor (tlme)(money) and th e y
n e v e r t u r n o u t to be as valuable to h a p p in e s s
a s th e Time we LOST. I t also does "F e a r mong e rln g " and form ing of "Public Opinion." Who
w ants to be m an ip ulated ? Who w ants to be
t h e i r "Wage Slave?"
If we need a n e w sp a p e r, we can s t a r t o u r
own. One t h a t t a lk s a b o u t h a p p y e v e n ts of
life and how to make t h i n g s even b e tte r . A
p a p e r which te lls it like It reaUy Is. A p a p e r
which "reveals** all th e
" tr ic k s " of th e
b a n k e r s and I n d u s t r i a l i s t s who P ro fit so much
by F o re c lo su re s, Inflatio n, Wars and D e p re s
sions.
I t Is not th e f a r m e r s o r t h e c ity w o rk e rs
who s t a r t w ars. They w ouldnt even know
how. But th e y hav e to do t h e "sh ltw o rk " (th e
killing and t h e killed) an d pay t h e ta x e s to
fin a n c e it all. 96.6515 of t h e individual ta x p a y
e r s In 1980 In th e U.S.A. made an a d j u s te d
g r o s s Income of $50,000 o r less. 3.39% made
betw een $50,000 and a million. 4,112 In d iv id u
als (.0056%) made a million d o lla rs o r more.
Now you tell me! Did t h e 96.6% h a v e a n y
s a y - s o In g o v e rn m e n t o r In b a n k in g ? J u s t
who th e n is r u n n in g th i n g s ? We all know! Who
s u p p lie s all t h e la b o r and most of t h e ta x e s?
If we a r e dumb e n o u g h to c o n tin u e th e n
we d e s e r v e w hat we get!
The U.S. G overn m en t now h a s a b u d g e t of
almost a trillio n d o lla rs p e r y e a r to s p e n d like
a d r u n k e n sailo r. Who g e t s most of t h i s
money? Do you? Almost all of it e v e n tu a lly
e n d s up In t h e p o c k e ts of t h e m u lti-n a tio n a l
co n g lo m e ra te in d u s tr ia lis ts ! From t h e r e t h e
money goes Into t h e p o c k e ts of t h e I n te r n a
tional b a n k e r s who own t h e i n d u s tr i a li s ts . So

108

ERNEST MANN

because we continue to play th e ir Money

Game, who do you su p p o se it is th a t really
controls th e e n tire world?
It is not " th e y who a re doing It to us. It
is u s doing it to us! We have not found a
b e tte r Game so we continue to play th e ir Game
with th e ir rules.
Tearing-dow n" (fighting th e system) uses
up o u r e n e rg y and we dont "gain" from
tearin g-d o w n, even if we win. What good is a
pile of rubble? We h avent really won in over
5,000 y ears. They had w age-slaves even In
th e ancient Greek times.
"Building" a new system utilizes o u r en erg y
in a positive way. Each stone we lay is
building a b e tte r p re s e n t tim e/space, and a
solid foundation fo r o u r fu tu re .
If we e v e r wise-up, well s t a r t o u r own
Game. A game where th e r e is no REASON to
lie, cheat and steal. With: No Profit in Wars.
No Profit in polluting o u r land, air and water.
No reason to have taxes. No reeison for mort
gages.
It really is v e ry simple. You dont need to
give anyone Power o v er you (like Bankers or
Government). We all, already know what is
r ig h t and wrong. We all practice th e Golden
Rule as much as we a re able (u s 96.6%), even
In th e p r e s e n t c o r r u p t system.
All we need to do to s ta rt, th e New Game, is
to:
Give away, fre e of charg e, o u r s u r p lu s
p ro d u c ts. As more people s t a r t doing this, th e
th in g s we need will s t a r t coming to u s for
freeeeee too. (priming th e pump its called)
When ev ery o n e catches on to th is real fre e
system, th e n we will have ended th e need for
money, c re d it and b a rte r. Then no one will be
able to tell us to obey them o r th e y wont
pay us, and th e n we wont have money fo r a
roof o v e r o u r heads o r food for o u r bellies.
Then; e v e ry th in g will be free. No jpnger a

I WA S ROBOT

109

need to steal o r s ta r v e . Then people can

fre e ly choose t h e kind of work th e y would
most like to do and g e t f r e e tr a in in g o n - t h e job. Then we will p ro d u c e only t h e v e r y b e st,
most beautiful and long lastin g p r o d u c ts we
can. Well all become A r tis ts a t o u r work. P e r
h a p s what people need to day is to see more
FREE p r o d u c ts and s e r v ic e s on t h e m a rk e t to
give them some hope and co n fid en ce t h a t th e
P ric e le ss sy ste m would work.
Then t h e r e will be no reaso n to e le c t some
one to be o u r Slave Master. We will be o u r
own Master. V olunteer police people may still
be a ro u n d if we still need them b u t soon we
wont need them, when e v e r y th in g and e v
e ry o n e is fre e .
F ree to do a s we like. D iscover f o r o u r
se lv e s t h e b e t t e r r e s p o n s e we g e t from peo
ple, when we do o r say nice th in g s ; th a n from
when we do o r sa y r e p r e s s i v e t h in g s . I t does
not ta k e long o r much in te llig e n c e to d is c o v e r
which r e s p o n s e makes u s h a p p ie r.
No one can g e t a n y th in g o u t of t h i s new
f r e e game until some of t h e more b r a v e ,
t r u s t i n g , a d v e n t u r o u s and f a r s ig h te d , p u t
som ething into it. V o lu n te e rs a r e a lre a d y
p u ttin g some of t h e i r lab or and sk ills into t h e
pump. Some f r e e t h i n g s a r e a lre a d y coming
o u t. The more we p u t in t h e more comes
o u t.
The more we p r a c tic e th e f r e e game and
tell e v e r y o n e a b o u t it, t h e more th e y will
w ant to be p a r t o f t h e action. The more peo
ple who s e e it h a p p e n in g and h e a r people
ta lk in g and a r g u in g a b o u t it t h e more Hope
it will g iv e them t h a t o t h e r s would p a r ti c i
p ate. T hink it o v e r. Would you and y o u r
f r i e n d s be ab le to make t h i s F re e Game work
within y o u r own c irc le ? S ure! Then do it!
Then you keep b ro a d e n in g t h e c irc le by le t
tin g o t h e r s into it. I t h e lp s them an d It h e lp s

110

ERNEST MANN

y ou r circle.
It is im portant not to keep an accounting
of how much each person gives and tal^es.
' That is th e n o n -tru s tin g money game were
playing now. We will become a r tis ts at o u r
tra d e , skill o r profession. We will be doing It,
not fo r money o r exchange value, b ut for th e
enjoyment and satisfaction o u r work gives us.
We also discover it Is more enjoyable to Give
th a n to Sell.
When everyone is p a r t of th e Free Game,
th e r e will be no resale value on what we
"take.*
We have th e resources, machines,
skill and th e labor to produce abundance, so
th e r e will be no reason to ta k e more than we
need. Too much of an y thin g becomes a b u r den, instead of a Profit.
T here is e v e ry reason for th is fre e game to
sp re a d quickly o v er all th e world. All th e
worlds working people will be f a r b e tte r off
with th e fre e game th an th ey are now.
For th e f i r s t time in history, we have
world-wide Instantaneous communication s y s
tems, both audio and video. We can now help
all th e worlds people get Into th e fre e game.
We can all be neig h b o rs and frie n d s now
Instead of believing what th e leaders say
ab out being fearful of each o th er. Instead we
should be fearful of o u r politicians! We ruust
stop creatin g Politicians, by not voting.
They have su b tly conditioned us to believe
t h a t th e r e would not be enough to go around,
if every o n e got as much as th e people in th e
developed nations have. Buckminister Fuller
proved th is to be totally incorrect. He uncov
ered th e fact t h a t th e r e Is an abundance of
reso u rces, b u t th e y a re kept scarce, to keep
p rices high. Working class people (over 96.6%
of us) can help each o th e r overcome o u r fe a rs
of each o th e r, by giving, i.e., priming th e
pump. Working cliss people a re good people!

I WAS ROBOT

111

Cash and Capital p ro d u c e NOTHING! I t Is

peoples labor which p ro d u c e s e v e r y th in g . We
d isc o v e r th e o r e s and minerals. We mine and
drill them. We haul them. We re fin e them. We
build th e m achines, b u ild in g s, ro b o ts and
co m p u ters. We ru n them. We till t h e soil, p la n t
th e se e d s, te n d t h e p la n ts and h a r v e s t th e
c ro p s. We d i s t r i b u t e It all. Cash, th e Commodi
tie s Stock M arket and Capital a r e merely t h e
d is tra c tio n which makes u s believe t h e Elite
should g e t th e lions s h a r e of o u r labor.
The Elite claim th e y own most of th e b e s t
land, b u ild in g s and fa c to rie s. But how can
th e y own them WE b u ilt them! And th e land
was h e re b e fo re th e y were. They can only
own them IF, we work fo r them a s s o ld ie rs
and fo rc e t h i s o w n e rsh ip idea of t h e i r s , on
o u rs e lv e s .
The f r e e game will u se a d if f e r e n t idea
a b o u t land. I t will be an idea of U s e r s h ip .
We will t a k e only a s much land as we can
"use." Anymore would be a b u r d e n . We would
be giving o u r s u r p l u s c r o p s o r m in erals away
fo r f r e e anyw ay. So who would c a r e ?
T h e re would be no p r o f it motive f o r ho g
ging too much!
L e a d e rs?
We d o n t need "A L eader" to g e t t h i s Game
s t a r t e d . We d o n t need to O rganize. ( I ll b e t
y o u ve se e n t h a t word before!) We d o n t need
to s i t t h r o u g h e n d le s s b o rin g committee m eet
ings. We j u s t s t a r t ta lk in g it o v e r with o u r
f r i e n d s and g ive them a list of o u r s u r p l u s
( b u r d e n s ) t h a t we would be willing to give
them , f r e e of c h a r g e , with no s t r i n g s a t t a c h
ed. We can g e t it s t a r t e d r i g h t now, r i g h t in
o u r own a re a , in o u r own lives! We will n o t
need to wait f o r J e s u s to b rin g it o r a n y o n e
else f o r t h a t m a tte r. O ur c irc le s t a r t s with a
c irc le of one. We s t a r t rem odeling o u r own

112

ERNEST MANN

lifestyle by making It th e way we would like

it to be. We add more people to o u r circle as
th e y a re able to relate to th e se new ideas.
S ta r t living th e fre e game as b est you can
always watching for ways to improve your
game. Then y ou r life has a meaningful focal
point and you become a Builder instead of a
s t r u g g l e r o r a hopeless obedient slave.
The more you work at building th e free
game, th e more ideas s t a r t coming to you, and
th e b e tte r you get at it. Giving builds happi
ness.
April 4, 1985

If its
humiliating
to be ruled,
how much more
degrading
is it,
to choose
our Masters?"
Anti-Authoritarian
Anonymous

113

T h i s
I
OR

M o m e n t:
USE
LOSE

-----

IT
IT!

Life a C hess Game? I had a dream a b o u t

life being a game of c h e s s and each of u s a
c h e s s piece on t h e c h e s s b o a r d of life. A game
t h a t d e te rm in e s o u r f u t u r e .
I d re a m t t h a t most of u s a r e allowing o u r
s e lv e s to be moved from s q u a r e to s q u a r e ,
w ithout knowing it. Always b elieving we a r e
making o u r own moves, an d we u su a lly a r e
th in k in g t h r o u g h and d ecid in g foi^ o u r s e lv e s .
But, t h a t Is w hat is so m isleading a b o u t it. We
th in k t h a t we a r e f re e . And we ARE f r e e to
move a b o u t a n y w h e re within o u r c o rra l. But
we a r e k e p t too b u sy with p e tty p rob lem s and
d iv e r s io n s to d is c o v e r t h a t t h e r e a r e se v e ra l
a lte r n a tiv e moves which m ight s e r v e u s b e t t e r
(ev en remove t h e g a te from o u r c o rra l).
J u s t like politics. We a r e given a few of
" th e ir " s to o g e s to v o te fo r. One is made o u t
to look like a good guy. We vote, a n d no
m a tte r who wins - we lose b e c a u s e t h e m ajo r
ity of th o s e who g e t elected ALWAYS s e r v e
th e b e s t i n t e r e s t o f t h e Elite! We j u s t g a v e
away o u r Pow er again! How can we fall f o r
t h e Election T rick y e a r a f t e r y e a r.

1U

ERNEST MANN

Getting back to th e chessb o ard; as we be

come aware of more of o u r v a st alte rn a tiv e s
of moves, we may find moves which will win
u s a game which is good for th e individual,
instead of continuing th e th o u sa n d s of y ears
old game of "Taking pay and having to
obey."
We go with th e flow, do what is expected of
us, do what th e boss says, etc. Sometimes
were like a flock of flighty birds. When one
is spooked and flies off all th e r e s t follow.
At least t h a t is what I did. I did what my
p a r e n ts told me, my te a c h e rs told me, etc. I
did what th e flock did! When I got married I
did what e v ery married man did had chil
d re n , worked hard, made money and went to
c h u rc h . I ' n e v e r really had much time to sit
down and fig u re o u t w hether it was all
worthwhile o r not o r if th e r e might be a b e t
t e r way to live. I made one rig h t move a n y
way; th a t was when I dropped o u t of th e Rat
Race when I was 42 and re tire d on th e pay
ments from some c o n tra c t fo r deeds (from th e
sale of income p ro p e rty I owned) I created
th a t would last fo r 20 y e a rs and th en I would
be broke. But I fig u re d , if I had to, I could
ste p back Into th e Rat Race then, and make
some money again. I fig u red t h a t "a bird in
th e hand is worth two in th e bush."
Nobody lives forever! In o th e r words, I had
seen lots of people die off even before they
got t h e ir Social S ecu rity pensions o r else two
y e a rs a fte r. So, I fig u red I d eserv ed to take
some time off while I was still young and
fris k y enough to enjoy it. At 62 I might be
too scared to even get up o u t of my old
ro ck en chair, let alone trav el acro ss th e big
water in an airaplane and visit some of them
t h e r e fo re ig n e rs who d o n 't even speak Ameri
can yet. I might not be able to disconnect my
mind-cable from my TV either.

'i-

I WAS ROBOT

115

By r e tir in g e a rly , I lost a maximum S.S.

Pension t h a t I was lined up for, b u t I will g e t
a small one anyw ay. B e tte r th a t, th a n being
six fe e t u n d e r. How I ramble on. The lu xu ry
of 24 h o u r s p e r day of f r e e time, I g u e ss.
J u s t 9 d a y s ago I moved from t h e city into
a little (19x19) home made log cabin in t h e
woods 120 miles NW of Minneapolis and a
q u a r t e r of a mile from my c lo se st n e ig h b o r,
with no phone, n e w s p a p e r o r e le c tric ity . I t s
really q u ie t up here. I seldom even h e a r
b ir d s sin g . (Read, Rachael C arlso n s,
"Silent
S p r in g ." )
Twenty y e a r s ago when I b o u g h t
th is land, t h e r e were th o u s a n d s of b i r d s h ere.
Even most of th e cro w s h av e died off o r left.
Now we find cro w s in Minneapolis, believe it
o r not, (m aybe t h i s sho uld be called a "bad
omen") t r y i n g to s u r v iv e . I like it up h e re ,
anyw ay. I m good company. Good n e ig h b o r s to
v is it too.
Back to t h e c h e s s b o a rd again. A fter I
d ro p p e d o u t I s t a r t e d le a rn in g to make my
own moves. I could begin to se e t h e game
from a d ista n c e . I could begin to see more of
how th e game is being m anipulated and d i
re c te d by t h e Elite ( th e s u p e r - r i c h families
who know t h e s e c r e t s of w inning in t h e
money Game).
Each s p a c e on t h e c h e s s b o ard of life can
be o ccu p ied by only on e p e rso n . My body
w eighs 150 p o u n d s so it o c c u p ie s exactly so
many c u b ic in c h e s of s p a c e on t h i s p lanet.
L e t's sa y I draw a small circ le on t h e g ro u n d
and s te p into it. No o n e else can s ta n d in
t h a t s p a c e while I m th e r e . I o c c u p y th o s e
c u b ic in c h e s of s p a c e until I move an d o c c u p y
s p a c e e lse w h e re . Even t h e King of Sw eden o r
t h e P r e s id e n t of t h e United S ta te s c o u ld n t
s ta n d t h e r e when I m o c c u p y in g it. I t s t h e
same on t h e c h e s s b o a r d , only o ne piece on
one s q u a r e a t a time.

116

ERNEST MANN

O.K. If I allow someone to move me around

th e board, "they" will determine how th e game
of F u tu re will tu r n out. As I s t a r t thinking
.through more a lte rn a tiv e moves, "I" help de
term ine how th e F u tu re Game will be played
and help win th e kind of F u tu re I desire.
Because each space on e a rth can only be
occupied by one person, being o r thing my
decision to move myself from a certain space
to a n o th e r space; MY movements and actions
have a definite effect on th e outcome of th e
World F u tu re Game. No m atter how small th e
e ffec ts may seem to me now, they may have a
much b ig g er effect, merely because someone
who had a b ig g er role to play In th e game
was unable to occupy th e space I was in, or
my action in te rfe re d and they had to tak e an
a lte rn a tiv e rou te o r action and th a t changed
someone elses route and action and th a t
changed th e outcome of th e Game. Cant you
see how im portant we EACH are?
They have been leading us to believe th a t
we a re no more im portant than a drop of wa
t e r in a bucketful, a grain of sand on th e
beach; BULL SHIT! Without th a t drop, youd
have n o , bucketful. Without those graips,
youd have no beach. Without each individual,
wed have no population. The individual is
more im portant th an th e whole (population).
The whole without th e individual, is j u s t a
hole. "0."
The individual without th e whole
can be a se lf-su fficien t unit. Hermits have
proved this.
The more I see how th e F u tu re Game is
played, (it is not really played by th e rules
on th e box, th e real rules a re hidden and
only known by th e Elite) th e more important
MY c h e s s piece, ME, becomes and th e more
I can effect ch ang es in th e F u tu re Game. The
f u tu r e is not only next c e n tu ry , next month,
next week, tomorrow, but it is also ten min

I WAS ROBOT

117

u te s from now! The f u t u r e is also NOW! Be

c a u se once I s t a r t consciously d eterm in in g my
own f u tu r e ; by t h a t v e ry t h o u g h t I am
ch a n g in g my NOW. Because NOW I am ta k in g
my f u t u r e into my own h a n d s and s h a p in g it
and molding it like a piece of clay. I t t a k e s a
little c o u ra g e to say , "Id r a t h e r do it my
self!"
Then it ta k e s determ in atio n to go
ahead with it.
I am doing t h i n g s d iffe re n tly now and
t h a t is what will make my f u t u r e d iffe re n t. If
o t h e r people p r e f e r to allow th e Elite, t h e i r
f r ie n d s , mom o r dad to mold t h e i r f u t u r e fo r
them I c a n t help them th e y will g e t
w h a te v e r c ru m b s a r e left fo r th e s e r v a n t s .
One m ight also say t h a t life is like going
up a road. A fter we go up one road long
en o u g h we know w hat to e x p e c t up ahead . It
h as been a s a fe road so we c o n tin u e going up
t h a t same road e v e r y day. We know p r e t t y
much w hat o u r f u t u r e day will be like, we
know w hat is up t h e r e ahead waiting fo r us.
We may not like w hat we se e f a r t h e r on, b u t
we c o n tin u e tr a v e lin g t h a t same r o u te anyw ay.
A new r o u te may not be safe, we th in k . We
d o n t sto p to realize t h a t if we ta k e a w rong
r o u te we can alw ays c h a n g e r o u te s again and
again until we find t h e v e r y b e s t r o u te to
o u r F u tu re . If we c o n tin u e to look, I th in k we
will c o n tin u e to fin d b e t t e r ro u te s . If e v e r y
one in t h e world s t a y s on t h e same r o u te
th e y a r e on to d a y in a v e r y s h o r t time t h e
s c i e n t i s t s tell us, we will h a v e d e s tr o y e d o u r
e n v iro n m e n t and e a rn e d s ta r v a tio n and b e g u n
World War III. T his is w hat can be se e n up
ah ead on o u r p r e s e n t ro u te .
So a s each aw a re Individual c h a n g e s h e r
r o u te and w akes up more in d iv id u a ls who do
t h e same we become en r o u te to a F u tu r e we
Desire.
What we may be doing is weaning o u r s e lv e s

118

ERNEST MANN

from th e need for Leadership, i.e., taking

cx>ntrol of th e movement of o u r own chess
piece. Not relying on some g re a t leader up
th e r e to d ire c t o u r moves. Well stop giving
away o u r proxy (our power). Well vote our
own stock. Learn to s te e r o u r own boat. I
find my own life much more fun when Im do
ing th e ste e rin g . Makes life really worth living. Being a slave to th e dollar was really a
misery.
Governments Function?

I grew up believing th a t th e governm ents

function was to p ro te c t th e people from one
a n o th e r and from fo reig n ers.
Later I learned from Socialist books th a t
governm ents function was to p ro tect th e Rich
People and th e ir p ro p e rty from th e r e s t of
us.
But now I believe I have discovered gov
e rn m e n ts most im portant function. Government
is like a little child who is willing to give a
whole handful of money fo r one lollipop. Only
th is one has a trillion dollars a y ear to spend
like a th r e e y ear old. If you were a big
corporation, wouldnt you like to have such a
customer- A trillion dollars Is a thousand
billion. A billion is a tho usan d million. Whe u
e! They j u s t have employees pay more taxes
e v e ry y e a r and let th e th r e e y e a r old, spend
it. What a p e rfe c t s e t-u p . You can ch arg e
her/him double o r q u a d ru p le s and s / h e wont
know and wont care, it aint h e r /h is money.
That trillion dollar b u d g et is about $4,424
from each man, woman and child in th e U.S.A.
each year. Are you getting your moneys
worth?
Sooner o r later th e big co rporations end up
getting th e whole trillion dollars, even th e
money paid to governm ent employees as
wages. Most employees have s p e n t th e ir

I W AS ROBOT

119

wages, even b efo re th e y g e t them.

or
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Problem s?
T h ere is n e v e r a need to remain perplex ed
indecisive.
Clearly s t a t e th e
problem.
(A problem
clearly s ta te d is half solved.)
List all p ossib le solutions.
Choose one.
Take action!
If it d o e s n t work, s t a r t o v e r a t n u m b e r
one.
Shopping

My w hat fu n I had th e o t h e r day, a f t e r

being in t h e woods f o r tw elve d a y s, going s u
p e r m a r k e t sh o p p in g . Mostly fo r food. I even
e n jo y e d p u ttin g it in my c u p b o a rd in th e
cabin.
I had n e v e r noticed m yself e n jo y in g s h o p
ping before. Does e v e r y o n e en jo y b u y in g
th in g s ?
What is t h e meaning of th is . Are we some
how program m ed to ENJOY b u y in g . We m ust
th e n EARN money (w ork) to e x p e rie n c e t h a t
joy again. Most people h a te t h e i r work and
buy t h i n g s to g e t joy so t h a t th e y can b e a r
t h e i r work. This s o u n d s c ra z y .
Taking Control

One of my most im p o rta n t goals in life is to

learn to h av e more control o v e r my th o u g h t s ,
i.e., to be ab le to th in k on o n e t h o u g h t line
f o r a s long a s I wish, choose my own to p ic
and rem em ber" to p r a c tic e t h i s skill.
As I ta k e control of my mind, I ta k e con trol
of my body. With my "thoughts'* I control my
emotions, moods and fe e lin g s. I begin to DI
RECT my own show. I s h a p e and mold my
d e s tin y my f u t u r e my world. Actually,
I m m aking my NOW into w h a te v e r I d e s i r e it

120

ERNEST MANN

to be. I tak e full responsibility for every

th o u g h t th a t I allow myself to dwell on. Being
in c h a rg e of my th o u g h ts is being in
c h a rg e of my Life!
Mind and Computer
It is helpful for me to think of my brain
as being somewhat similar to a computer so I
call it a bio-computer and my mind as a bio
com puter in action tu rn e d on! I then tr y
to program my biocomputer a little like a com
p u te r is programmed. By using th is fantasy I
am able to begin to eliminate, i.e., quit using
th e old programs; th e obeying o rd e rs , doing
what is expected of me, worrying about what
people think. I tell myself now th a t I am th e
most im portant person. I can accomplish al
most an y th in g th a t I really desire. And I am.
I m also learning to change my dreams to
come ou t more satisfactory.^
I love myself
and d e sire to live to be 165 y ears and maybe
even longer. My new program allows me to
immediately switch program s if I catch myself
p u ttin g myself down, feeling lonely, d e p re s s
ed, fearful, th in k ing I cant change th e world
o r th ink in g I ca n t be a su ccess at th is or
th at.
The s e c re t of switching programs for me is
being able to look once in a while at my
th in king and see if it is d e stru c tiv e to my
happiness, i.e., ask myself, "Do I wish to stay
in th is mood?"
J u s t by observ ing th e u n
wanted mood, i.e., becoming AWARE of being at
th is moment in such and such a mood; th is
v ery aw areness gives me a choice; to switch
program s o r retain th e going one. This puts
me in c h a rg e of my moods o r feelings
(th o u g h ts). The hard p a rt of all th is is ju s t
getting myself to remember to check out what
l"Creative Dreaning" by Patricia Garfield

I WAS ROBOT

121

mood Im in and do it often.

By d efining emotions, fe e lin g s and moods in
th e following m anner, I am able to ta k e con
trol of them. Feelings, emotions and moods (I
believe) a re merely th o u g h ts . A v e r y complex
accumulation of t h o u g h t s which a r e tig h tly
linked to g e th e r , th o u g h t s which a r e even
linked to o u r b o d y s o p eratio n . When a c e rta in
s e t of t h o u g h t s a r e t r i g g e r e d , f e a r and a n g e r
a r is e and c a u se a d re n a lin e to flow and make
u s re a d y to f ig h t o r flig h t.
We seem to b y p a s s
all th e th o u g h t s
( re a s o n s ) and autom atically come to th e co n
clusion FEAR! (o r w h a te v e r emotion) Feel
ing fe a r, fo r in sta n c e , while u n e x p e c te d ly
coming a c r o s s a b e a r in t h e w ild ern ess. Our
mind d o e s n t have to review th e f a c t t h a t th e
b e a r m ight kill us. We autom atically feel f e a r
and ru n , f ig h t o r fre e z e . Our biocom puter
made a s h o r t c u t a c r o s s all th e re a so n in g and
pumped a d re n a lin e fo r quick action.
No d o u b t t h i s " fe a r p ro g ram " of b e a rs,
could be rep ro g ram m ed , if we s tu d ie d and ex
p e rie n c e d more b e a rs , to read som ething like,
"Oh hello t h e r e , Mr. Bear. My, b u t you a r e a
big b e a u ty . How is h u n tin g . Oh, you th in k
you would like to e a t me fo r d in n e r? " Then I
would alw ays c a r r y som ething t h a t I had
le a rn ed would f r i g h t e n b e a rs . Maybe a f la re
o r a small flame g u n. J u s t som ething to p u t
t h e b e a r into some o t h e r h u n tin g sp a c e . When
I knew I had t h i s power, I th in k I would no
lo n g e r e x p e rie n c e th e old " fe a r p ro g ram " on
b e a rs .
If so called " c r a z y * people le a rn e d how to
o p e r a te t h e i r b io com p uters, it would p u t
S h r i n k s o u t of b u s in e s s . If "slaves'* le a rn e d ,
it would p u t t h e Elite o u t of b u s in e s s . If peo
ple d o n t realize t h a t th e y a r e s la v e s o r a r e
c r a z y , th e y h a v e no d e s ir e to c h a n g e t h e i r
p ro g ra m s. So th e y remain th e same.

122

ERNEST MANN

So how do we make change. Maybe we could

o ffer them a c a r ro t which looked b e tte r than
th e one they a re chasing now. Maybe we
. should t r y to make them aware of th e ir p r e
s e n t condition so th a t they will seek th e ir
own change. Or maybe both. What else?
You may say, "The mind cant be compared
to a computer. You c a n t learn from one how
to ru n th e o th er." Well I thin k th a t we can.
Take for example; if I have learned how to
run a car, I can tak e what I learned from
th a t and soon learn to d riv e a tra c to r. I knew
how to ride a bicycle and d rive a car. So it
d id n t tak e me long to d riv e a motorcycle.
So I learned a little bit about com puters
and now I AM o p eratin g my biocomputer
(mind) more efficiently.
Still Spraying!

Are we humans dumb enough to continue

playing a game which is Hell bent on elec
tion" on d estro y in g th e particip an ts. We do it
to o u rse lv e s by playing th is game.
They continue using poisonous s p r a y s on
weeds and bugs. They a re killing off th e food
fo r trillions of b ird s and helpful insects, etc.
My neighbor h ere in th e woods told me th a t
th e county road departm ent sp ra y e d th e
weeds along th e roadway and his bees all
died. Without bees, th e f r u it tre e s , berries,
etc. wont get pollinated and bear fru it. He
was feeling a little pissed. Some poison s p r a y s
eventually flow down to creeks, riv e rs, lakes
and to th e seas and contaminate th e fish and
plant life th e re . Does Dow Chemical Corp. care.
They seem to be only in terested In making as
much profit as possible. What are we helpless
little humans to do. Must we continue on as
we a re today and become wiped-out, even be
fore o u r g ran d children grow up. Extincted!
If we (I mean you, d e a r re a d e r and me) dont

I WAS ROBOT

123

make a su p re m e e f f o r t to g e t t h e SYSTEM
c h a n g e d we will d e s e r v e extinction.
What th e Hell can we do??. We help g e t a
sy stem s t a r t e d w here It d o e s n t PROFIT a n y
one to do th e s e BAD th in g s . How do we do
th is? ? , ril be damned if I know! I have tr ie d
e v e r y th in g I could th in k of to g e t people to
wake up and do som ething effectiv e. I keep
tr y i n g to th in k of a new way t h a t YOU ( d e a r
re a d e r ) can re la te to, and will m otivate you to
g e t y o u r a s s into g e a r and help c a r r y th e
load, a t least one little c o rn e r.
They have tr ie d to p a s s laws a g a in s t poi
so n o u s s p r a y in g . Cant be s to p p e d t h i s way.
They p a ss e d laws 50 y e a r s ago a g a in s t f^^.to r y pollution. I t d id n t stop! I t k e p t gelL
worse. Take a d r iv e t h r o u g h Gary, In d ian a,
t h e a ir smells a s bad as it did 50 y e a r s ago.
We m ust find a way to c h a n g e t h e game so
t h a t it is no lo n g e r PROFITABLE to kill us!
The main re a so n why i n d u s t r y does not
find ways to reclaim and re c y c le all w aste
p r o d u c ts is b e c a u se th e y would not make a s
much PROFIT!
The main re a so n why f a r m e rs d o n t u se o r
ganic m eans to control p e s ts and w eeds and
to fe rtiliz e c r o p s is b e c a u se th e y w ouldnt
make a s much PROFIT!
PROFIT is killing o u r e n v iro n m e n t an d th e n
us!
PROFIT is k eep in g u s from t h e s t a r s . Mo
nopolies impede p r o g r e s s t h a t could se n d peo
ple to o t h e r p la n e ts so o n e r. If i n v e n to r s w ere
w orking t o g e t h e r a n d OIL c a r t e l s w ere not
h iding o t h e r e n e r g y s o u r c e s and p a t e n t s
th in k of t h e p r o g r e s s we could make. J u s t
th in k how much in v e n tiv e ability an d how
many people would like to work on t h e S pace
P r o je c t if we w ere allowed to. With t h e P ric e
le ss Economics t h e r e would be no b u d g e t lim
its (no money would be n e e d e d ). All m a te ria ls

124

ERNEST MANN

and labor would be free. It would be an ex

citing time.
But," you say, "man Is not ready for th e
s ta r s . He c a n t even get along with his own
kind. Look at his wars and crime.
The
Priceless Economy will change th a t too. When
people a re creatin g ab un dance th e re is no
longer a reason to be selfish, greedy and
mean th e s e become UNPROFITABLE!
Car Radar?

Since WW II, we have had th e technology,

re so u rce s, skill, labor and materials to equip
c a rs with electronics (like Radar) so th a t they
couldnt hit a n o th e r car, o b ject o r person. In
1981, in th e U.S.A., th e r e were 50,800 deaths
and 1,900,000 disabling in ju rie s from motor
vehicles.2
Think of how many children, women and
men and how much pain, car ra d a r would
have saved in th e last 29 years! The dollar
cost
of
in ju rie s
fo r
1981
alone
was
$40,600,000,000. And how much was th e p ro p
e r ty damage to c a r s and buildings for all
th e s e accidents?
These 50.8 th o u sand d eath s and 1.9 million
disabling in ju rie s made a lot of money for
morticians, hospitals, doctors, d ru g companies,
hospital c o n tra c to rs, hospital su p p liers, body
and fe n d e r shops, auto p a r ts m anu facturers
and new car m anufacturers. Do you think th a t
any of th e s e p ro fite e rs would push fo r Radar
on cars??. The Profit System lacks th e moti
vation fo r safety!
Sick of Your Job?

In 1980 sic k n e ss caused 1,878,420 d eaths in

th e U.S.A. That Is 5,146 d eath s p er day from
sickn ess. How much of th is sickn ess was
ZWorld Almanac, 1983.

I WA S ROBOT

125

cau sed by boredom. How much from s t r e s s

from tr y i n g to cope with t h i s INSANE P ro fit
System.
Would
th e
chemical
c o rp o ra tio n s
PROFIT by s t a r t i n g little flu e epidem ics, etc. .
Would th e y d a r e to do it?
Suicide took 28,290 lives t h e same y ear.
Homicide took 2o,090 lives. With t h e P ric e le ss
Economic Society t h e r e will be much less r e a
son to ta k e o n e s own life o r a n o th e r s . Lets
face it: PROFIT IS KILLING US!
Would you believe
Wars Are Killing Us?
World War II killed 407,316 US arm ed s e r
vice people. I t wounded 607,846. How many
civilians does war kill?
Korean War killed 54,246 US armed s e r v ic e
people. I t wounded 103,284.
Vietnam War killed 58,655 US arm ed s e r v ic e
people. I t wounded 155,419.
T hese f i g u r e s d o n t really mean much u n
less o n e of them was someone you loved.
T h e re is also th e n u m b e rs on t h e " o th e r
side" who w ere killed o r w ounded an d loved
too. Who s t a r t e d th e s e w ars??. Did you. I
d id n t. My f a t h e r d id n t. None of my family o r
f r i e n d s did. I d o n t know of an y w orking
people who had th e time o r know-how to s t a r t
them.
The w orking c la s s people n u m b e r j u s t
a b o u t 99% of t h e world po pu lation. Who do es
t h a t leave? Does a n y o n e s ta n d to gain from a
w ar? C ertain ly not t h e w orking c la s s people.
We m u st g ive o u r lives and s o n s lives to war.
We m ust work long h o u r s In war f a c to r ie s to
keep w ars going. W orkers lose t h e i r homes
an d loved o n e s to war.
What a b o u t t h e le ss th a n ^% of t h e p o p u
lation who seem to r u n t h i n g s ? They ( th e
Elite) seem to own c o n tro llin g i n t e r e s t in t h e
m ajor in d u s tr ie s . When th e y sell to g o v e r n

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ERNEST MANN

ments, do th e y c h a rg e more th an when they

sell to o th e r corp orations? Governments seem
to sp en d money like d ru n k e n sailors. It is al
ways e asier to spend o th e r peoples money
(ta x p a y e rs). T here seems to be no limit to th e
amounts of money corpo ration s get fo r Re
se a rch and Development, from th e government.
Can you possibly Imagine th e PROFITS th ey
make when th ey sell governm ents; guided mis
siles, bombers, war sh ip s, ta n k s, rifles, bul
lets and bombs and all th e o th e r supplies and
p a r ts needed to keep th e s e machines o p e ra t
ing and all th e su p p lies needed to keep th e
humans functioning; all th e way from toilet
p a p e r to food, booze, d ru g s , artificial limbs,
etc. J u s t abo ut e v ery In d u strialist g e ts a
piece of th e action, so a re th ey going to tr y
to p re v e n t wars?
The Elite on both sid es really make a b un
dle when th e y sup ply Governments for war.
Could it Ju st be possible t h a t th e s e Elite peo
ple might get th e ir heads to g e th e r and plan
wars? If th ey dont do it, who in Hell does?
We had always been led down th e rosy path
t h a t said wars o c c u rre d reg ularly and ju s t
got s ta r te d by g reed y people (us). And th a t
fig h tin g is natural to us. But It is not us th a t
s t a r t them, it Is th e Game we play. There is
more PROFIT to be made in WAR th an in
PEACE. So th e people who WIN th e most In th e
world-wide Profit Game naturally g ra v ita te to
all th e w ars th e y can manage to s ta r t.
Do th e y hire little sp ellb in d ers like Hitler,
Mussolini and Hirohlto to aro use th e people?
(And to be th e scap eg oats when its ail over?)
Who were th e sp e llb in d e rs th a t were hired for
WW II, in th e U.S.A.? Were th ey Franklin De
lano Roosevelt with his "fireside talks" and
Gabriel Heater and Lowell Thomas with th e ir
fear-m o n g erin g ? Is th e ir p r e s e n t head puppet,
Regan, th e c u r r e n t spellbinder?

I WAS ROBOT

127

The name of th e game Is to h ire th e sp e ll

b in d e r to convince a Nation to be th e a g g r e s
sor. The r e s t Is easy j u s t reaction. The
o th e r n atio n s th e n automatically f ig h t back to
p ro te c t them selves. Then you have WAR!
Whos Kidding Who?
Some people in th e U.S.A., made $0.0 in th e
y e a r 1980.
A few individual ta x p a y e r s made o v e r a mil
lion d o llars In 1980, in th e U.S.A. Lets see
w here we s ta n d incomewise. Lets div ide in
come into t h r e e classes; U pper, Middle and
Lower. Divide a million dollar income into
t h ir d s . The u p p e r th i r d would make from
$666,666 to one million dollars. The Middle
Class would be making incomes from $333,333
to $666,666, Now comes th e poor Lower Class.
They would be making from $0 to $333,333.
I m in th is c la ss t h e Lower Class. I alw ays
th o u g h t I was in t h e Middle Class; I w onder
how I a r r iv e d a t t h a t conclusion?
Lets b re a k down t h a t Lower Class into
t h i r d s . $222,222 to $333,333 would be t h e Up
p e r Lower Class. $111,111 to $222,222 th e Mid
dle Lower Class. $0 to $111,111 t h e Lower
Lower Class. T h a ts still no w h ere n e a r me.
Lets divide t h a t again.
The U p p er Lower Lower Class Is $74,074 to
$111,111. The Middle Lower Lower Class is
$37,037 to $74,074. The Lower Lower Lower
Class m akes betw een $0 and $37,037. Got to
d iv id e it again.

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ERNEST MANN

CLASS

STATUS

(By In c o m e )
$1 , 000,000

$$$$$$$$$
$$$$$$$$$
$$$$$$$$$
$$$$$$$$$
$$
$$
$ Upper $
$ Class $
$$
$$
$$$$$$$$$
$$$$$$$$$
$$$$$$$$$
$$$$$$$$$
$
%

^666.666

$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$$
$$
m

$ Middle$
$ C lass $
$$
$$
$$$$$$$$$
$$$$$$$$$
$$$$$$$$$

$$$$$$$$$

$333,333

________

$$

$$
$

$ $$$$$$$$$
$ $$
$$

$ Upper $ $$$$$$$$$
$ L-C1ass $$$$$$$$$

'$222 f 222

$ Middle $ Lower $
$ L-Class $ Class $

$111,111

$74,074
$37,037
$24,690
$0
$L LLL

_________ $$______ $ $$
$ U LL-CL $$
$
$ M LL-CL $ Lower $
$ L LL-CL $ L-Class
$
$ $$
$

$$

$$$$$$$$$
$$$$$$$$$
$$$$$$$$$
$$$$$$$$$

I WAS ROBOT

129

The U pper Lower Lower Lower would make

between $24,690 and $37,037. The Middle Lower
Lower Lower Class makes betw een $12,345 and
$24,690. That leaves th e Lower Lower Lower
Lower Class with $0 to $12,345. I belonged to
th e 4H Club when I was a kid, now I m In th e
4L Class. Actua-y, incx>mewise I m in t h e 5L
class.
How I was e v e r able to s t r e t c h t h a t 4L
ra tin g into th in k in g I was Middle Class is b e
yond me. Guess I j u s t n e v e r really f ig u r e d it
o u t. J u s t a c c ep te d w hat o t h e r s said. I t made
me feel a s good a s th e next guy. Now I feel
as Poor as th e next guy.
J u s t th in k , 96.6% of th e individual ta x p a y
e r s made a d ju s te d g r o s s incomes of $50,000 o r
less. T hat p u t s 96.6% of o u r w o rk e rs in th e
Middle Lower Lower Class o r lower. 3.39% of
th e ta x p a y e r s made betw een $50,000 and a
million dollars. T hese I s u p p o s e a r e mostly t h e
Elites m an ag ers. On t h e o th e r h a n d , s h e had
w arts. No, no, no. On th e o t h e r hand , .0056%
of t h e t a x p a y e r s made incomes of o v e r a mil
lion dollars. That, by th e same s t a n d a r d s
would p u t them in t h e U p p er U p p er U p p er
U p per Class. Make em feel good. They h a v e a
4U ra tin g . They a r e glad to do y o u r th in k in g
4U.
I s u p p o s e by tellin g u s t h a t we a r e Middle
Class, t h e r e d o e s n t seem to be a s much gap
betw een them an d us. But, by God, t h e r e Is
one Hell of a gap betw een e v e n a $50,000 and
a $1,000,000 income. T h at would be 5/100 o r
you could sa y o n e would h a v e f iv e s In
h e r / h i s wallet and t h e o t h e r would hav e a s
many h u n d r e d dollar bills to s p e n d . Or if you
ta k e t h e p e r s o n s making $10,000 p e r y e a r
( ta k e home pay); t h a t p e rs o n h a s $10 bills in
h i s / h e r wallet and t h e millionaire h a s $1,000
bills to s p e n d , sa v e , in v e s t o r w aste. Some
gap, eh ? Do you still th in k of y o u r s e lf a s u p

130

ERNEST MANN

p e r middle class?
You can look at th is from a n o th er angle.
People can only eat so much, rich o r poor,
b u t we spend a much higher p ercen tag e of
o u r income on food than th e rich. Same with
housing, medical and clothes. THEY have all
th is EXTRA money to spend on th e ir leisure
time, on investm ents (to get richer) and ju s t
to spend foolishly. We have little o r nothing
left for investm ents. There is a real d iffer
ence In what we can do with o u r time. We use
up most of o u r time (life) j u s t try in g to keep
even with th e game. And most people can t
even keep even, nowadays. The Elite can
spend th e ir time j u s t about any way they de
sire. They hire us to do all th e ir work for
them. How many people can you afford to hire
to do y o u r work fo r you and to even make
money for you?
What Im tr y in g to say is th a t th ey are
playing th e PROFIT Game with loaded dice.
The Elite got th e ir big g ru b stak e from th e ir
g re a t g re a t g ra n d p a who was probably a
b an ker, munitions maker o r huge landlord
back in th e old c o u n try . They a re Billionaires!
The Du Pontes a re an example. They b ro u g h t
th e ir money with them from France.
But, you say, you know of someone who
made a million dollars who s ta rte d from $0.
S u re th e r e a re a few. The Elite need to allow
a few to make it. It en tices th e r e s t to b u st
th e ir balls s triv in g fo r th e golden ring. For
some s tr a n g e reason, v e ry few e v e r g et th e ir
h and s on th e billion dollar ring. With a few
h u n d re d thousand dollars a y e a r jobs, they
can hire people to tak e care of th e ir holdings,
b u sin e ss and in d u stries. These highly paid
m anagers can be told to foreclose mortgages
on d elinquent farm ers, business people and
home owners. They will lay off workers, lower
wages, raise prices, hire scab s and s trik e

I WAS ROBOT

131

b r e a k e r s , etc. They pay big money f o r th e s e

" b a s ta r d " jobs.
L e a d ers
I no lo n g e r have a need fo r a LEADER! I
now p r e f e r to f ig u r e t h i n g s o u t f o r myself. I
h ave d isc o v e re d my own ability to do th is . I
do it f a r b e t t e r th a n th e L eaders. They al
ways had som ething to gain (P ro fit) from th e
lies th e y told me.
I d o n t t r u s t le a d e rs even as much a s used
c a r salesmen. As long a s people make money
from le a d e rs h ip , le a d e rs will ta k e a d v a n ta g e
of followers.
I am not now, n o r e v e r have been o r a s p ir e
to be, a leader. I a s p ir e to im prove my s e lf
le a d e rs h ip ability. As more people se e t h e a d
v a n ta g e s of se lf le a d e rs h ip and d is c o v e r t h e i r
own c a p a b ilitie s in t h i s a re a , t h e r e will be
fe w er followers, le ss work f o r le a d e rs and
few er slav es.
I gladly s h a r e with o t h e r s w hat Tm le a r n
ing a b o u t se lf le a d e rs h ip . I also le a rn from
o th e r s , a b o u t s e lf - le a d e r s h ip . Id e a s go o u t
and th e y come back.
Being F re e
I h av e been a FREE Being (more o r less)
f o r almost 16 y ears! I h av e had 24 h o u r s of
f r e e time each day. I do w hat I please. I love
it. Why d o n t all people s e t th e m se lv e s f r e e ?
(They d o n t know how o r why. I d i d n t
e i t h e r until I was 42 y e a r s old.)
I still work, b u t n o t f o r pay. T his p u t s me
in CONTROL of my time (life). (When you ta k e
pay you m u st obey!)
My F re e Time h as
allowed me to gain new in c ite s in to t h e RAT
RACE. I h a v e p u b lis h e d my f i n d in g s in t h e
Little F re e P r e s s n e w s le tte r f o r fre e .
Anyone can become f r e e if th e y wish to
and a r e willing to ta k e c h a r g e of t h e i r

132

ERNEST MANN

th in k e r (m ind/bio-com puter). If they D A R E

to become FREE, th ey will.
There was really no one to stop me from
,becoming FREE only my "beliefs" In my
need to conform and OBEY! I was my own
prison guard . I am now my own liberator,
leader and g u ru .
Giving

My Free World s ta r te d in 1969, when I

stopped taking pay for my work and s ta rte d
giving, fre e of ch arge, my time for what I
believed in. Giving is more fun than selling
and it gives me control of th e who, where, if,
when, why, how and what I give. Who can re
s is t a giver? It might even become contagious
if o th e r s enjoy giving as much as I do. C)f
course, if ev ery o n e does, then e v ery th in g
t h a t I want will become fre e too. "What goes
around comes around."
Freedom s t a r t s with
me. I ta k e my own freedom by giving. I cant
ta k e Freedom by selling myself th a t does
not tra c k .
Rep resentati ves

As I ^ stop tr u s tin g
and
relying
on
" re p re s e n ta tiv e s " to make my decisions fo r me
and to make laws for me and s t a r t taking th e
responsibility fo r my own happiness then I
must look at my decisions o v er th e long-term
view. Will th is proposed action be best for me
o v e r th e long haul? Will it h u r t o th e rs so th a t
th e y will d e sire to h u r t me back? Will It in
ju r e my environm ent? Is it th e s a fe st way?
Does it use up th e least and produce th e most
and th e b e st and th e most beautiful? These
a re qu estio ns I t r y to ask myself when I
work for free. A vo lu nteer has POWER and
CONTROL o v e r h e r /h is time (life).

I W AS ROBOT

133

Keep In Time
We a r e all rowing on t h i s g ig a n tic sla v e
galley sp a c e ship called E arth , a ro u n d t h e
su n , once each y ear. The drum m er Is in th e
s t e r n , s e ttin g t h e pace fo r o u r rowing. He
b r o a d c a s ts th e b eat on th e radio, TV, r e c o r d s
and ta p e s . The ro w ers move to t h e d ic ta te of
th is drum. Listen! Listen! Listen! Move to his
beat! Conform! Keep in step! OR g e t whipped
with th e dollar bill.
I s o u r b oat leaking?
W henever one b u y s a new p ro d u c t, is one
in fa c t h irin g t h e p r o d u c e r to h ire a w o rk er
to drill a n o th e r hole in t h e bottom of o u r
boat, i.e., by t h e pollution s / h e c r e a te s ? So
who is th e c a u se " of o u r sin k in g sh ip ? So
how do we sto p t h e hole d rillin g ?
D isguise t h e Poor?
Some y e a r s ago I read some a u th o r who
believed t h a t th e reason why ch e a p , colorful
c lo th in g is so a b u n d a n tly available Is so t h a t
poor people will d is g u is e th e m se lv e s. Then i t s
not so o b v io u s, how poor we really a re , com
p a re d to th e Elite. If we se e each o t h e r
d r e s s e d in ra g g e d , p a tc h e d , w rinkled d r a b
mismatched clo th in g e v e r y day an d s e e only a
few who w ear $1,000 s u i t s and d r e s s e s , o u r
d if f e r e n c e s would be more o b v io u s so we
m ight feel more re s e n tf u l and even Inclined to
rev o lt. I th in k t h a t he is rig h t.
Dont Believe Me!
You m ust NOT believe w hat I w rite. I could
be wrong! I was w rong o n ce b efore, back in
1944, (when I e n lis te d in t h e Navy) and m aybe
a few th o u s a n d tim es sin c e th e n . F ig u re
t h i n g s o u t f o r y o u rs e lf. Dont j u s t t a k e my
word f o r a n y th in g . I may be o v e rlo o k in g some
bas\c f a c t o r s t h a t could th ro w o ff all my r e a

134

ERNEST MANN

soning.
Test out, t r y o u t and think out th e se ideas
before you re je c t them. They may be valid. I
could be rig h t too. So a t least th in k about
them a little before rejecting them. These
Ideas a re a bit radical compared to th e normal
public beliefs.
We have been programmed with sta n d a rd
s te re o ty p e s designed to keep us in bondage,
for example: "I c a n t fig h t city hall. I am in
significant. O ther people a re bad and greedy.
They wont help. They wont do th e ir p art. WE
NEED GOVERNMENT! F oreigners a re bad. Asians
a re Gooks. Irish live in shanties. All Jews are
rich. Swedes a re s tu b b o rn . Things could be
worse. Cover your ass. Dont rock th e boat.'*
Try to b y p a ss th e s e programs. Think about
specific people. Think of each of your friends.
Would th ey work as v o lu n teers if they had
e v e ry th in g th e y wanted? Would your frie n d s
do th e ir sh a re ? Especially If th ey could
choose any job th ey wanted, one th a t they
could enjoy doing? We have been conditioned
to believe th a t th e "masses'* a re a stupid no
good lazy lot. But th e y a re your frien d s, my
frie n d s a n d o u r f r ie n d s frien d s. The masses
a re people like us. As much as it h u r ts to
admit it, I am p a r t of th e stup id masses.
"But,** you say, "look at th o se people living
off welfare and th e rich people living off th e
w orkers. They wouldnt work as volunteers."
You may be rig h t. Or you may be su rp rise d .
When people a re given a decent chance to
work a t something th ey like to do and If they
dont feel exploited (as all w orkers a re today)
th e y may choose a job and have a s h a re in
th e fun and may find p ride In c a rry in g th e ir
own weight. T here a re more th a n 84 million
people working rig h t now as volunteers.
These people already have th e basic essentials
fo r life and a little f re e time. Many a re giving

I WAS ROBOT

135

t h e i r time a f t e r a h ard d a y s work in th e s a lt

mine.
Some v o lu n te e r s to d ay a r e even doing jo b s
t h a t th e y d o n t p a rtic u la rly en joy . Take some
of th e n u r s e s aid work. T h e re a r e v o lu n te e r s
in Scx>uts, AA, c h a r ity , h o sp itals, in schools,
c h u r c h e s , ecology, politics, a n ti-w a r, feminism,
ageism, racism, PTA, etc. Some of t h e s e people
a r e doing jo b s th e y d o n t lika b u t th e y th in k
need to be done. But th e y a r e not g e ttin g
paid, th e y a r e V olunteers. Money is NOT th e
only th in g t h a t g e ts people to work.
And even th e rich people h av e special
sk ills (o r th e y w ouldnt still be ric h ) which
may be useful in th e PES.
In ca se I am wrong and t h e r e a r e some
d ie h a r d s who wont work; th e P ric e le s s Eco
nomic System will still be b e t t e r b e c a u se it
will not c o st a n y th in g to a d m in iste r Welfare
aid. They will g e t e v e r y t h i n g fo r f r e e j u s t
like th e r e s t of us. I ll b e t t h a t In o u r p r e
s e n t Pay System , it c o st u s a t le a s t t h r e e
tim es a s much fo r a d m in istra tio n e x p e n s e a s it
d oes fo r t h e actual Welfare aid we g ive ou t.
I d o n t th in k t h a t coercion o r o stra c ism
(n eg ativ ism ) will be n e c e s s a r y to g e t people
to work. I t s t h e old m o n k e y -se e , m o n k e y -d o
tr i c k t h a t w o rk s so well on u s r i g h t now.
J u s t let people se e u s h av in g fu n becoming
a r t i s t s a t o u r work, t u r n i n g o u t p r o d u c t s o r
s e r v ic e s t h a t we a r e p ro u d of. E v e ry o n e will
w ant a piece of t h a t action.
Cabin in th e Woods

I moved m yself, lock, sto c k and b a g g a g e , to

a little log cabin in t h e woods. I h a v e been
h e r e s in c e S e p te m b e r f i r s t , 1984,
I t is a
w onderful q u ie t e x p e rie n c e in s u r v iv a l. C u t
tin g my own wood. K erosene lamps. R epairing
t h e cab in , t h e p r iv y and ta k in g s a u n a s and
rid in g to town with a n e ig h b o r, h a s k e p t me

136

ERNEST MANN

busy. Writing a little th is c h a p t e r

After about 10 y e a rs without a c a r to
worry about and spend money on, I bought a
66 VW camper bus. Worked on t h a t for two
weeks to get it ru n n in g and enjoyable. Now
Im having as much fun as a kid with his
f i r s t bicycle, going to th e d iffe ren t s u r
rounding towns and buying "things" for th e
car, e.g., tools, oil, gas, b a tte ry , hose connec
tions, bolts, n u ts, screw s, WD40, car p a rts, in
su ra n c e, license and title tr a n s fe r. The c a r
cost me $200 and I thin k I have s p e n t almost
th a t much more on it already. Why do I seem
to enjoy BUYING th e se th in g s?
Secret

Getting back to THE WORK; how do we get

people to particip ate in th e ir own release from
sla v e ry ?
I th in k I have th e most important SECRET
in th e world! What should I do with It? Who
should I tell it to? Im run nin g out of names.
Do people really d esire to have th e ir en v iro n
ment d e stro y e d ? Do people really wish to have
people s ta rv in g to death? Do th ey really wish
to have people steal from them? Do they re
ally like to tak e all th a t sh it from th e ir boss?
I
have trie d to give th is S ecret to th e poor
people, to th e working people and I have
even trie d to give it to th e rich people. NO
ONE SEEMS INTERESTED! Should I j u s t bury
th e S ecret and help people drill holes In th e
bottom of th e boat we a re all riding in? If
you wont help (d ear read er) who will? ? ? ?

This reminds me of th e sto ry of th e sh ip

wrecked people try in g to s u rv iv e in th e large
wooden lifeboat. Their food had alt given out
and one p a ss e n g e r discovered some g ru b s in
th e wooden hull and he proceeded to dig them
o u t with his knife and eat them. Often his

I WAS ROBOT

137

blade would go all th e way th r o u g h t h e boat

and c a u se a small leak. Then th e r e s t had to
bail o u t th e boat a little more often.
Soon o t h e r s seen th is guy e a tin g g r u b s
and got h u n g r y en o u g h to do likewise. P r e tty
soon th e boat was leaking p ro fu se ly . Some
people s t a r t e d o lu g g in g up th e holes with
b its of th e ir clothing.
They e v e n tu a lly were naked b u t co n tin u e d
c re a tin g more holes looking fo r more g r u b s .
E ventually th e boat sa n k to th e bottom of
th e s e a with all its o c c u p a n ts . To t h i s day,
th e s to r y goes, th e y s it down t h e r e a r g u in g
a b o u t whom drilled th e sm allest holes. T h e re
w ere two o r t h r e e who claimed th e y were in
n ocen t b e c a u se th e y d id n t drill any holes a t
all b u t only w atched, sa y in g th e y n e v e r
th o u g h t th e boat would actu ally sin k . One
said s h e was waiting fo r th e Captain to come.
Mass Media
Who c o n tro ls th e m ass media, t h e rich g u y s
o r th e poor g u y s ? Does t h i s mean t h a t th e y
can p r i n t o r b r o a d c a s t e v e n t s and id eas
which will be to t h e ir " a d v a n ta g e ? Is t h is
th e reaso n why th e P ric e le ss Economic th e o r y
seldom g e ts an y p o sitiv e c o v e ra g e ? Does t h e
mass media ig n o re Ideas which could be a real
t h r e a t to its sy ste m ?
Then does it follow t h a t it g iv e s c o v e r a g e
to a n y th in g which will a c t as a d iv e rsio n from
its t r u e o p p o n e n t? If t h i s is t r u e , th e n e v
e r y t h i n g we se e and h e a r in t h e m ass media
is NOT a t h r e a t to t h e p r e s e n t w orld -w id e Pay
System . This would in clu d e N uclear F re e z e
a c tiv itie s, political cam paigns. C entral Ameri
can re v o lu tio n s and Middle E ast w ars. They
all g e t p le n ty of c o v e r a g e so th e y m ust be
sa fe g r i t s f o r t h e mill.
November 1, 1984

138

ERNEST MANN

The Priceless Economy

(a song)
I m maken ch an g es in my life,
g e tn rid of s t r e s s & strife.
I m s p e n d n a lot less money,
and haven time for my honey.
I m le a rn n to laugh and dance,
haven a lot more chance.
The media no longer in te r e s t me.
I m maken my own history.
Cause e v e ry th in g will be free,
in th e Priceless Economy.
When we stop ta k e n pay,
well no longer have to obey.
Well all work as vo lunteers,
and live like millionaires.
With no monetary cost of th in g s,
well all be rich as Kings.
Well produ ce abu nd an ce fo r all,
th e skinny, fat, s h o r t and tall.
Cause e v e ry th in g will be free,
in th e Priceless Economy.
Well all tak e a job we like,
e v e ry Suzie, Sally & Mike.
Well produce only th e best,
which will p a ss e v ery te s t.
Oh, well build th in g s to last,
t h a t ll go plenty fast.
Well make em easy t6 repair,
even In y o ur old red underw are.
Cause e v e ry th in g will be free.
In th e Priceless Economy.
Well have no sh o rta g e of power,
with windmills on ev ery tower.
Well h a rn e s s th e ocean waves,
and eliminate all th e slaves.
Well h a rn e s s th e lovely sunbeams,
fo r power beyond y o ur dreams.

I WAS ROBOT

Well fly to th e n e a r e s t s t a r s ,
much f a r t h e r th a n Pluto and Mars,
Cause e v e r y th in g will be fre e ,
in th e P ric e le ss Economy.
Well reclaim fa c to ry waste,
and soon o u r r i v e r s we can ta s te .
S ta rv a tio n will be a th in g of t h e p a st,
a s It was n e v e r m eant to last.
T h e re will be no reaso n to ste a l,
not even a new automobile.
T h e re ll be no P ro fit in War,
so we wont do t h a t any more.
Cause e v e r y t h i n g will be fre e ,
in th e P ric e le ss Economy.
F a rm e rs will all t u r n o rg a n ic ,
and have time to be romantic.
Well be a r t i s t s a t o u r tr a d e ,
oh, well really have it made.
Well all do o u r own t h i n k i n
and all of o u r own d r i n k i n .
We m ight smoke a little pot,
b u t n ot really a lot.
Cause e v e r y t h i n g will be fre e ,
In t h e P ric e le ss Economy.
Well be p ro u d of w hat we do,
and h a p p y to give it to you.
I t s b e t t e r to be a sn o b ,
th a n j u s t p a r t of t h e mob.
Tell all t h e w orlds people,
from high on e v e r y ste e p le .
I t s you an d I who m u st tell,
t h e P r o f ite e r s to go to Hell.
C ause e v e r y t h i n g will be f r e e ,
in t h e P ric e le s s Economy.

139

&y'-

140

ERNEST MANN

EITHER HE
START
THE FREE GAME,
OR IT DOESNT
GET STARTED!

141

-I 4

MOW
A

TO

BECOME

M ILLIO N A IR E

(And End Wars in One Year)

Here is a simple form ula t h a t a n y o n e can
follow to become a millionaire, IF th e y a r e
willing to give up all t h e i r s p a r e time, fo r one
y ear. You can c o n tin u e doing y o u r p r e s e n t
job o r b u s in e s s , being a s t u d e n t , collecting
welfare, living off t h e s t r e e t o r w h a te v e r
method of s u rv iv a l you have. You a r e a s u r
v iv o r o r you w ouldnt be b r e a th in g a t t h i s
moment. You wish fo r som ething b e t t e r o r you
w ouldnt be re a d in g th is . As f a r a s I can d e
term in e, t h i s method of "becoming r i c h h as
n e v e r been p u b lish e d before. You a r e one of
th e lucky o n e s to have come a c r o s s it! You
d o n t need an y money to g e t s t a r t e d . You
d o n t need to join a p a r ty o r buy a s e t of
sam ples.
You will need to find two p e r s o n s who
would like to become m illionaires too any
two people you choose. They d o n t h av e to
know each o t h e r o r ev en e v e r meet. The s e
c r e t of s u c c e s s of t h i s schem e is t h a t all
t h r e e of you m u st become m illionaires o r else
none of you will. So you m u st help each
o th e r .
The s t a k e s a r e high. The re w a rd is g r e a t.
A million d o lla rs is no t to be sn e e z e d at. You

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ERNEST MANN

can have and do a lot of th in g s if you are a

milljonaire. Would you be willing to give up,
all your s p a re time for a year, to get rich?
Would you be willing to stop watching TV,
reading th e paper, listening to th e radio, mu
sic, reading books and magazines and going
to movies? Are you willing to stop doing
d ru g s , smoking and drink in g? It ta k e s a clear
mind and body to accomplish th is in one year.
Would you be willing to stop making small
talk? Could you give up sp o rts? Could you
stop talking about and being active in politics
and religion? Could you discontinue your
th o u g h t time s p e n t on sex fantasies? Would
you be willing to reduce th e sunount of time
s p e n t on having sex and in looking for it?
Would you spend less time playing with and
fixing your c a r and o th e r machines and tools?
Would you be willing to deprive yourself of
th e s e activities j u s t to become rich?
Would you be willing to spend less of your
time shopping and buying th in g s? Would you
be willing to spend less time fixing and c a r
ing for all th e th in g s you have accumulated?
Are you willing to spend less time and money
on en tertainm ent? Are you willing to focus
y ou r th o u g h ts in th is one a re a and let
becoming
a
millionaire be
your
only
entertainm ent? If you have answered, "Yes!''
to th e se questions, you are well on your way
to success.
Lets say t h a t you spend 8 h ours p er day
making a living. That leaves 16 h o u rs per day
to become a millionaire. Of course, you must
spend some time sleeping and eating. But th e
emruDunt th a t you use for getting rich is e n
tire ly up to you Number One. Yes, you are
Number One! If you dont tak e care of Number
One, no one will. They" have bralnflushed us
to ta k e care of "them." It may sound selfish,
to look out fo r yourself, but you will soon see

I WAS ROBOT

143

t h a t e v e ry o n e " will b e n e fit from t h i s scheme.

F irst, you m ust decide with whom you
would like to g et rich. P e r h a p s two of y o u r
b e st f r ie n d s ? They need not live in th e same
city o r area, as you can work t h i s schem e
even th r o u g h th e mail, how ever its e a s ie r if
you live in th e same area. This schem e is
completely legal.
In case you d o n t have any f r i e n d s who
would like to become millionaires, t h e r e a r e
o t h e r m otivations you can u se to g e t c o o p e ra
tion.
This schem e will:
1. Eliminate Wars.
2. End t h e d e s tr u c tio n of o u r E nvironm ent.
3. Solve th e s ta r v a tio n problem of o u r world.
4. Halt th e reason to steal.
T hese big h o o k e rs will g ra b most people
who c a n t be p e r s u a d e d to become rich . I t will
hav e f a r re a c h in g e f f e c ts (I hope you d o n t
mind). You will become rich and have all t h e
t h i n g s y o u v e alw ays w anted in s p ite of th e s e
f a r re a c h in g sid e e ffe c ts. You can work with
y o u r two f r i e n d s t o g e t h e r o r s e p a r a te ly .
You have h e a rd t h e e x p re ssio n . "Priming
t h e pump."
For th o s e who d o n t know a b o u t
t h e old c is te r n pump; its le a th e r g a s k e ts got
d r y when it was no t in u s e and w ouldnt hold
a vacuum . In o r d e r to make it pump w ater
one had to p o u r w a te r into t h e pump b e fo re
it would work. In o r d e r to g e t t h e wealth
pump to s t a r t , o n e m u st p o u r some wealth
into it. One way to prim e t h i s wealth pump
(which wont c o s t you any money) is to p u t a
box inside, b e sid e y o u r f r o n t d o o r and p u t
some of y o u r s u r p l u s t h i n g s into It. T his is
called a F re e Box. E n c o u ra g e y o u r f r i e n d s to
ta k e w hat th e y w ant, and to s t a r t t h e i r own
F re e Box a t home. When you g e t t h i s F re e Box
idea e s ta b lis h e d
among
se v e ra l of
your
f r i e n d s and a c q u a in ta n c e s ( th is is NOT t h e

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ERNEST MANN

essence of th e scheme) you will begin to get

some of your needs filled from th e ir Free
Boxes and th e re fo re SAVE money to invest in
your scheme. The more time and money you
invest, th e sooner you will succeed.
Never GIVE money away, not even to me.
You must carefully
invest
it in
ways
(explained later) which will a s s u re your
becoming rich beyond your wildest dreams
within one year.
Your f ir s t job in th is scheme is to p e r
suade 2 people to become rich (or to help
stop war, pollution, starv atio n and stealing)
with you. That doesnt sound too hard does
it? Well It IS hard. You must keep a fte r them
to see th a t they do th e ir p art. You must p e r
su a d e them to give up th e ir diversions too, so
th a t you will ALL have more time to p u rsu e
your goal. It is not easy to become wealthy or
to save th e world from pollution, starvation
and crime; if it were, everyone would be
wealthy and th e world would be saved.
Another th ing th a t you must do is to p e r
suade yo u r 2 p ro te g e s to EACH find 2 frie n d s
to teach th e s e c r e ts of wealth and they must
work w i th 't h e ir frie n d s, i.e., they must EACH
p ass on The Scheme to 2 more people.
The S e c re ts of Wealth have been carefully
hidden. They have been sh ared with only a
select few of th e rich peoples friends. THIS
new scheme will s h a re th e S ecrets of Wealth
with everyone on th is planet; and your f ir s t
job will be to s h a re them with only 2 people
and to convince them EACH to do th e same. If
you do y our job of getting 2 people to help
and keep a fte r them until th e y EACH get th e ir
2 people to help, then we will succeed. You
will have done your job. That isnt asking too
much Is it to become a millionaire?
Now, here is th e essence of "The Scheme."
To be a millionaire means simply th a t one can

I WAS ROBOT

145

have a n y th in g t h a t a million dollars can buy.

The million dollar check is not w hat we really
want. It is what it will buy t h a t we d esire.
This scheme will g et u s th e th in g s t h a t a mil
lion dollars will buy w ithout all th e h a ssle s
t h a t go along
ith actually having a million
dollars.
How could we s t a r t a game w here e v e ry o n e
is a winner; w here e v e ry o n e can have e v e r y
th in g s / h e w ants, f r e e of c h a rg e ; w here e v
e ry o n e has a job th e y en joy , i.e., to have th e
p r e r o g a tiv e s of millionaires? The a n sw e r is so
simple t h a t it has been overlooked and s u p
p re s s e d fo r th o u s a n d s of y e a rs. We a r e k e p t
too b usy with all th e d iv e rs io n s and to y s to
notice it. Our p r e s e n t complicated P ro fit Game
is based on Competition and fo rced labor.
People a r e fo rced to, "Work o r s t a r v e !
Working b e cau se one has to" Is n e v e r a s
much fu n a s w orking b e c a u se one w ants t o .
The simple F ree Game is based on Cooperation.
Cooperation is p o ssible when we a r e not t r y
ing to make a Profit. Coercion th e n becomes
unnecessary.
If you could have e v e r y th in g you w anted,
f r e e of c h a rg e ; with no c r e d i t c a r d , money,
check book, b a r t e r , work c r e d i t s o r o b lig a
tions; if you could work a t any kind of work
you wished, g e t f r e e o n - t h e - j o b tra in in g ;
would you work a s a v o l u n t e e r to make t h i s
F ree System p o ssible? Would y o u r f r ie n d s ?
Would e v e r y o n e in t h e world be b e t t e r off
with a f r e e sy ste m like th is ?
With a sy ste m like t h i s t h e r e would no
lo n g er be a P ro fit made from s t a r t i n g a war,
no P ro fit to be made ra p in g and d e s tr o y in g
o u r e n v iro n m e n t. No reaso n to steal when
e v e r y th in g is fre e . No reaso n to s t a r v e . No
reaso n f o r unem ploym ent. No re a so n to h a te
o u r work when we can fre e ly choose work
t h a t we e n jo y . No more money o r c r e d i t wor

146

ERNEST MANN

ries.
When ev eryo ne works without pay, th e re
will be no monetary cost of production, so all
p ro d u c ts and se rv ic e s can be fre e of charge.
Wouldnt 99% of th e worlds people be b e tte r
off with th is fre e System? If your answer is,
"Yes!" then o u r job is to help inform e v e r y
one of th is o p p o rtu n ity .
There a re a little o v er 4 1/2 billion people
on th is planet. How could we reach all of
them? Sound impossible? Too big a job? You
and I dont need to inform them all. All I
need to do is to inform and convince j u s t 2
people so th oroughly t h a t th ey EACH inform 2
more people to do th e same. That is simple
enough isn t it? The Peoples Grapevine, i.e.,
th e geometric p ro gression of num bers then
ta k e s over (see diagram in "Changes" ch ap
te r).
Would you believe t h a t 31 doubling
would reach th e whole world population? Try
it! I t s like a c h a in -le tte r, only with no money
to send, j u s t one hell of a lot of work to
convince 2 people so well t h a t they c a rry on
and do th e same.
Actually It is not as simple as it sounds. It
means CONVINCING them th a t th is scheme will
work, and keeping a fte r them until they each
convince th e ir 2 people. Believe me, it re q u
ires all th e ingenuity one can m uster because
almost e v ery o n e has h e r / h is own "Plan* to
get rich o r to sav e th e world. Some a re wait
ing fo r th e ir big break In capitalism, com
munism,
socialism,
anarchism,
democracy,
Christ, God, a revolution, a g re a t holocaust or
a lottery tic k e t to give them money, power.
Paradise o r to save th e world. It is like they
have b lin d ers o r filte rs on th e ir minds th a t
s h u t o u t all solutions b u t th e ir own.
How do we convince j u s t 2 people? How do
we get th is idea p a st th e ir blin d ers and fil
te r s ? I honestly dont know. But I keep t r y -

I WAS ROBOT

147

ing. Maybe well find a way o r find someone

who will. Maybe th is book will sp eed it? I
d on t plan to q u it until we find a way. Our
v e ry su rv iv a l is a t ^stake! They a r e drilling
holes in th e bottom of o u r boat f a s t e r th a n
we can plug them!
It took Thomas Edison 999 t r i e s b efore he
finally found a material t h a t would work fo r a
filament fo r his light bulb. It took y e a r s and
a lot of ridicule before th e W right B ro th e rs
got th e ir bicycle to fly. Good th in g s d o n t al
ways come easy. P e r h a p s t h a t makes them
more of a challenge, som ething w orth puzzling
on.
So you see t h a t if I could find my two peo
ple (a re you one?) in one week and co nv ince
them each to do th e same th e next week, we
will have reach ed th e whole w orlds population
in j u s t 31 weeks. That Is less th a n one y e a r
and you would be a s rich as a millionaire. You
could have a n y th in g you w anted f r e e of
c h a r g e (and so could th e r e s t of us).
Time is of th e e sse n c e , as th e law y ers
would say; meaning t h a t we had b e t t e r g e t
th is show on t h e road b efo re th e p r e s e n t
World Economic System (The P ro fit-P a y System
Game) totally d e s t r o y s o u r E nv iro nm ent o r
s t a r t s World War III, o r g e ts u s Into a REAL
D epression o r all th e above.
Could you give up all y o u r d iv e r s io n s in
o r d e r to fo c u s all y o u r s p a r e time and
t h o u g h t s on t h i s Scheme? Would it be w o rth
while if we s u c c e e d ? Would t h i s schem e be
more fu n th a n y o u r p r e s e n t d iv e rs io n s ?
List y o u r p r e s e n t d iv e rs io n s . What kind of
F u tu r e will you buy f o r y o u rse lf, if you c o n
tin u e to in v e stm e n t y o u r Time in them ?
This schem e Is based on t h e in d iv idu al do
ing what is b e s t fo r t h e in div id ual;
w hat is
b e s t o v e r th e long haul. The s h o r t term p r o f
its t h a t people in o u r p r e s e n t Pay System

148

ERNEST MANN

s tr iv e for do not tak e into account th e fact

t h a t they a re sawing off th e limb th a t EVERY
ONE is sta n d in g on, e.g., th ey a re destroying
p u r environm ent, eradicating e n tire species of
living th in g s Important in o u r food chain, and
killing people.
PROFIT is th e prime motivator in th e world
today! What will make th e most Profit? Profit
d is r e g a r d s th e long term effects of its actions
on th e Environment and on People. This Is to
d a y s World Game: Make a Profit (and Damn
th e People)!
The fre e system game (Priceless Economic
System) is based on th e Cooperation of Life
fo r h ap pin ess and survival! If we ALL s t a r t
doing what is b e st for th e
individual
(ourself), we will have happy individuals and
t h u s have c re ate d a happy society. Only th e
individual knows what Is b est fo r her/him self.
Society does not know. The Church does not
know. The Government doesnt know. They all
t r y to make us conform to th e ways which
Profit th e leaders th e most. The leaders dont
give a s h it about us. They send us off to
wars, force us Into unsafe mines, polluted
cities, filthy unsafe factories, unsafe vehicles
and a whole lot worse th in g s, j u s t to make
BIG Profits fo r themselves. But th is Is o u r
own damn fault. We allow It. We sta n d still
and let them milk us. We obey them. Were
like domesticated farm animals. Mostly because
we dont know of a b e tte r way to exist. A
b e tte r way is herein being b ro u g h t to light.
If you can see its merit you can help yourself
ou t of th e mess you have allowed yourself to
sta y In.
Critical Mass Effect

Actually It may not ta k e many people to

form th e critical mass effect" which will sway
th e re st. The r e s t may jump on th e b an d -

I WAS ROBOT

149

wagon when th e y see a few people whose

ju d g m e n t th e y r e s p e c t promoting t h i s idea. It
may simply be a lack of hope which is in
hibiting people from p a rtic ip a tin g in th is p r o
motion.
How can we in v e s t o u r s u r p l u s money in
ways t h a t will help to b rin g a b o u t th is Free
System so o n er? I th in k th e f i r s t s te p in th is
scheme is to INFORM all th e people of th is
a lte rn a tiv e . Then it would seem v e ry logical
t h a t e v e ry o n e would wish to c h a n g e - o v e r
r ig h t away. But as we all know, T h e re is
many a slip, betw ext th e cu p and t h e Up."
These c h a in - l e t te r pyram id c lu b s alw ays b re a k
down and we c a n t ex p ect a p e r f e c t chain r e
action even when we a r e giving away a million
d ollars o r e n d in g Wars o r sa v in g o u r En
vironm ent. We can add a little e x tr a in s u r a n c e
t h a t will in c re a s e o u r c h a n c e s of su c c e s s.
That would be to inform MORE th a n j u s t 2
people.
Following a r e some s u g g e s tio n s on a d
ditional ways to g e t th e word a ro u n d ;
1. One could make copies of t h i s c h a p te r o r
o t h e r s and d i s t r i b u t e them.
2. One could w rite h e r / h i s own p a p e r o r book
and in v e s t money in d is tr ib u tin g it.
3. One could th in k up o t h e r ways to d is p e r s e
t h i s idea and in v e s t In them.
We a r e in v e s tin g o u r money and time in a
b e t t e r f u t u r e and a b e t t e r NOW too, a s we will
be w orking on a m eaningful ch a lle n g in g p r o
je c t. A f u t u r e in which we wont need money.
This will t r u l y be le ttin g th e money work fo r
us. We may as well u se it. Money is h a rd to
p a r t with a f t e r w orking h a rd and long to g e t
it, b u t Life is in th e h e re and now! If we can
e n jo y u sin g it f o r som ething t h a t we th in k
will b rin g an almost, Utopia o r P a ra d is e to
E a rth f o r o u r s e lv e s and o u r c h ild re n and
g r a n d c h ild r e n to e n jo y le ts do it! We have

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ERNEST MANN

lived in Hell (slav ery ) tooooooo longl

We dont need to fig h t City Hall. The hu
mans who work th e r e will be b e tte r off with
th e fre e system too, so th ey wont stop - us.
Even th e rich people will be b e tte r off be
cause th e y will get e v e ry th in g for fre e with
o u t having to hassle with investm ents and
money any more.
Work
What would work be like in a tru ly Free
System? F irst of all we would find a job th a t
we could enjoy. The o th e r w orkers would ob
viously be th e r e because they enjoyed it,
th u s being a happy lot to work with. A real
team of frie n d s working to g e th e r to p u t o u t
th e best, most beautiful and du rable p ro d u ct
t h a t th e re s e a rc h e rs , inventors, d e sig n e rs and
production w orkers could envision. Doing th is
in a beautiful environm ent th a t was also envi
sioned by th e s e same people with th e aid of
a rc h ite c ts and builders. These people might
like th e ir work so much th a t they would wish
to live n earb y In thou gh tfu lly designed and
lovingly c o n stru c te d homes o r apartm ents,
with th e ir fellow workers. They may have
th e ir own community where everyone knows
ev ery o n e and s h a r e s th e same dreuns. A com
munity ta k e s many d iffe ren t levels of In
telligence to function. People would find a
Place, a level th a t th e y enjoyed and felt at
home. Working because we wanted to. Instead
of because we had to. We cx>uld feel proud of
o u r p ro d u c ts o r services. We wouldnt feel
exploited because we would all be A rtists at a
work of o u r own choosing and all have equal
access to all goods and services.
We could eliminate many jobs. We would no
longer Invent "make-work" p ro je c ts j u s t to
have jo bs fo r people. Instead we would focus
on ways to eliminate work and divide th e

I WAS ROBOT

151

remaining work into s h o r t e r s h if ts so t h a t

more people could s h a r e th e fu n of p r o
duction, and all work only a few h o u rs. We,
as a r t i s t s , would make work into o u r hobby
o r t u r n it o v e r to th e robots, so t h a t only
th e e n jo y a b le c re a tiv e jo b s would be left fo r
humans.
Then e v e ry o n e would have more f r e e time
to enjoy th e m se lv e s and each o t h e r in o u r
ca refu lly p r e s e r v e d e n v iro n m e n t with all th e
wonderful in v e n tio n s t h a t we ch o se to p r o
duce. Because e v e r y th in g would be f r e e we
would all have equal a c c e ss to them. Planet
E arth has th e re s o u r c e s , th e labor, t h e ma
c h in e s and people with sk ills to p ro d u c e
a b u n d a n c e fo r e v e ry o n e .
When t h e r e is g r e a t a b u n d a n c e t h e r e is no
reason to hoard. When t h i n g s a r e f r e e , t h e r e
is no re sa le value, so t h e r e is no P ro fit in
ta k in g more th a n one n eed s. Too much, th e n
becomes a b u r d e n in ste a d of a s t a t u s symbol.
Who would add b r ic k s to h i s / h e r own back
pack?
The Time Is Ripe!

We a r e living In a New Era. This is t h e

f i r s t time in h is to ry t h a t t h e world h as had
in s ta n ta n e o u s w o rld-w ide communication s y s
tem s, both au dio and video. Now we a r e a t a
p o in t in time w h ere we can com municate with
all th e w orlds people a t once. So, once we
g e t t h i s f r e e sy ste m idea " c a u g h t o n in t h i s
c o u n tr y well g e t into t h e m ass media and
th e n c o v e r t h e e n t i r e world with t h i s Idea.
Then t h e r e will be no re a so n f o r o n e c o u n tr y
to t r y to g o b ble up a n o th e r one. T h e r e will
be no P ro fit in w ars. No re a so n to h a v e b o r
d e r g u a r d s . No re a so n to r e s t r i c t t r a v e l. Good
reaso n to c r e a t e an e a sy to learn in te rn a tio n a l
la n g u a g e t h a t e v e r y o n e could u s e when t r a v
eling. And e v e r y re a so n to help a n o th e r

152

ERNEST MANN

c o u n try develop IF It wishes help.

Under Your Hat
^ Have you e v e r deliberately watched th e
infinite num ber of th o u g h ts
which pass
th ro u g h y o u r mind? Sometimes th e se th o u g h ts
seem to be s ta r te d by th e th in g s I look at,
hear, smell, taste or touch. Sometimes I take
them from my memory bank and build fa n
ta sie s with them. T houghts seem to occupy
th e conscious section of o u r marvelous bio
com puters (minds).
A whole lot of th o u g h ts flash acro ss my
biocomputer display, sometimes around 60 per
minute.
Time
yourself.
Have
you
ev er
considered how much of th is expensive
biocomputer time we waste? We cant build a
com puter so small, which will do as much,
even fo r a billion dollars. Think of how much
work th e automatic (subconscious) section of
o u r biocomputer is constantly doing. It keeps
all o u r o rg a n s and system s functioning and is
co n stan tly directing th e ir rebuilding. Keeping
in contact with trillions of cells and giving
d irectio ns to muscles to o p e ra te in certain
ways to enable us to walk o r move o u r hands,
etc.
By watching what Im thinking I become
POWERFUL; I can th en choose th e topics ril
occupy my billion dollar biocomputer with, i.e.,
I ta k e CONTROL of my Now and my Future.
1. I can choose to se t my
biocomputer on
d r if t and allow th e o b je c ts th a t I see and
h ear occupy my biocomputer time.
2. I can choose to s e t It to follow someone
elses th ink ing ; by reading, watching movies
& TV, listening to radio, music o r people
talking trivia.
3. I can choose to allow it to obey an em
ployer who will program it fo r 8 h o u rs a
day (o r more).

I WAS ROBOT

153

4. I can choose to pro g ram it to be selective.

Then I can choose to p ic s fo r It to work
(th in k ) on which will help me ach iev e t h a t
which I d e s ire from life. Here I need to list
on a s h e e t of p a p e r, w hat I w ant to g e t o u t
of life, what I want to do, what makes me
h ap p y , etc.
We a r e each e q u ip p e d with a m agnificent
biocom puter. The "catch 22" is t h a t th e y
n e v e r t a u g h t u s how to u se it fo r o u r own
good. They have k e p t u s a s dumb and
dom esticated follow ers (w o rk e rs). To e sc a p e
dom estication and become Natural F ree Beings
again; we hav e only to learn to u se th e
" se le c tiv ity " knob on o u r own biocom puter.
Then we begin to f ig u r e t h i n g s o u t fo r o u r
selves. Freedom lies not with le a d e rs only
s e r v itu d e . FREEDOM b e g in s by ta k in g CON
TROL of H e a d q u a rte rs . HQ Is located u n d e r
o u r hat.
We w aste e x p e n siv e biocom puter time on o u r
many d iv e rs io n s . What do we p r o f it from
them ? We a r e j u s t w asting away d y in g In
s te a d of grow ing. They say t h a t e v e r y day we
lose a few memories. If we a r e not re p la cin g
o u r lost le a rn in g with new in p u t, w hat b e
comes of o u r brilliance? As we s t a r t fo c u sin g
o u r biocom puter time on becoming m illionaires
o r on s a v in g o u r world we will be amazed a t
how much more we will accom plish. We will
d is c o v e r more of Its cap ab ilities. I t Is lifting
o u r s e lv e s up by o u r own b o o t - s t r a p s b e c a u s e
t h e more we watch o u r bioco m pu ter (o u r
th in k in g ) , t h e more we learn how to u s e it;
we g e t b e t t e r a t
w atching it, an d o u r
p r o g r e s s a c c e le ra te s . I m j u s t b e g in n in g to
learn to o p e r a te my biocom puter. I m 57 y e a r s
old. I hope you g e t an e a r lie r s t a r t . I really
c a n t imagine how s m a rt I d be to d a y If
sch o o ls and my p a r e n t s had t a u g h t me how to
THINK In stead of mostly j u s t how to OBEY an d

154

ERNEST MANN

memorize th in g s I wasnt in te re ste d In.

Thomas Edison was really lucky when his
te a c h e rs th o u g h t th a t he was too dumb to
iQarn and expelled him. His wise mother al
lowed him to learn w hatever in terested him.
Today people say th a t he was a genius. P er
haps th a t is what we become when we focus
most of o u r biocomputer time on th a t which is
really in te re stin g and important to us.
I m doing what Is te rrib ly im portant to me.
Tm focusing
my
c reativ e
en e rg ies
on
"brin gin g to light" an economic system in
which; me and my children and grand chil
d ren (and you and yours), will have a chance
to work "with" people and Nature instead of
d e stro y them, as th e Profit System motivates
us to do. (Have you noticed how TV has pro
grammed children to smash to y s whenever
th ey can? Why?)
I give my new sletter away, fre e of charge.
This is su re ly a lot more fun th a n th e 20
y e a rs I s p e n t try in g to sell my time. Why
does it feel so good to give? It costs me a
considerable amount of my time, and some
money besides, to write, publish and d is
t r ib u t e th e . Little Free P re ss new sletter. I can
do th is "full-time" because I dropped ou t of
th e Rat Race in 1969, and since th en havent
worked fo r pay. Im using up th e money from
th e investm ents I made before th a t. My fixed
income dollars a re sh rin k in g . I can buy less
th a n 1/4 as much with each dollar today, as I
could in 1969. But I can still buy ev e ry th in g
I need. By 1989, I ll be broke; th e n Ill have
to go back Into th e r a t race and make some
more money, s t a r t receiving my minimal Social
S ecurity pension and have learned to live on
a lot less, have changed th e world to th e
Free System o r some option I havent th o u g h t
of yet. I am not worried. "Necessity Is th e
mother of invention." Ill th in k of something.

I WAS ROBOT

155

Once in a while I get som ething fo r fre e ,

which is a th rill. Often I find th i n g s in dum p
s t e r s th a t I can use o r fix and use. Salvaging
som ething is a thrill fo r me, as is g e ttin g a
barg ain at a rummage sale. As more people
d isco v er th e good feelin g s of giving th e ir
work away fo r fre e , we will g et more th in g s
fo r free. When e v e ry o n e decid es to do th is
we will g et e v e r y th in g fo r fre e,
th e n we
will all be into th e P riceless Society of th e
New Era.
Soooooo! Do you still wish to become a
millionaire o r sa v e o u r world? If you th in k
t h a t it would be worth all y o u r s p a r e time,
th e n le ts g e t s t a r te d :
1. S t a r t a F ree Box. E n co urage y o u r f r i e n d s
to s t a r t them.
2. Begin d ro p p in g y o u r d iv e rs io n s and using
t h a t time fo r th is work.
3. Make a t least two copies of t h i s c h a p te r .
4. Find y o u r two people and give them each a
copy.
5. S t a r t helping them u n d e r s ta n d what t h i s is
all about.
6. E n co u rag e them to each find t h e i r two peo
ple.
7. Make s u r e t h a t th e y i n s t r u c t t h e i r two
people to do th e same.
8. I n v e s t some money in p r in tin g and p o sta g e
and d i s t r i b u t e t h i s c h a p t e r o r a p a p e r o r
book t h a t you w rite, to people you th in k
m ight u n d e r s ta n d .
9. Use y o u r b e s t t a le n ts to d i s p e r s e th is idea
in y o u r own way and in v e s t time, t h o u g h t
and money Into th a t.
10.Cut way back on y o u r e x p e n se s. Then
y o u ll have more time and money to in v e s t
in y o u r b e t t e r f u t u r e .
A u g u st 15, 1984

156

ERNEST MANN

COMMON SENSE
The Elite
have one thing
in common
they work together
and retain
their POWER!
We 98.6%
have one thing
in common
we compete
with each other
and lose
our POWER!

157

F > R O B I_ E M

&

S O L U T IO N

The e n v iro n m e n t and people a r e being d e

stro y ed !
More c re a tiv e , in v en tiv e, reaso n in g people
a re needed to s e t asid e t h e i r c u r r e n t work
fo r a while and fo cu s t h e i r c r e a tiv ity , e n e r g y
and t h o u g h ts on th is problem until it is
solved.
We may become h a p p ie r if we find th e so
lution th a n if we c o n tin u e to b u r y o u r s e lv e s
u n d e r MORE STUFF!
The d e s t r o y e r s make h u g e PROFITS! How
could we p ro d u c e and d i s t r i b u t e th e w orlds
goods w ithout P ro fit?
This book a tte m p ts an answ er.
A L e tte r
All people who pay ta x e s a r e to be p ra is e d
fo r t h e i r e n d le s s g e n e ro s ity . For you a r e
s u p p o r tin g th e poor in n o cen t i n d u s t r ia lis t s
who sell war m aterials to g o v e rn m e n ts (at
slig h tly
e x a g g e ra te d
p ric e s).
All
ta x e s
e a rm a rk e d fo r Defense e v e n tu a lly end up in
t h e i r p o ck ets. You can be p ro u d of y o u r role
b e c a u se i n d u s tr i a li s ts c o u ld n t c o n tin u e w ith
o u t y o u r ta x e s and y o u r labor.
In th e meantime, "someone" m y ste rio u sly
g e ts little w ars going. "They" in c re a s e t h e
re c e ssio n (d e p riv a tio n ) in a c o u n tr y . "They"
c a u s e more u n r e s t and c r e a te a g i ta to r s f o r a

158

ERNEST MANN

revolution (revolutionaries always fail to fo re

see th e fact th a t they will end up with th e
same exploiters, b u t a new s e t of faces in
th e ir governm ent [fron t men o r women]). For
some s tr a n g e reason, th e U.S.A. gets Involved.
Of c o u rse th e U.S. Government loans them
money, which Is seldom paid back. No! You
may as well say, th a t YOU ta x p a y e rs GIVE
money to th e s e c o u n trie s so th a t they can
buy th e s e "special m aterials* from o u r poor
innocent in d u stria lists.
Even though you may have to skimp and
do without" a little, you should not b eg ru d g e
th is little dab of profit to th e military
in d u stria lists. Dont falter, lag o r grumble be
cause you will soon get y our reward they
will Invite you o r your sons, to release your
hostilities, by wearing a beautiful uniform,
listen to g ran d marching music, be offered
th e o p p o rtu n ity to see th e world, have a girl
(or boy) in e v e ry port, even be promised free
schooling (if you su rv iv e ), i.e., do a wee bit
of th e figh ting patriotic duty. Oh, such
Glory! To be allowed to fig h t and die fo r th e
In d u s tria lis ts . Such an Honor! And a fre e
burial throw n in to boot. What a deal!
Arent th ey wonderful thoughtful people?
You dont get to meet th e ir kind very often.
You dont need to even th ink about it.
They LIKE to do y o u r think in g fo r you. No
problem! J u s t watch TV, read th e papers, lis
ten to th e ir music and hear your radio. It
c o sts them a little money to lead your
th o u g h ts b u t its OK because th e y ll j u s t add
It to th e cost of what you buy. They will take
c a re of you and tell you what to do. J u s t
follow th e ir fine laws and work, pay and
obey. Life Is so simple th is way.
Of co u rse th e y have a "God given natural
rig h t" to do th is. It sa y s rig h t in th e Bible,
"Give unto Caesar . .
(You dont su ppose

I WAS ROBOT

159

C aesar had a hand in w riting t h e Good Book

do you? I w onder if lan d lo rd s, tax collectors
and o th e r bill collectors still u se t h a t one?)
If people a r e willing to obey th e y a r e will
ing to pay (a little anyw ay).
The P rofit Game can g e t to be a bit of a
bore a f t e r a while. It is n t all t h a t much fu n ,
once you learn how to win a t it.
It is really d e c e n t of you to s u p p ly th e
ta x e s and th e wo/men. Life would be t e r r i b l e
dull fo r t h e Elite w ithout t h e i r Wars. Com
manding th e G enerals and Admirals is really
q u ite fun you know, "The S p o r t of Kings."
L o re tta Nose, E x - s e c re ta r y
"Big Daddy" W arb u ck s office
P ro d uctivity Sharing?

Read what F o rtu n e and F o rb e s Magazines,

(April 29, 1985) had to say a b o u t some of th e
la r g e s t U.S. c o rp o ra tio n s . They list th e in
d u s t r i a l i s t s by ra n k . Mesa Petroleum Corp.
r a n k s 1st fo r exploiting w o rk e rs. They made a
n e t p ro fit in 1984, a f t e r all e x p e n s e s and
wages, of $397,400 from each of t h e i r 700 em
ployees. Tucson E lectric Power made $125,800
from each of t h e i r 1,000 em ployees, while
Exxon ( th e f i r s t in ra n k in sa le s) made only a
measly $36,900 n e t p r o f it from each of t h e i r
150,000 em ployees. I a sk you, w hat in c e n tiv e
is t h e r e fo r an h o n e s t w o rk e r when th e y r e
ceiv e so little of t h e i r p r o d u c tiv ity ?
Recessions

R ecessions d o n t s t a r t by a c c id e n t. Someone
t u r n s them on and someone t u r n s them off.
(Why do you th in k th e y do t h i s to u s? )
"Someone" g a v e t h e Federal R e se rv e Bank
d ir e c tio n s to ra is e t h e D iscount Rate. Then
b a n k e r s ra ise d t h e i r Prime I n t e r e s t Rate and
tig h te n e d up on m o rtg a g e money.
This closed down t h e home b u ild e r s . They

160

ERNEST MANN

laid off most of th e ir c a rp e n te rs, plumbers,

roofers, block and brick
layers, cement
fin ish ers, c a rp e t and tile layers, p ain ters and
p a p e rh a n g e rs,
sh eet
rockers,
p la ste re rs,
electricians, laborers, landscapers, architects,
lawyers, realtors, etc.
This made a slow-down in all th e ind ustries
which produced and d istrib u te d the materials
for home building, e.g., lumber, nails, h a rd
ware, plumbing, windows, cabinets, roofing,
electrical, block, brick, carpet, tile, cement,
appliances, paint, etc. The layoffs extended to
th e miners and o th e rs who produced th e raw
materials.
The tra n s p o rta tio n and tru c k in g in d u stry
and then th e oil and coal in d u strie s slowed
down and laid off people.
These laid off people couldnt afford to buy
new cars, so th e auto in d u stry laid off work
ers.
Laid off people couldnt afford to buy ap
pliances, clothes, fu rn itu re , etc. This caused
more lay off.
Laid off people dont pay income taxes so
th is made s h o rta g e s in th e government t r e a
su ry . TKen governm ent spending and funding
was c u t back. And more people were laid off.
This sh o rta g e of jobs and welfare money
caused more crime. Some people chose to steal
r a th e r than sta rv e .
CAN YOU SEE HOW EASY IT IS FOR THEM
TO PUT US INTO A RECESSION?
They ju s t tig h ten up on money. The "clue
is when th e Federal Reserve Bankers raise
th e ir Discount Rate a sub stantial amount.
When " th e y decide to LOWER th e Discount
Rate, and for some m ysterious reason, mort
gage money loosens up, people can get "easy
mortgage money again and c o n tra cto rs hire
back th e ir tradesm en and soon p ro sp erity re
tu r n s .

I WAS ROBOT

161

SEE HOW EASY IT IS FOR THEM TO END

RECESSIONS?
At some point, in d u s tr ia lis ts ra ise p ric e s on
basic m aterials, like oil, c o p p e r and steel.
Then all p r o d u c t p ric e s m ust go up. THIS IS
THE CAUSE OF INFLATION! Inflation is simply
th e r e s u lt of " t h e i r decision to ra ise p ric e s
on basic m aterials.
Then th e u nio ns MUST ask for a raise. And
th e n , th e u nions (th e w o rk e rs) a r e blamed fo r
inflation. WHAT BULL SHIT!
The people on fixed incomes, blame th e
w o rk ers, instead of th e real c u lp r its , fo r th e
inflation which has sh riv e le d t h e i r b u y in g
ability ( t h a t s not all it sh riv e le d ).
At th is point th e w o rk e rs g e t th e old
squeeze* p u t on them. If th e y do not g e t th e
same p e r c e n ta g e of ra ise in wages a s th e in
flation got, th e y loose, b ecau se t h e i r wages
wont buy as much as before. Take fo r in
s ta n c e now. Now, we a r e sq u e e z e d almost
to half o u r size. Now we have to give "them"
80 h o u rs of work p e r week In o r d e r to buy
th e same th i n g s fo r o u r family as o u r f a t h e r s
did with 40 h o u r s of work.
(A u th o rs note, 1988; Could one of th e r e a
so n s why we a r e In a bind in t h e U.S.A., be
t h a t o u r c o u n tr y h as been s o ld - o u t to big
money people In Asia, North Africa, C anada
and o t h e r s ? In th e S t a r T rib u n e of Minneapo
lis on 10/18/87 t h e i r a rtic le , "Wealthy f o r e ig n
e r s in c re a s in g ly se e U.S., as good i n v e s t
ment." g iv es some s u b s ta n tia tio n to w hat some
of u s th o u g h t we w ere se e in g t h a t we w ere
a c q u irin g d if f e r e n t M asters.
The a rtic le s t a t e s t h a t 13.5% of t h e m ajor
c itie s (of th e U.S.) commercial real e s t a t e
with a v alu e o v e r $20 billion Is a lre a d y f o r elg n -o w n e d . And t h a t 46% of all commercial
real e s t a t e in Los Angeles Is fo re ig n owned.
In New York City, $7.65 billion is f o r e ig n -

162

ERNEST MANN

owned o r 28%, And in th e little city of Min

neapolis they already have 32% of it. What
p e rc en t of a big corporation o r city do you
need to own to control it? You dont need
th a t much!
My g u ess is th a t they have a good grip al
ready on th e U.S. economy and are tightening
th e screw s on us. Will they eventually expect
us to s u b s is t on a handful of rice and a cou
ple of fish heads, like some of th e ir slaves
back home? They already have a growing
number in th is c o u n try conditioned to eating
rice. Is it c h eap er for them to raise than
potatoes or is sto ra g e easier?
So fa r th ey have only gained 3% ownership
in Seattle, 11% in Portland, OR, 17% in San
Francisco, 19% in Denver, 39% in Houston, 18%
in Atlanta, 12% In Washington, DC, 11% in
Philadelphia and 10% in Boston.
My th o u g h ts a few y e a rs ago were on th e se
lines "We a re being sold-out to th e rich
Asians and N. Africans who get more work out
of th e ir slaves."
They a re already getting
twice as much work o u t of us as o u r former
Masters did.
If th e s e conclusions a re co rrect, then we
will not be able to tig h te n o u r belts enough
th is year. Well be doing It year a fte r year.
Why a re th e y buying o u r co u n try ? FOR
P R O F I T
! FOR PROFIT ! FOR PROFIT !
FOR PROFIT ! So, lets get rid of Profit and
g et o u r c o u n try back! Wouldnt th a t be a cute
little tric k to play on em? End of note.)
Around and Around

Then they raise th e Federal Reserve Bank

discount ra te again and th e whole reces
sion/inflation cycle goes around again. Shall
we let th is System go on forev er?
Lets s t a r t a new system th e Priceless
Economic System. This new system would in-

I WAS ROBOT

163

validate th e "cause" of war and th e "means"

fo r making re c essio n s, y e t p ro v id e th e method
fo r th e p ro d u ctio n and d is trib u tio n of th e
w orlds goods.
Work would become an a r t and p riv ile g e
b ecau se of th e limitless freedom t h a t th i s new
system would allow each individual. I t would
become as e n jo y a b le as a hobby.
T h ere is su c h a d iv e r s ity of a p t itu d e s and
a tt i t u d e s t h a t t h e r e would be a potential
a r t i s t fo r each job. People would have th e
freedom to c re a tiv e ly find p le a s u ra b le ways to
tra n s fo rm t h e i r jo b s into a r t. To p ro d u c e t h e
most with th e least, y e t t u r n o u t d u ra b le ,
e ffic ien t and beautiful p r o d u c ts of which th e y
would be p ro u d .
Because p r o d u c t s would la st lo n g e r th e y
w ouldnt need to be re p ro d u c e d so o fte n ,
giving o u r new a r t i s t s th e le is u re to th in k ,
c o o p e ra te and p ro d u c e t h e h ig h e s t q u ality .
No more, H urry! H urry! And c u t c o r n e r s ."
A p titu d e te s ti n g and o n - t h e - j o b tr a in in g
from e x p e r ts would make it e a s ie r to find t h e
r i g h t job and allow t h e v e r y you ng and
th e v e r y old to help If th e y w ished. Today,
we d o n t alw ays find t h e " e x p e rts " te a c h in g
in t h e schools.
Planned o b so le sc e n c e would be re p la ce d
with "allow ances in new d e s ig n s to a c c e p t
p r e d ic te d im provem ents."
Work which no o ne
c a re d to do would be re le g a te d to autom ation
and ro b o ts. E v e r y th in g would be fre e . P rofit,
money, b a r t e r , c r e d i t and ta x e s would be o b
solete.
Without PROFIT t h e following would become
e x tin c t:
1. Politicians
5. Acid rain
2. B u r e a u c r a ts
6. S c a rc ity
3. War m o n g e rs
7. Taxation
4. R o b b e rs
8. Unemployment
As soon a s e v e r y o n e
u n d e r s t a n d s and

164

ERNEST MANN

wants th is new system, all w orkers can set a

date and stop taking pay on th a t day and
give th e ir p ro d u c ts away, fre e of charge,
from th en on.
The basis of th is new system is th a t ev
ery on e would have equal access to employment
and to all p ro d u c ts because:
WHEN ALL PEOPLE AGREE TO WORK FOR
FREE (AS VOLUNTEERS), THERE WILL BE NO
MONETARY COST OF PRODUCTION. THERE
AFTER, ALL PRODUCTS AND SERVICES CAN BE
GIVEN AWAY FREE OF CHARGE. THEN PEOPLE
WILL HAVE NO NEED FOR MONEY, SO THEY CAN
ALL WORK AS VOLUNTEERS AS ARTISTS.
The people who now th ink th a t they "own
th e E a rth s natural re so u rc e s and land would
have no f u r t h e r use for money because e v
e ry th in g would be fre e for everyone, so they
would no longer have to p ro te c t p ro p e rty and
worry ab out pro fit and loss. With Priceless
Economics weMI replace th e "rig h t of ow ner
s h ip with th e " rig h t of u sersh ip ."
There
will be no point in try in g to control (own)
th o u s a n d s of a c re s of land and minerals if
o n es employees a re giving th e p ro d u c ts o r
minerals away f re e of charge.
This new system cant happen until people
become AWARE of it!
Lets use o u r e n e rg y in a positive way to
build something we want, instead of d issip at
ing it th ro u g h defensive actions, I.e., by re
acting to th e c u r r e n t news (straw men, fear,
a n g e r, hate and war mongering). The news
which th e Elite allow in th e mass media Is de
signed to not only make us fearful and an g ry
b u t to keep us BUSY! BUSY! BUSY! Busy b u y
ing. Busy working. Busy try in g to keep th e
bills paid. Busy th in k ing and talking about,
looking fo r o r having sex (I re s e n t having
Madison Avenue motivate me, even in some
th in g I like doing).
Busy absorbing. Busy

I WAS ROBOT

165

a rg u in g . Busy g rip in g . Busy d e m o n stra tin g .

Too b usy to have time to d isc o v e r t h e real
c au se of o u r problems. Too b u sy to work on
building a new and b e t t e r system . Too b u sy
to f ig u r e o u t and c r e a te o u r own h a p p in e ss.
You d o n t gain g ro u n d by DEFENSIVE ac
tio n s su c h as re s is tin g and d e m o n stra tin g .
Look w here it has g o tten us. Wer e loosing
g ro u n d . They have p u t u s into a n o th e r
recession . T h o u sa n d s of farm s and homes have
been foreclosed by t h e i r b a n k s. Many small
b u s in e s s people have gone b a n k r u p t.
Many a r e o u t of work, u sin g up t h e i r mea
g e r s a v in g s. Many have had to go on welfare.
They c o n tin u e to In c rea se "d e fen se " s p e n d in g .
They c o n tin u o u sly p ro v o k e Russia. Unions a r e
being b ro k en . The Elite have ra ise d p ric e s
f a s t e r th a n wages. Now a young family m ust
give th e Elite 80 h o u rs a week, to s u p p o r t a
family as well as t h e i r f a t h e r s did with 40
h o u rs.
WOULD YOU CALL THIS PROGRESS?
For whom?
We need to ACT in ste a d of re a c t, i.e., ta k e
t h e o ffe n siv e by s t a r t i n g to build a sy ste m In
which exploitation is impossible.
Politics c a n t do t h i s f o r us. A g o v e rn m e n t
by its v e r y n a t u r e is d e sig n e d to keep t h e
Elite in pow er (In t h e b a c k g ro u n d ). A g o v e r n
m ent r e s t r a i n s people from USING t h e E a r t h s
b e s t land and n a tu ra l r e s o u r c e s which t h e
Elite and G overnm ent claim th e y OWN.
Politics d o e s n t b rin g freedom . I t b r in g s
s e r v i tu d e .
O ur c o n s e n t to be g o v e rn e d is d isp la y e d
e v e r y time we vote. By v o tin g , we g iv e im
plied perm ission to o t h e r human b e in g s to
p a s s laws and e n fo rc e them a g a in s t us,
w h e th e r we a g r e e with t h e laws o r not. Is
t h i s FREEDOM f o r t h e INDIVIDUAL?
A g ro u p , an o rg a n iz a tio n o r a p a r t y r e

166

ERNEST MANN

q u ire s conformity to its rules. A member who

do esn t conform is punished, expelled or
p u rg e d . Can th e r e be Freedom for th e indi
vidual within a p a rty ?
At o u r work we must obey th e boss (or a
client) for at least 8 h o u rs each day. Is th a t
where Freedom must s ta r t?
"An economic system which enables each
individual to get e v e ry th in g s / h e wants, fre e
of c h a rg e, and to g et a job which allows each
p erson th e time to become an a r t i s t at what
e v e r production one chooses p ro d uces In
dividual Freedom.
Since we seem unable to convince th e Elite
to help, well have to proceed on o u r own. We
num ber o v e r 99% of th e worlds 4 1/2 billion
population. We certainly have th e peoplepower. Surely o u r f ir s t job Is to publicize
th is new idea. To let people know th a t th e re
is an a lte rn a tiv e system available. To give
them hope and relieve them of th e fru s tra tio n
of not being able to stop th e p re s e n t system.
To give them EACH something they can do
rig h t now, without having to join a P arty or
pay dues.
People who ta k e pay o r profit for th e ir
work (in all co u n tries), will be b e tte r off with
Priceless Economics. It will be more efficient
and more enjoyable. We will be able to elimi
nate many expensive large burdensome de
p a rtm e n ts from b u sin e ss and in d u s try . This
will fre e millions of w orkers to help with th e
n e c e ssary jobs, creatin g more sh ifts, th u s
reducing th e working h o u rs fo r everyone.

I WAS ROBOT

167

Produce More

The P ric e le ss Economic System will employ

only v o lu n te e rs . V olunteers p ro d u c e more be
c a u se we;
1. work b e c a u se we w ant to
2. choose work we d e s ir e
3. actually have fun
4. have f r e e o n - t h e - jo b tra in in g
5. have no money w orries
6. a r e tr e a t e d b e t t e r
7. have control o v e r o u r s p a c e and- being
8. can q u it and still s u r v i v e
9. d o n t feel exploited
10. a r e more c r e a tiv e
11. a r e h a p p ie r t h u s h e a lth ie r
12. choose o u r own h o u rs
13. im prove o u r w orking co n d itio n s
14. ta k e re s p o n s ib ility
15. c o o p e ra te in ste a d of compete
16. d o n t play company politics
17. a r e n t u n d e r s t r e s s
18. d o n 't have to k iss a s s
But would anyone work i f they didn^t have
to?

T h e re a r e o v e r 84 million people doing so

now. You may be one. I am one. I hav e a sk e d
h u n d r e d s of people in t h e la st s e v e ra l y e a r s
if th e y would work f o r f re e , if e v e r y t h i n g
w ere f r e e , and 99% h av e said t h a t th e y would,
b u t th e y d id n t th in k t h a t a n y o n e e lse would,
so th e y co n clu d ed t h e c a u s e was h o p e le ss and
dism issed th e idea. They d id n t realize t h a t
99% of t h e people I ta lk e d to would, t h a t I
would and you would and t h a t most of t h e i r
f r i e n d s would. Clearly a lack of communi
cation. Actually, we h a v e been misled to b e
lieve t h a t people a r e mostly bad, and o u t to
g e t us. In o u r p r e s e n t P ro fit m otivated s y s
tem, It is p a r tly t r u e . We m u st steal a s much
a s we can from each sa le we make. I t s called
P rofit. We c a n t s u r v i v e in t h e Pay S y stem by

168

ERNEST MANN

making even exchanges.

Why would anyone volunteer?

Volunteers are motivated by th in g s g re a te r

th an money, i.e., a d esire to help cre ate
something b e tte r, p ride in th e ir work, s a tis
faction in doing a good job, knowledge of do
ing o nes sh a re , seeing a need and wishing to
fill it, d esire to give, th e craving to be
tr u s te d , honor of helping, feeling th e integ
rity of doing what one th in k s is right, feel
ings of accomplishment, praise, to avoid bore
dom, th e fun of using o r learning a new skill,
of using tools and com puters and th e joys of
camaraderie. Volunteers a re th e a r ti s t s of
skills, th e t r u e professionals.
The EXAMPLE of people actually enjoying
work may also be alluring.
T here would then be no opposition to a u
tomation and robo try for th e monotonous and
d a n g e ro u s jo bs and of course for th e socalled sh it jobs.
Wouldn't people take too much i f everything
were free?

1. Sometimes we must get a belly ache be

fore we know how much is enough. By p ro p er
orientation beforehand we might realize th e
fact th a t th e less we take, th e less well need
to produce, t h u s th e more fre e time well have
to enjoy what we have and each other.
2. We might
learn th e
a d v an tag es of
"sharing " th e use of certain th in g s, e.g., lawn
mowers, vacuum cleaners, ty p e w rite rs, vehi
cles, pleasu re c ra ft, etc. th en we wouldnt
have to produce so many, nor keep so many
in repair.
3. There is no reason to hoard when th in g s
have no resale value.
4. There is no reason to hoard when th e re
is abundance.
5. Possessions would no longer be pro
grammed as s t a t u s symbols.

I WAS ROBOT

6.
Why own It, If you can borrow
th e local s to r a g e c e n te r ?

169

It from

Could we produce abundance?

We have t h e techn olo g y, m achines, labor,

re s o u r c e s and t h e land to p ro d u c e a b u n d a n c e .
But we lack th e incentive. Planned s c a rc ity
p ro d u c e s h ig h e r p ro fits in o u r p r e s e n t P ro fit
motivated system . With th e PES t h e r e would
be reason to p ro d u c e a b u n d a n c e . A bundance
ab o lish es g re e d and s e lfish n e s s.
P rod u ctio n will become like sex. The p r o
c e s s will become as e n jo y a b le as th e p ro d u c t.
The p ro c e s s becomes an a r t done by a r t i s t s ,
i.e., people who en jo y t h e i r work and have
th e time and freedom to be c r e a tiv e and a r e
not d e p e n d e n t on th e sale of t h e i r p r o d u c ts
fo r t h e i r s u rv iv a l.
Will management still be needed?

Management h as th e ability to se e th e o v e r
all p ro c e s s, c o o rd in a te and m aintain harm ony.
L e a d ersh ip is an e s se n tia l p a r t of p ro d u c tio n .
When m anagem ent o p e r a te s as a v o lu n te e r, it
m u st be t r e a te d with r e s p e c t (as m u st all
v o lu n te e r s ) o th e rw is e it can c e a se giving
d ire c tio n and still g e t e v e r y th in g fo r f re e . If
th e p r e s e n t m anagem ent r e f u s e to help, new
o n e s will soon evolve from within each in d u s
try .
Would any leader care to manage huge in
dustries i f they
d id n t receive
gigantic
salaries?

If th e y w ere in te r e s te d In " p u re " p r o

d u c tio n , th e y could th e n h a v e fu n in man
agem ent. One would no lo n g e r be c o n s tip a te d
by labo r d is p u te s , ham pered by lack of c r e d i t
o r t h e need to make a p ro fit. In a d d itio n , o n e
would h a v e in te r e s te d
r e s p o n s ib le
helpful
c re w s to work with. One could work with t h e
c h a lle n g e of " p ro d u c in g t h e most and b e s t
with th e least."

170

ERNEST MANN

Will we have to sacrifice our luxuries?

Everyone would keep what they have. Ev

eryone would also have free access to all new
.products and services.
Would we still use money?

We would have no use for money, credit,

b a rte r o r work cred its. Everyone would be
relieved of th e agonies of mismanaging money
and credit. No more ch eck -o u t lines. No more
need for locks. Money would no longer be a
criterion for choosing a vocation. We could
th en choose a job th a t we were suited for,
could enjoy and excel at.
Children

Without money hassles family life could be

much happier. Millions of little children would
have th e chance to grow up without being
brow beaten by p a re n ts who were harassed
by job and money s tre s s e s . Can you imagine
what beautiful beings th e se kids would grow
into? What would you and I be like today if
we could have grown up in a joyful environ
ment with p a re n ts who had no money worries?
People would then be more capable of be
coming g re a t a r t i s t s in th e ir chosen fields,
i.e., b e tte r w orkers. I t would th e n be reason
able to encourage everyone to become more
educated in w hatever in terested them (for
free, of course). We might become valuable
th in kin g individuals instead of non-thinking
Nobodys try in g to look and act like Hollywood
o r a favo rite rock s ta r.
Each person has a billion dollar bio
computer balanced upon h is /h e r neck t h a t is
exploited and used mostly for self-su stain in g
and simple monkey-see, monkey-do processes.
Very little of th is biocomputer time is sp e n t
creatively.
Is th e n u r tu r in g of th e s e expensive biocom puters being overlooked o r even re

I WAS ROBOT

171

p r e s s e d ? Are most people used in stead to do

jo b s which ro b o ts could do more efficiently ?
I t was assum ed t h a t muscle" was w hat people
had to sell, b u t it was with o u r biocom puters
t h a t we in v e n te d and developed machines,
co m p u ters, ro b o ts and what next?
Can you possibly Imagine th e f a n ta s tic
p r o g r e s s we could achieve if all th e s e walking
biocom puters were e n c o u ra g e d to th in k c r e
atively Instead of being ch an n eled into, being
s p e c ta to r s ?
Do in d u s tr ia lis ts allow t h e i r million dollar
e le c tro n ic c o m p u te rs to s it a ro u n d idly o r
w atching TV? Do th e y keep them in polluted
a re a s ? Do th e y feed them polluted e n e r g y ? Do
th e y o ccu p y t h e i r time with ir r e l e v a n t d i v e r
sio n s? Do th e y p rog ram them with lies, d e
ception and fe a r? Do th e y p ro gram them with
slow s e l f - d e s t r u c t ( c ig a r e tt e a d s ) and to even
d e s tr o y each o t h e r with wheels and g u n s ?
Do we in v ite in d u s tr y to do t h e s e bad
t h i n g s to o u r b io -c o m p u te rs when we ta k e
pay? When we t a k e pay, we m ust o bey." Vol
u n t e e r s can sa y , Horse m an u re on you!", and
q uit.
Will volunteerism require more workers?

Think of t h e millions of people now em

ployed in all t h e jo b s t h a t we wont need; like
sa le s and a d v e r tis in g ( c u ttin g down t r e e s and
p a p e r m aking, j u s t f o r a d v e r t is in g ) and th e
o v e r 14 million people in g o v e rn m e n t and th e
m ilitary when th e y s t a r t doing som ething
useful and we u s e more ro b o ts and autom a
tion, we can h av e more s h if ts , with s h o r t e r
w orking h o u r s fo r e v e ry o n e . (E xcept t h e
Robots. Oh, t h e poor th in g s !)
I t would th e n be more logical to p ro d u c e
p eace and p le n ty . With f r e e a c c e s s to t h e
w o rld s goods an d inform ation people will
become h a p p ie r, h e a lth ie r an d more knowl
e d g e a b le. I n v e n tiv e p r o g r e s s would a c c e le r a te

172

ERNEST MANN

and th e space program could be escalated.

Are we wasting o u r time (lives) try in g to
win at Monopoly when we could be having
more fun playing Give away?
Would there be a place for individuals or
groups who wanted more privacy or ju s t
wanted to be independent?

Of course. The world is a big place. There

a re 7.28 a c re s of food growable land for each
of th e 4 1/2 billion p erso n s on th is planet;
however, because of o u r acceptance of gov
ernm ent and laws of ow nership, th e Elite and
th e governm ents own most of th e best land.
Seven a c re s is f a r more land th an we need to
produce ab u n d an ce for each person. Plus we
have th e mountains, d e s e rts, riv ers, lakes and
oceans which produce food and a re lived on.
After we stop producing for profit th e r e will
be no reason for th e Elite to hoard (own)
land if th ey a re not actually using it. There
is plenty of land for us all.
Will we have to move back to the land?

No. Only th o se who wish to. When th e cities

and factories a re no longer operated for
profit th ey can be remodeled to become beau
tiful and healthful places to live and work.
But the machines are destroying us!

When production is motivated by need in

stead of profit, we will discover w hether or
not we can use technology to make itself safe
and beneficial.
What about sex crimes will the Priceless
Society eliminate them?

Maybe. At least it should lessen them. Hav

ing no money w orries and having happier,
more satisfy in g work with people we like, we
may get along b e tte r.
We may be able to c re a te a th e ra p eu tic
method to c u re th e s e people. We may teach
them how to get all th e love and sex they
want. We might even give them an overdose of

I WAS ROBOT

173

love and sex. Wear them out. Then th e y may

p r e f e r a n a tu ra l amount. Or we may be able
to match them up with t h e i r a g re e a b le c o u n
terp art.
Will we still need hospitals?

The more we re d u c e th e " s t r e s s in peo

p le s lives with o u r new happy society th e
less need we will have fo r d o c to rs, n u r s e s ,
medicine and hospitals.
Will there be a reason to continue to de
stroy the whales and seals?

We may be wise en o u g h to allow buffalo,

d e e r, whales, seals, fish , r a b b its , b ir d s , etc.,
to multiply until th e y roam in h u g e n u m b e rs
again. We may learn to j u s t ta k e what we
need in ste a d of w asting them j u s t f o r p ro fit,
s p o r t o r genocide. They feed, w ater and c a re
fo r th em selv es. This would s a v e f a r m e rs a lot
of work and p ro v id e fu n o c c u p a tio n s fo r peo
ple who liked fish in g and h u n tin g .
Some people dont like to cook. Could they
eat in free restaurants all the time in this
Priceless Society?

S u re. Then t h e people who really like t h e

c u lin a ry a r t s could en joy t h e i r work more by
h avin g really a p p r e c ia tiv e c u sto m e rs. When
cooks a r e not t r y i n g to make a p ro fit th e y
can p ro d u c e more delicious and n u t r iti o u s
meals.
Will we stop having home kitchens?

Many people may wish to c o n tin u e to do

t h e i r own cooking. In d iv id u a ls will each d e
cide f o r th e m se lv e s. With f r e e a c c e s s to
m aterials and lab o r we sho uld be able to d e
sig n and build some v e r y b e a u tifu l, peaceful
and e ffic ie n t r e s t a u r a n t s . How p le a s a n t it will
be to s h a r e delicious food and d r i n k s and
in te r e s tin g c o n v e r s a tio n
with f r i e n d s and
t r a v e l e r s in s u c h s u r r o u n d i n g s .
V o lu n te e rs may fin d it fu n and c h a lle n g in g
to develop t h e b e s t w ays to o p e r a t e t h e i r

174

ERNEST MANN

re s ta u r a n t.
Customers
will
become th e ir
frie n d s with much jovial interchange. With
s h o r t s h ifts th e w orkers wont need to be
worn ragged,*' as they a re today. It may be
v e ry satisfyin g to provide meals th a t people
rav e about in a beautiful peaceful setting .
Will people have free access to one-of-akind objects, like paintings and sculptures?

This could be a problem. However, we

not want th e responsibility of guarding
o bjects. We may find it simpler to keep
on display in f r e e a r t galleries. Because
all be a r t i s t s and have a lot more fre e
t h e r e will be an ab un dance of really fine
a rt.

may
such
them
well
time,
free

You say we won^t need government once we

all become volunteers, but who will tell the
farmers and industry how much to produce?

The tru e " Law of Supply and Demand

would th e n ta k e over. The farm ers and in
d u strial w orkers would su pp ly enough to fill
th e demand.
When we stop using Sales and Advertising
and many other useless departments, what will
become o f our vacated skyscraper office
buildings?

With no r e n t from them, th e r e would be no

point in retaining ow nership and th e b u rd e n s
of management and maintenance unless one
enjoyed it. They would probably become
something like condominiums with th e occu
p a n ts j u s t "using" th e ir space and managing
it themselves. Or p e rh a p s people wont wish
to sta y in th e crowded cities, th en th e se
buildings may become stockpiles of materials
from which disassembly crew s would recycle
materials.
Without huge incomes, wouldnt people lose
their status and prestige?

These a ttr ib u te s a re not CAUSED by money.

They r e p r e s e n t th e ability to amass money.

I WAS ROBOT

175

People with ability will be able to d e m o n stra te

It In th e P riceless Economy by how well th e y
do t h e i r chosen work, how th e y re la te to o t h
e r s , and p ro b a b ly se v e ral o t h e r ways, t h u s
th e y will gain p r e s tig e , love and adm iration,
w ithout h u r tin g anyone.
Will the Priceless Society eliminate Classes?

People may p r e f e r to asso c ia te with people

who have similar i n te r e s ts .
Won^t the Elite lose th eir POWER when we
stop using money?

P ric e le ss Economics will declaw and detooth

th e bulldog named "P ow er. The Elite will no
lo n g er be a fra id of o t h e r people with b u lld o g s
(when th e y a r e to o th le ss). I th in k th e y d o n t
w ant to hav e a n y o n e tellin g them what to do.
I believe t h a t is why th e y needed a bulldog,
to p r o te c t th e m se lv e s from each o th e r , c e r
ta in ly no t from us. We a r e j u s t a b u n c h o f
sh e e p . We w ere t a u g h t v e r y y o u n g in life to
do a s we a r e told! I d o n t th in k t h a t th e y
would w ant a -D ictatorship of t h e W o rk e rs
tellin g them w hat to do e ith e r. I c e rta in ly do
not w ant a d ic ta to r s h ip of t h e w o rk e rs tellin g
me w hat to do! If t h e s h e e p had all t h a t
Power, th e y would j u s t let some black s h e e p
o r goat con them Into h i s / h e r way of doing
th in g s . T h e re was good reaso n f o r t h e s t a t e
ment, Power c o r r u p t s !
Money an d O w ner
s h ip w ere t h e te e th and claws in t h a t old
bulldog.
A to o th le s s bulldog will n o t be able to give
u s t h e ultimatum, "Work f o r u s, o r S t a r v e !
The 1% will no lo n g e r be able to h ir e u s to
c a r r y g u n s f o r them a s henchm en, policemen
o r s o ld ie rs . We wont need t h e pay an d why
sh o u ld we c o n tin u e to s u p p r e s s o u r s e lv e s ?
The Elite only h a v e Power if we give It to
them . When we e s ta b lis h t h e P ric e le s s Eco
nomics we will all h a v e all t h a t we n eed, t h e n
we can politely tell t h e Elite to, S h a p e up, o r

176

ERNEST MANN

ship out!" It will be to e v e ry o n e s adv an tag e

to expose all POWER s e e k e rs and th e ir little
tr ic k s to get followers. In o r d e r to p re s e rv e
th l^ n e a r Paradise, th is harmonious relation
ship with n a tu re th a t we will create, we will
teach o u r children to be th e ir own leaders in
stead of teaching them to OBEY, conform and
vote for a leader. We will teach them how to
THINK Instead of accept and memorize what
someone else has w ritten.
1 th in k th a t we all have It within us to be
come o u r own leader. What is b est fo r th e IN
DIVIDUAL is inevitably b e st for Society.
Happy Individuals make a happy society. We
will give o u r beautiful little children a won
d ro u s Joyful place to grow up. We wil( give
o u rse lv e s th e chance to be cre ativ e and th e
time to produ ce marvelous, wondrous th in g s
fo r th e good of us ail and in harmony with
o u r g en ero u s planet.
There really is no way th e few Elite fami
lies, who now ru n th e world, can stop th e
4,500,000,000 of u s once we s t a r t working for
OUR OWN GOOD. If you and I play a small p a r t
in helping o th e r people see th e ad v a n ta g es In
working to g e th e r fo r equal access to o u r pro
duction Instead of giving th e Elite, th e cream
of th e crop and th e n having to fig h t each
o th e r o v e r th e skim milk th e n well achieve
th e Priceless Economy sooner.
I can th in k of no b e tte r investm ent for my
money and my time, th a n In spen din g It on
promoting th e Priceless Economic System. If
we can achieve th is system we will end wars,
pollution, crime, sta rv a tio n , money and th e
need fo r government. T here will then be no
reason to have money so I may as well spend
all my money now, to promote th is b e tte r
system .
When I ru n o u t of money I may have to get
back Into th e Rat Race and make some more to

I WAS ROBOT

177

co n tin u e th is promotion. My money will be of

no value if th e War m ongers win and end life
on th i s E arth as we know it, with a n u c le a r
war. Nor will my money be of any value if th e
in d u s tr ia lis ts d e s tro y o u r lif e - s u p p o r t system
with t h e i r pollution. We will s u f f e r and die
p re m a tu re ly in e ith e r case.
I have been s p e n d in g (in v e s tin g ) my money
and most of my time sin ce 1969 in th is b e tt e r
f u tu r e . In a b e t t e r "now too actu ally , be
c a u s e I have ta k e n th e FREEDOM and th e time
to enjo y my work (my life) more as I go
along. I feel I m e n g a g e d in th e w orlds most
im p o rtan t and most u r g e n t work. If we d o n t
g e t th is new sy stem u n d e r way soon we will
be p a s t th e "point of no r e t u r n " in th e d e
s tr u c tio n of o u r e n v iro n m e n t o r, we could
be th ro w n into n u c le a r war any time t h e Elite
decide to tell th e le a d e rs to "P u sh th e b u t
tons!"
You know damn well t h e r e will soon be a n
o t h e r World War. Both s id e s have p le n ty of
missiles re a d y to fire . We have had w ars b e
c a u s e people hav e been com placent. (Are most
people still t h a t way?) We allowed le a d e rs to
make all th e decisions. When th e time is rip e
th e Elite will s t a r t WW III!
Dont s i t back on y o u r dead a s s e s (like
most of o u r f a t h e r s and m o th e rs and g r a n d
p a r e n t s did). This time s t a r t making d e c isio n s
of y o u r own. S t a r t DOING THINGS NOW! Do
t h i n g s to help m otivate o t h e r s to help. Get
o v e r y o u r FEARS of t h e law, of being lau g h ed
at, of being t h o u g h t dumb, o f making m ista k e s
s t a r t help ing to c r e a te a new economic
sy ste m in which t h e r e is no re a so n f o r WAR!
S t a r t it in y o u r own life f i r s t .
Make a few m ista k e s now, learn from them,
grow and p ro c e ed . Your b ig g e s t m istak e is to
do n o th in g .
If t h e war d o es g e t s t a r t e d you will look

178

ERNEST MANN

back (if you s u rv iv e ) and blame yourself for

not having helped more. Your kids will blame
you, if th ey su rv iv e .
. "An ounce of prevention, is worth a pound
of cu re."
You have a chance to help with th e
prevention, h ere and now. You will find se v
eral su g g e stio n s of what YOU can do to help
here and now in th e se pages. YOU can fig
u re out some th in g s to do yourself, if you
tr y .
Get rid of your Idiot Box and come on out

and play^
If you happen to be one of those who s u r
vive th e f i r s t b lasts of th e nuclear war and
you see all th e in ju red , th e pain, death and
d estru ctio n around you, you will HATE y o u r
self for not having done MORE, to have had
more GUTS when th e r e was y e t time. Oh, th a t
you had sta te d your opinion more often and
had promoted a b e tte r way more diligently!"
After th e f i r s t missile lands on one of o u r
big cities, killing millions of children, mates,
g ra n d p a re n ts ,
p a re n ts,
s is te rs ,
b ro th e rs,
cousins and frie n d s th en , it will be too
late to help with th e prevention. Then people
who s u rv iv e will be so full of fe a r and hate
th a t th ey will ACCEPT war and th ey wont be
cu red til th ey get th e ir bellies full of killing
o r full of lead.
If you watch TV, movies, read th e p a p e rs
and listen to th e radio, you a re probably
scared sh itle ss paralyzed unable to help
with th e change. STOP taking in th e ir FEAR
MONGERING and lies s t a r t think ing th in g s
o u t for yourself. Even if you only s t a r t doing
little th in g s at f i r s t (like sh a rin g th is book
with a frie n d ), its a step at a time. Each step
gives us more courage. Before long you wont
be afraid anymore. It Is th a t simple. I t was
th a t way fo r me. Once I was a v ery s tr a ig h t

I WAS ROBOT

179

b u s in e s s man who b o u g h t new s u i ts and new

c a r s and conformed In e v e ry way. I am q u ite
d if f e r e n t now!
Id le Rich

War fo r th e Idle rich may be an in te r e s tin g

s p e c ta to r s p o r t and a way to keep u s w o rk e rs
occupied so t h a t we wont th in k of se e k in g
o u r INDIVIDUAL freedom o r realize weVe not
g e ttin g a fa ir s h a r e of o u r p r o d u c tiv ity . (T h at
d o e s n t make them BAD people, If we had been
b r o u g h t up like th e y were, we m ight be doing
th e same th in g . I t s J u s t t h a t we a r e ig n o ra n t
of a b e t t e r GAME to play. If WE d id n t play
t h e i r game with them, t h e r e w ouldnt be w ars
and all t h e o t h e r bad stuff! So really, its o u r
own damn fault!)
For us. War Is Hell! What is war like f o r
th e little c h ild re n who still live, who c a n t
find t h e i r mommy and d a d d y ? For m o th e rs
and f a t h e r s who c a n t find t h e i r k id s?
War is no t j u s t m arch ing , d r in k in g , tra v e l
a n d f r e e schooling WAR IS KILLING, WAR IS
PREMATURE DEATH, WAR IS PROFIT, PROFIT,
PROFIT and more PROFIT!
Pioneers

The grow ing n u m b e r of people who r e f u s e

to conform to s ty le c h a n g e s , to c u t t h e i r h a ir
o r s h a v e , who r e f u s e to a d o p t c u r r e n t p ub lic
opinion; th e y a r e t h e p io n e e rs of t h e b e t t e r
f u t u r e people who a r e s t a r t i n g to t r u s t
t h e i r own re a s o n in g POWER. We a r e s t a r t i n g
to believe in o u r s e lv e s , to know t h a t WE a r e
th e real POWER.
WE p ro d u c e all th e w orlds goods. WE s u p
p o r t an d f ig h t t h e w a rs and kill each o th e r .
WE b u y t h e " th in g s " t h a t t h e f a c to r ie s make
which c a u s e t h e f a c to r ie s to pollute. WE ru n
t h e m achines In t h e s e f a c to r ie s which pollute.
WE g iv e away o u r POWER when we vo te, WE

180

ERNEST MANN

th e n allow someone to govern us. WE allow

Slave Masters (th e Elite) when WE accept pay.
Youve no do ub t heard of Wage Slaves? (Do
you su p p o se th a t term got s ta rte d j u s t by
accident?) It is WE who will have to change!
If you give your POWER away to a politi
cian, it leaves you helpless and fru s tr a te d .
You t r y to get th e politician ou t of office af
t e r s / h e passed some bad laws and raised
h is /h e r salary , b u t you d id n t seem to realize
th a t when you p u t a n o th e r one in office you
give away y o ur POWER again. The new politi
cian doesnt e ra se th e bad laws of th e prio r
politician, b u t instead makes a few bad laws
of h is /h e r own. T here is no way to win when
you play with th e ir rules. It is a f r u s tr a tin g
futile game of Round Robin them robin us.
Get th is s tr a ig h t, When you give away
your POWER you lose it!"
Keep your
POWER dont vote! The whole political scene
is j u s t a big circu s, a staged play, a d iv e r
sion to keep you watching and too busy to
fig u re th in g s o u t for yourself. Long ago, Cae
s a r said, "Give them bread and c irc u s and
th e y wont rebel."
Our real power is achieved when we have
th e Independence (freedom) to choose who we
will GIVE o u r Labor and o u r Ideas. This is
really all t h a t th e Elite want from us o u r
labor and o u r Ideas. They want o u r kids, too,
to continue th e ir labor supply. Oh yes, they
want us to consume. But th a t Is only to make
us NEED money so t h a t we MUST work for
them.
Some of us now, who have saved up a little
money o r who have exceptional skills, have
th e Freedom of choice of whom we will give o r
sell o u r skills. We who a re aware of th e
trem endous benefits to humankind (to all life)
of th e Priceless Economics a re th e Pioneers
who a re attem pting to learn and teach th is

I WAS ROBOT

181

new freedom. We have nothing more to gain

th a n you will. We a r e p ioneering a system
w here it wont pay to be crooked o r d e
s tr u c tiv e .
With th e P ric e le ss Economic System , th e
INDIVIDUAL will have th e ultim ate POWER. We
can re f u s e to give o u r e n e r g y to p ro d u c e any
p ro d u c t t h a t we th in k is not good.
We have a n o th e r POWER now, b u t we can
seldom e x e rcise it of o u r own f r e e c le a r will.
T hat power is o u r CHOICE of w hat we buy.
Our choices a r e usually biased by all k in d s of
a d v e r tis in g , by s t a t u s sym bols, by conform ing
to what th e o t h e r s a r e b u y in g and by what
we can affo rd . So we usually d o n t have real
freedom to u se o u r pow er of selection.
In th e P ric e le ss Society, o u r selection of a
p r o d u c t will be o u r v o te fo r It. In th is way
we will e x e rcise co n sc io u s d ir e c t control of
th e "Law of S u p p ly and Demand" which will
r e g u la te w hat and how much will be p ro d u c e d .
Red Meat E a te r
I d id n t e a t meat fo r a little while b e c a u se
I fe lt s o r r y f o r t h e animals I ate. (Tell an
a n t e a t e r to feel s o r r y fo r th e a n t s and see
how long th e y s u r v i v e and how many a n t s
you soon have. N atu re k e e p s h e r own balance.
Is it wise to mess with h e r a c t? )
But now I
feel s o r r i e r f o r t h e hum ans t h a t a r e being
killed and in ju r e d by w ars, pollution, crim e
and s ta r v a tio n . If we d o n t s a v e o u r e n v ir o n
m ent and o u r own s p e c ie s t h e r e wont be an y
animals left e ith e r . E v e r y th in g in its own
good time. Now I m t r y i n g to become a c e n t e
n a ria n . F ir s t I will help s a v e human life (my
life).
When I m e a tin g red meat I feel e n e r g e ti c
an d h e a lth y . I am a g g r e s s iv e , f e a r l e s s and I
go for'* w hat I want. I t a k e my rig h tfu l place
in t h e food ch ain . I avoid my p r e d a t o r s , e.g..

182

ERNEST MANN

lions, tig e rs , grizzly bears, loan sh a rk s , b a r

racudas, piranh as, crocodiles and kissing fish,
and I eat my prey. It Is up to my prey to
^watch ou t for themselves. I am a human, a t
tempting to find his natural position in na
t u r e s food chain, not an a ltru ist.
Some people have grown fearful of meat be
cause some claim th a t meat is full of d ru g s,
herbicides, pesticides, etc. (Could th is be
some of th e Pay System s propaganda, a t
tempting to channel us into vegetarianism?)
But if th is Is tru e , then th e r e s t of th e food
is also contaminated.
If it is t r u e t h a t h e rb iv o re s must eat about
20 times more th an ca rn iv o res to get one
pound of protein, th en th is must mean th a t
humans who eat meat, only need to work th e ir
d ig estive system s 1/20 as much as a non meat
eater. We a re not equipped with four stomachs
like a cow, nor do we chew o u r cud like a
sheep.
For th e arg u m en t th a t "meat raising" uses
up too much land remember v eg etarian s
re q u ire a lot more land to grow th e ir addi
tional pounds of food to get th e ir pound of
protein. Why not let th e animals do th is g a th
e rin g fo r us and then eat them? We a re p a rt
of th is food chain. In 1980 th e r e was 7.28
a c re s of food growable land p er each person
on th is planet. Far more th a n we need. How
e v e r much of th is land is in "soil bank"
w here some people a re reaping millions of
dollars from th e governm ent for not p ro d u c
ing. If th ey want more land for food p rod u c
tion why not also stop th e "cash crops" of
tobacco, s u g a r beets, s u g a r cane, soy beans
used for paint and plastics, etc.?
If ev ery o n e In North America and Europe
stopped eating meat, th e people in th e poor
c o u n trie s still couldnt afford to buy it. There
is no scarcity of food o r meat in th e poor

I WAS ROBOT

183

c o u n trie s, th e pcxDr people j u s t d o n t have th e

money to buy it! I have been ab ro a d . I have
seen th is. Go o v e r t h e r e and ta k e a look fo r
yourself!
After we c h a n g e - o v e r to th e P ric e le ss Eco
nomic System and stop killing people and pol
luting, th e n , I may wish to "mellow o u t and
e a t less meat and more vegies. As it is, I e a t
meat (ab o u t a th ir d of a p ou nd ) once a day
fo r my big meal a t noon. I e a t n o th in g with
it. I j u s t enjoy It fo r its own flavor; I have
read t h a t when o u r stomach re c e iv e s food, it
in je c ts c e rta in d ig e s tiv e ju ic e s, acid o r base,
and c e rta in enzym es. If we p u t food into th e
stomach which r e q u ir e s acid and food which
r e q u ir e s a base, th e n t h e acid and th e b a se
n e u tra liz e each o th e r and loose t h e i r ability
to d ig e s t food and th e enzym es may also do
th is. T h e re fo re th e book said t h a t only p a r t
of th e food is d ig e ste d and th e r e s t p a s s e s
on o u t of t h e system . So th e y recommended
not e a tin g un like foods a t th e same meal.
I usually cook f r e s h ly g ro u n d (in my
Corona hand mill) g r a in s o r e g g s and f r e s h ly
hand g ro u n d coffee fo r b re a k fa s t. At s u p p e r
time I u su ally hav e v e g e ta b le s o r f r u i t. But I
am not s t r i c t with myself, I v a r y sometimes on
whim o r con v en ien ce. Sometimes I e a t th e old
mixed up way. I h av e some p a s t r y , ice cream,
milk, c h e e se , c a n d y , etc., sometimes too. I still
like my coffee and hav e a social d r in k on o c
casion.
I
like
Ben
F ra n k lin s
id eas
on
"M oderation."
Why not be good to myself, I
may only live once. I also ta k e a b o u t a half
h o u r nap a f t e r my noon meal.
Since I s t a r t e d e a tin g meat by itse lf a t my
big meal ( a u t h o r s note:
I m still doing t h is
in 1988) a y e a r o r so ago, I e a t a b o u t t h e
same am ount of meat a s I did p re v io u s ly b u t
b e c a u s e I d o n t e a t t h e v e g ie s, b r e a d , f r u i t ,
salad, d e s e r t and milk, (which I u sed to e a t

184

ERNEST MANN

with it) I am eating much less food. I dont

feel h u n g ry . I*m not loosing weight either. Im
feeling fine, have more e n erg y than even
y ou n g er people and less waste p asses out of
me. It is an in te re stin g experiment and expe
rience th a t seems to work well with my body
and mind.
An in te re stin g b y -p ro d u c t of my diet is
th a t because I buy mostly all fre sh (not
fre sh -fro z e n e ith e r) foods, th ey cost me a lot
less. I buy some dried foods, like; peanuts,
bread, grains, popcorn, raisins, etc. The more
they p rocess food th e more chemicals and
spices th e y add and th e more nutrition they
d estro y and th e more they c h a rg e for it.
I eat very little in r e s ta u r a n ts now because
they dont have much th a t I like and th e ir
prices are too high. I like my own cooking. I
do e v e ry th in g up j u s t th e way I like it and
th a t t u r n s ou t to be th e simplest way. I use
only salt and p e p p e r for spices. This not only
sa v e s time and money b u t I get to enjoy th e
natural flavor of each p a rtic u la r food.
Oh yes, youd be s u rp ris e d at how much
time I sav e with th is kind of eating. I save
time in planning, in shopping, in cooking, and
in washing dishes. I eat good (ste a k s too, th e
c h e a p er c u ts) and my grocery bill is very
small.
I sometimes wonder if th e System didnt get
people s ta r te d in th is vegetarian kick j u s t to
mellow them out, keep them too lethargic and
frig h te n e d to stick up for th e ir rig h ts (feed a
dog raw red meat and it is much more
a g g re ss iv e than one fed vegies). To keep us
docile th a t is one of th e Elites trick s.
They have really cheap labor in Asia where
th ey feed people mainly rice. Have you no
ticed t h a t labor is getting ch eaper here In
th e Good Old U.S. of A? They now get 80
h o u rs p e r week out of most families for th e

I WAS ROBOT

186

same buying power th e y gav e th e i r p a r e n ts

fo r 40 h o u rs work a g e n e ratio n ago.
At p r e s e n t we feel pow erless. They ra ise
p ric e s f a s t e r th a n th e y raise wages. We a re
being p u t in a sq u eeze. We a r e h elp less in
th e Profit System u n le s s we a r e wealthy. The
Elite have it good even in D epression s and
War.
But we can s t a r t a new game th e P ric e
less Economics w here each individual will have
equal POWER to give h i s / h e r work w here th e y
choose and equal POWER to ta k e what th e y
choose.
Is th is POWER w orth working fo r? Would it
be b e t te r th a n th e Ultimate D estruction th e
Profit System is g uid ing us to w a rd ?
The P rofit System o f fe rs u s in ev itab le
choices d eath by WW III, d eath by th e d e
s tr u c tio n of o u r e n v iro n m e n t a n d / o r d e a th by
s ta r v a tio n .

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ERNEST MANN

What To Do?
Some people a re already beginning to tu rn
the Pay System inside-out.
1. Some people have a "Free Box."
2. Some have s ta r te d "Free Skills Pools."
3. Some a re giving all th e ir p ro d u c ts away,
fre e of charge.
4. Some have d ro p p ed -o u t.
Some
have
stopped taking pay for th e ir work and are
living
off
th e ir
accumulated
reso u rces
(knowing they can always earn more money
again when and if they need it). This gives
them more TIME to fig u re th in g s out and do
something c o n stru c tiv e tow ards change.
5. Some a re u n b u rd e n in g themselves. Many
have sold a n d /o r given away most of th e ir
THINGS. They have fewer worries, less to tak e
c are of, few er expenses and more fre e time.
Some have shed down to one back pack full
and a re tra v e lin g with no back-home re n t to
pay.
6. Some a re buying less. I n d u s tr y then
p ro du ces less, t h u s polluting o u r environment
less.
7. Some a re reducing th e ir expenses. As
people discover Voluntary Simplicity they gain
more fre e time to discover them selves and
gain more inn er peace.
8. Some a re d istra c te d less by th e mass me
dia and o th e r trivia, so th a t they can focus
more th o u g h t-tim e on creating an altern ativ e
and learning how to play and e n te rta in them
selves.
9. Some have rejected th e ir maximum pen
sion potential. Many will receive only a small
pension because they chose th e fre e time,
h e re and now, Instead of working for pay u n
til th ey a re 62 (should they happen to live
t h a t long).
With th e Priceless Economics we

I WAS ROBOT

187

wont need p e n sio n s anyway.

10. Some a r e te a c h in g P riceless Economics
by being an EXAMPLE of a p e rso n who is
en jo yin g life. A happy sa tisfie d p e rso n who
feels good a b o u t h e r/h im se lf knowing th e y
a r e doing c r e a tiv e th in g s to stim ulate chang e.
11. Some a r e tra v e lin g ex tensively and
g e ttin g new in cites into th em selv es, o t h e r s
and th e world situ a tio n .
12. Some s h a r e th is
book
with t h e i r
frie n d s .
13. Some a r e w riting t h e i r own p a p e r s and
a r e o th e rw ise u sin g t h e i r b e s t ta le n ts to d is
p e r s e th is idea.
14. Some a r e g e ttin g less d e p e n d e n t on
th e p r e s e n t Pay System and a r e gaining more
Freedom.
15. Some a r e w orking fo r 2 o r 3 m onths
fo r pay and ta k in g off t h e r e s t of t h e y ear.
16. Some a r e ENJOYING LIFE. If we a r e not
we a r e s u r e as Hell doing som ething
wrong! We had b e t t e r s t a r t doing w hat m akes
o u r h e a r t sing! We may as well have fu n b e
c a u se c h a n c e s a r e p r e t t y damn good, t h a t we
wont g e t o u t of t h i s old world alive anyw ay.
T hese sixteen examples a r e of people who
a r e ta k in g CONTROL of how and who th e y will
COOPERATE with.
December 1, 1983

188

ERNEST MANN

T E N

Y E A R S

Ten years from now, do I want to be

doing what I m doing right now?
If I continue doing what I m doing
now, w o n t I be doing this ten years
from now?
What do I want to be doing ten years
from now?
What do I want to be doing one year
from now?
What do I want to be doing next week?
What will I have to start doing, right
now to make this happen?
July 4, 1979

189

TALKING

TO

MYSELR

I m ust learn to be aw are of how I m feeling

a t t h i s momentI m ust aim to be h ap py and c o n te n te d a t
th is moment.
Am I doing o r th in k in g w hat p le a se s me?
If I m h a p p y with th is moment I need go
no f u r t h e r in t h i s s tu d y .
If how ever I m feeling u n d e c id e d , d e p r e s s e d
o r if I have n o th in g to do th e n I should
read on.
I seem to be t h e h a p p ie s t when I m b u sy
doing o r th in k in g a b o u t som ething t h a t I
p lan ned myself. This p u t s me in control of my
life and my d e s tin y , b e c a u se e v e r y t h i n g I do
to d ay will have a v e r y d ir e c t Influence on my
tom orrow s. By ack no w led gin g t h i s f a c t and
ta k in g re s p o n s ib ility f o r my to d a y , yes, and
f o r "th is" moment, leaves me with no o n e to
"blame" fo r my p r e s e n t p re d ic am en t, s p a c e o r
a t t i t u d e b u t myself. I am w h a te v e r I h av e
made myself! Do I like t h e p r o d u c t? If not,
its back to t h e old d ra w in g b o a rd , and th e n
t r y to d e s c r ib e t h e me I d e s ir e to be.
Most of my life I have u n k n o w in g ly allowed
o t h e r people to influence, d ir e c t o r lead my

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ERNEST MANN

th o u g h ts. I gave away my "Power."

My Power to;
1. do as I wished
2. think as I wished
3. learn what I wished
4. be me
5. be a natural human
6. reason th in g s out for myself
7. be contented
8. love
9. not be afraid
10. not be in want
11. control my destiny
12. control my "now"
13. be happy
14. ju d g e for myself
15. know what is rig h t for me
Gave Away My Power
I have discovered myself to be a highly
"suggestible" c re a tu re , not so highly evolved
above my cousins, th e monkeys. I find the
"monkey-see, monkey-do" principle working
often on me.
I th o u g h t th a t I knew it all. I learned to
play th e game of work, consume and pay
work, consume, pay and be entertained. I
th o u g h t th a t was all th e r e was to life.
Ideas and su g g e stio n s come at one so fast
on TV, radio and in movies th a t a person
doesnt always have time to evaluate, before
o th e r s a re bombarded a t one. Consequently
one te n d s to unconsciously accept some of
them as t r u t h s . If they a re repeated often
enough. Music falls into th is class too, b u t it
Is so su b tle o r hypnotic th a t people are sel
dom aware th a t it can p u t us Into moods or
c re a te d e sire s th a t we may not want.
Plus th e use of sublimlnals; on TV, movies,
radio and in magazines, for mind conditioning
by th e people who have control of th e mass

I WAS ROBOT

191

media. They have c re a te d a worker-cx>nsume r" m entality.

Music d e s e r v e s special mention b e c a u se It
is so widely used (and alw ays has been) as a
mood modifier and t h o u g h t m anipulator. Have
you noticed t h a t n early e v e r y w h e r e you go
t h e r e Is b a c k g ro u n d music? (Read again, Or
wells *1984")
A b a c k g ro u n d music company in Minneapolis
has disclosed publicly t h a t it u s e s subllm lnals
In th e "canned" music it sells to s to r e s . Some
people have known f o r c e n tu r ie s how to " se t
o u r moods" with music. You know how c e rta in
music m akes you w ant to m arch, dance, feel
sad , sentim ental o r a n g ry . T h a ts mood s e t
tin g .
A Sign o f S u b s e r v ie n c e
Have you noticed t h a t much of t h e s in g in g
is like w hining? And many of t h e s i n g e r s a r e
not really s in g in g b u t a r e y elling? (People
pay fo r th is ? )
Does t h e whining s e t o u r
"national mood" a s w h in ers, b e g g in g t h e g o v
e rn m e n t o r "w ho ev er" to sto p po llu tin g o r
w h a te v e r and to g ive u s a few c ru m b s. T his
p r o te s tin g may keep u s too b u s y to th in k of
le a rn in g how to fill o u r own n e e d s , o r how to
d e sig n o u r own economic sy stem .
Is t h e yelling in t o d a y s s in g in g a b e h a v
ioral modification method sim ilar to ra isin g
o n e s voice lo u d e r and lo u d e r a tte m p tin g to
win an a r g u m e n t when logic is fa ilin g ? Do
d ic ta to r s u s e t h i s m ethod? Did Hitler, S talin
and Mussolini? Do some p r e a c h e r s ? How a b o u t
some s p o u s e s and p a r e n t s ? Does t h e yelling
d r iv e t h e i r p o in ts home into o u r belief s y s
tem s? I ve d is c o v e re d m yself ra is in g my own
voice a tte m p tin g to win a rg u m e n ts- I t seem s
t h a t I may h a v e a weak a r g u m e n t if I m u st
r e s o r t to t h i s ta c tic .
They h a v e u se d o u r s u g g e s tib ility an d o u r

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ERNEST MANN

gullibility to manipulate o u r minds with the

th o u g h ts th ey c re a te with th e ir words In
songs. I still catch myself humming and
repeating th e words of songs I heard y ears
ago. They undoubtedly affected my beliefs.
Of co u rse th e new spapers, magazines, books
and movies have th e ir own special ways in
which they affect o u r thinking. For example
by reading fiction, one experiences life vi
cariously, th e re b y wasting th e time th a t one
could have used to live life. Because I dont
watch, listen to o r read much of th e mass me
dia, I have much more time to observe, listen,
discuss, reason and draw my own conclusions.
This feels f a r more rew arding and may lead
me closer to "TRUTH.
The big joke is on us. We pay them for
th e ir re c o rd s and tapes, for radios, t v s and
movies, i.e., we pay to be mind conditioned!
Ha, ha, he, he. Ill bet they laugh about this.
We th e re b y n e v e r get time to reprogram our
own bi0C0mputer.
Many of th e places th a t I go have back
ground music t h a t I dislike. I hope to find a
way to en co u rag e th e se places to tu r n off
th e ir music while Im th ere. I may tr y
boycotting them o r simply find places with
more u n d e rsta n d in g and considerate owners.
Conform!
Cut your hair! Wear th e c u r r e n t Paris, hip
pie, Disco, o r punk styles! I grew up be
lieving th a t I must conform. That it was im
p o rta n t to have th e approval of my peers,
p a re n ts, n eig h b o rs and relatives (and it p ro b
ably was, if I wanted to get a good job). I
was supposed to be and do what they ex
pected.
When I got a job, I found out where th e
ultimate power existed. Conform o r be fired!
Conform, instead of; o bserve, think, reason

I WAS ROBOT

193

and form o n es own ju d g m e n ts;

in stead of
learn ing to live my own life in n a tu re ; build
my s h e lte r, make my own clo th es and grow o r
g a th e r my own food and make myself hap p y . I
was t a u g h t to work fo r o t h e r s (altru ism ?) and
make them happy. Long ago th e y called th is , I
th in k , "S lavery."
Now we call it by its e u
phemism, "employment."
When you ta k e pay,
you m ust obey!
Who Is Most Im portant?

I m learn in g to do fo r "me" now. Make my

self happy. I m t r y i n g to g e t o v e r w o rry in g
a b o u t what people th in k a b o u t me. I t r y to plo
a s I please. I do not t r y to harm o t h e r s b e
c a u se I do not c r a v e th e c o n se q u e n c e s. I
know t h a t I m a "good" p e rso n , so I have no
need fo r o t h e r peoples a p p ro v a l. I m not
p e rfe c t. I still make m istak es and I s u f f e r
from them b u t I also learn. (S u re , t h e r e a r e
p len ty of ways I m ust still conform, in o r d e r
to g e t my n e e d s met. When in Rome one may
h ave to do some of th e t h i n g s t h e Romans
do.)
I am th e most im p o rta n t p e rso n on t h i s
p la n e t to me. No o ne o r no th in g is more
im p o rta n t th a n I am to me. Without me, I
w ouldnt be h ere. I r e f u s e to r e d u c e m yself
by th in k in g of m yself a s "one among many."
No! This is t h e way to condition t h e sla v e
m entality, c r e a te a Guru and follower re la tio n
sh ip o r
become an In co n sequ ential p a r t of
th e whole. I am t h e Whole! T h e re is a lot of
t h a t " p a r t of t h e whole" philosop hy going
a ro u n d lately, almost a s bad a s t h e flu.
Everyone Makes Ripples!

T h e re a r e no two b la d e s of g r a s s exactly
alike. We a r e all extrem ely im portant! Ev
e r y t h i n g t h a t we do and sa y (and n e g le c t to
do and s a y ) h a s some in flu e n c e on t h e p r e

194

ERNEST MANN

s e n t and th e fu tu re . For Instance, some of th e

inspiring o r d eg rad in g th in g s you say today
to a friend o r s tr a n g e r , will affect h is /h e r
mood to some extent. And th is will affect how
th ey will act and what they will say to o th
e rs. It may affect th e ir creativ ity and in
v e n tiv e n e ss o r th a t of someone they contact.
The feelings of happiness, encouragem ent
and hope o r th e feelings of fear, a n g e r and
d epression th a t you pass on to even one p e r
son, keeps getting passed on, down th e line
of people, like th e ripples of a pebble thrown
into a pond. The ripples th a t you s t a r t by
each contact you make may finally touch
someone on down th e line who will then be
inspired to do something really ou tstand ing
for humanity and life, something th a t even
you may benefit from. In o th e r words If I do
a little good o r bad to an o th er person and
t h a t person p a sse s it down th e line, each
person may be nourished a little bit by what
I s ta r te d , for th e ir good o r th e ir detriment.
And on down th e line somewhere it may grow
to be a gigantic good o r bad which may come
back and affect me.
I m tr y in g to say th a t we are extremely
im portant and we had b e tte r be careful of
what we send o u t on th e pond of life, i.e.,
send o u t only what you would like to get
back.
Fantasy Adventure

A few y e a rs ago I became aware of a dif

f e r e n t a sp ect of my day-dream ing. I was
playing a fa n ta sy a d v e n tu re in my mind as I
was walking. The sto ry was getting r a th e r
sc a ry and I became aware of my h eart
pounding and of th e te n s e n e s s and anxiety I
was feeling. I tried to stop th e sto ry , but
couldnt. I had to bring it to a safe conclu
sion. They say t h a t you can t stop thinking

I WAS ROBOT

195

a b o u t e le p h a n ts by re p e a tin g to y o u rse lf, "I

wont th in k a b o u t e le p h a n ts. I wont th in k
a b o u t e le p h a n ts. I wont th in k a b o u t ele
p h a n ts , etc."
By exp erim en ting , I disco v ered I could sto p
th in k in g a s to r y w ithout fin ish in g it. My
method is simply like c h a n g in g c h a n n e ls on a
TV se t. I th in k to myself, "I d o n t want to
c o n tin u e with th is line of th o u g h t. What shall
I th in k a b o u t in ste a d ? "
I decide on a n o th e r
topic and th in k on th a t. C o nseq uently th e old
t h o u g h t line d is a p p e a rs . T h e re d o e s n t seem
to be room f o r th e old t h o u g h t line when I
really c o n c e n tra te on my new topic. This
t h o u g h t control h elp s me g e t more p o sitiv e
u sa g e from my bio-com p uter.
April 11, 1983

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ERNEST MANN

IGNORANCE
"Ignorance is of a peculiar nature;
once dispelled,
it is impossible to reestablish it.
It is not originally a thing
in itself,
but is only the absence of knowledge;
and though man may be kept ignorant,
he cannot be made ignorant."
Thomas Paine

(1791)

197

LIKE

BEING

SQUEEZED-?

Why would a p e rso n d r o p - o u t of th e r a t

race j u s t a f t e r he learn ed how to win? I can
a n sw e r t h i s q u e stio n , f o r myself. Anger! The
cum ulative e ffe c t from w atching g o v ern m en t.
I was 20 y e a r s a real e s t a t e salesm an and
b r o k e r and a t t h e same time a landlord and
c a r e t a k e r of my p r o p e r tie s . I am not asham ed
of having been a lan d lo rd , I even told m yself
I e n jo y e d real e s ta te . I p ro v id e d good clean
h ousing for low income families. In M innesota
( b u r r , its cold h e re ) h ou sin g is a s n e c e s s a r y
a s food. I grew up on a farm and I worked a s
h a rd p ro v id in g h o u sin g as I did ra isin g food.
Some people frow n on a n y o n e who is, was
o r ev en t h i n k s of becoming a lan d lo rd . If
t h e s e n aive people would t r y living In s t a t e
owned ho using In t h i s c o u n tr y o r in Russia,
th e y m ight learn f i r s t - h a n d a b o u t g o v e rn m e n t
in efficiency, w asting of m aterials, time and
human labor especially in slo w n e ss of g e t
tin g a n y th in g done.
I s t a r t e d g e ttin g a n g r y with g o v e rn m e n t
a b o u t 30 y e a r s ago when I u sed to s e e t h e
c i t y s s t r e e t c re w s "a t work?" T h e re would be
six men r e s tin g and o ne man sh o v e lin g . Re
minded me of t h e d e p r e s s io n tim es and t h e
W.P.A. I o n c e a s k e d a WPA w o rk e r why it took
n ine men to mow a lawn. He p o in ted to an
o u t - h o u s e up on t h e hill and th e n to a lawn

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ERNEST MANN

mower and said, "There a re two men coming

and two men going and two men sittin g and
two men mowing, and I m the boss."
I saw monumental governm ent inefficiency
in th e c o u rt house where I paid real esta te
taxes, had p a p e rs recorded, etc. The wasting
of my tax dollars made me a n g ry . I had to
work hard and long h o u rs fo r th a t money.
Once th ey s e n t two men to inspect some
electrical wiring. One man o r a boy could
have done It. But what really took th e cake
was when, a month later, th ey s e n t out two
more full grown men to do it again, even
though th e f i r s t two had approved it. They
said th e y were "redevelopm ent inspectors." I
was in such a rag e I almost hit them with th e
hammer I was c a rry in g .
I was an enlistee in WW il, b u t I p ro tested
th e Korean War and when th e Vietnam War
came along and th re a te n e d to tak e my two
sons, th a t made me blow my cork. I quit th e
real e s ta te business. I sold my 13 rental
p ro p e rtie s to my te n a n ts for, from a dollar, to
a h u n d re d dollars down and paym ents less
th a n th e ir ren t. I even sold th e duplex we
lived in.
My wife and I took off in an old used pick
up tr u c k with a camper. Our youn g est kid
was 16. We told her sh e could come with
stay with a relative and finish school o r go
on h er own. She has been on her own for 10
y e a rs now. She learned more about living
th a n her frie n d s did who finished school. My
wife and I trav eled th e U.S.A. for a y ear j u s t
getting unwound.
I read ev ery book I could find on utopias,
who ru les America, health food books, a lte rn a
tiv e lifestyles, etc. I s ta r te d p ro testin g th e
Vietnam War (1969). I decided I didnt want to
be married any longer and a fte r a good 25
year m arriage to a very fine woman, I p e r

I WAS ROBOT

199

su a d e d h e r to a g r e e to a divorce. We had
a b o u t a h u n d re d th o u s a n d d o llars w orth of
e q u itie s In c o n tr a c t fo r deeds. We divided
them equally. Now a f te r te n y e a r s I have an
income from my remaining c o n tr a c ts of a b o u t
$600 p e r month, which will last approxim ately
a n o th e r te n y e a rs . Then I will be broke. I ll
be 62 th e n and will be eligible fo r a small So
cial S e c u rity pension, even th o u g h I paid in
th e maximum SS tax fo r a b o u t 20 y e a rs.
I am le a rn in g how to live on a lot less
money p e r month and am liking it b e tte r . I
know how to make money so I can alw ays
jump into th e r a t ra c e fo r a time and make
some more. But a t p r e s e n t it seem s t h a t t h e
more t h i n g s t h a t I g e t rid of and th e few er
th i n g s t h a t I buy t h e more f r e e time I
have. I like t h e f r e e time b e t t e r th a n t h e
th in g s . I m s t a r t i n g to learn w hat life is all
ab o ut. Tm much more sa tisfie d with my p r e
s e n t grow th and lifesty le th a n with w hat I
had back in t h e u n c e a sin g "buym ore" r a t
race.
I grew up on a farm in s o u th e r n Michigan,
e n liste d in t h e Navy in 1944 (dumb farm boy,
me). A fter th e war I
w orked fo r a b o u t two
y e a r s in fa c to rie s. Took my f r e e schooling in
b u s in e s s college and th e n p ra c tic e d selling,
b u s in e s s and p r o p e r t y o w n e rsh ip f o r a b o u t 22
y e a rs . I le a rn ed a b o u t Economics from ex p e
rie n c e n o t j u s t from re a d in g a b o u t it. I
was s u c c e s s fu l. I le a rn ed to play t h e game.
But it only took me a b o u t tw o y e a r s a f t e r
d ro p p in g o u t to realize t h a t it was an a n t i people game. I t is fo r p ro fit, not f o r people.
People all o v e r t h e e a r th a r e exploited f o r
Profit. For t h e p r o f it of t h e few. When we
work f o r someone we m ust o bey o r d e r s o r we
g e t fire d . Even a b u s in e s s p e rs o n m u st p le a se
h i s / h e r c lie n ts , u n le s s s / h e h a s a monopoly.
This is s la v e r y with t h e d o llar u se d a s a

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ERNEST MANN

whip. But it is v o lu n ta ry * slavery. We agree

to th is slav ery c o n tra c t because we a re u n
aware of any alternativ e. We thin k th a t th is is
th e way it always was and th e re fo re , always
will be.
After I dropped o u t I watched and th o u g h t
a lot about government. I was able to see th a t
we v o te rs did not control government. I saw
big money always getting its own way. And I
saw it get b ig ger and richer. I soon deduced
and read th a t a handful of s u p e r - r ic h families
controlled th e corporatio ns which in tu r n
controlled government. After trav elin g around
th e world a bit, th is appeared to be t r u e all
over, even in th e communist and socialist
c o u n trie s a handful of people control th e gov
ernm ent and th e wealth.
Then I asked myself "How do th e se families
g et th e ir power?"
I was able to see th a t
th ey "owned" o r controlled most of th e best
land, natural reso u rces, in d u strie s and th e
b ig g est ap artm en t and office buildings. The
few can "own" th e most, only because th e
many, a g re e to th e concept of "ownership."
They tem pt us into agreem ent by allowing us
to own a few small pieces of p ro p erty .
We were born on th is planet j u s t like they
were. We have as much rig h t to have a place
to sleep here as th e y do. We have as much
rig h t to eat th e food th a t grows h ere as they
do. They have no p rio r rig h t to "charge" us
fo r th e s e natural rig h ts, unless were dumb
enough to pay fo r them. They have conned us
into believing th e y have th is rig h t. They
forced o u r a n c e sto rs to a g re e to some "God
given rig h t of Kings."
It has evolved to where we a re today. We
ta k e jo b s as politicians, lawyers, ju d g e s, po
licemen, jailers, and soldiers and we force th e
ow nership laws upon ourselves. How come
were so stu p id ? The ow nership concept

I WAS ROBOT

201

fo rc e s u s to g et a job to pay fo r th e th in g s
which n a tu r e would p ro v id e j u s t fo r th e
picking if we would allow her. People w ere a s
f r e e as b ir d s to live on th is p la n e t until th e
time of th e "GREAT CON JOB."
I deduced t h a t "money" and "o w n ership "
went hand in hand, in holding u s in s la v e ry .
I could se e how th e rich people s e t wages.
They s e t th e p ric e s on p r o d u c ts on which
th e y have t r u s t a g re e m e n ts, monopolies o r
c a rte ls . They control th e un io n s too, now.
They a r e in t h e p ro c e s s of p u ttin g th e
s q u e e z e on people. They a r e ra isin g p ric e s
f a s t e r and more th a n th e y a r e ra isin g wages.
This leaves u s with less money a f t e r weve
paid fo r o u r food and s h e lte r . Many people
have a lre a d y had to tig h te n t h e i r b e lts o r
else g e t a second job. Many have lost t h e i r
homes and farm s.
Most of t h e young wives have to g e t jo b s
now. Do you realize t h i s has been going on
fo r some time? Can you rem em ber when y o u r
f a t h e r o r g r a n d f a t h e r made e n o u g h money so
t h a t m other o r g ra n d m o th e r could s ta y home
with t h e kids? You may sa y t h a t t h i s is really
fo r th e good, b e c a u se women s h o u ld n t have
to s ta y in th e home all th e time. They shou ld
be able to become p ro fe s s io n a ls too.
Well, I a g r e e to th is . Wives sh o u ld have
t h i s choice. But th e n in ste a d of a day c a r e
c e n t e r f o r t h e kids, I th in k th e p a r e n t s
sh o u ld th e n ro ta te . One should s ta y home e v
e r y o t h e r day and go to t h e Job, e v e r y o t h e r
day. Sell t h e b o ss 40 h o u r s no t 80.
T h in g s a r e a c h a n g in g . T h e y r e p u ttin g t h e
s c r e w s to us. I t may be a good th in g . I t
helped make me a n g r y e n o u g h to d r o p o u t.
Now t h a t I ve had some f r e e time to o b s e r v e
a n d th in k , I can s e e t h r o u g h t h e i r big game.
I also th in k I can se e a solution; an a l t e r n a
tiv e to o u r s la v e r y , i.e., t h e exploitation of

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ERNEST MANN

o u r lives.
Because we a g re e to use money," they
p r in t as much as th e y want for themselves
(How do we know th a t they dont do this? As
a group th ey control governm ent and th e
mass media, why not th e governm ent p rinting
p r e s s and th e Tmen, Gmen, FBI and CIA?)
and they give us some of It, If we work for
them. Then th ey reg u late p rices on p ro d u c ts
and wages. They th e n use th e ir fre e money to
buy o u r land from us (or tax us to death)
and r e n t it back to us. Then they raise th e
r e n t again and again, so th a t we must work
more h o u rs for them. I t s a neat little tric k
fo r them.
They control us th ro u g h money and own
e rsh ip . We do not change th is fact by chang
ing political p a rtie s (sic). They have th e same
control In communist and socialist co un tries
because people th e re , tak e pay and must pay
f o r th e ir p ro d u c ts, th e same as we do.
I t su re ly is obvious and logical th a t we
m ust stop using th e ir basic means of control
money! But how? If we were to sp read th e
word around th a t we would all stop taking
"pay" on a certain day and on th a t same day
we would begin to give all th e p ro d u c ts away
"for free." We would make in sta n t chan ges in
power. E very thing would th en be free. Their
money could no longer buy henchmen o r
lieu ten an ts to use force on us. There would
no longer be a reason for ow nership or
money, if t h e r e were no profit. We would
eliminate two bad b ird s with one little change.
We could th e n continue to produce all th e
good th in g s t h a t we still wanted. We could
th e n q u it producing th e th in g s th a t a re de
stro y in g o u r life -su p p o rt system. If each in
dividual w orker couldnt see a good reason to
have a p ro d u c t th e y wouldnt give th e ir labor
to It. There wouldnt be a reason to hide

I WAS ROBOT

203

f a c ts th e n . I t would th e n be equally Im portant

f o r e v e ry o n e to expose any p ro d u c tio n which
was d rilling a hole in th e bottom of o u r
lifeboat. They pollute now b e cau se It is more
"p ro fitab le" fo r t h e o w n e rs th a n to recy cle
t h e i r wastes.
When e v e r y th in g t h a t we w ant is fre e , th e y
will not be able to blackmail u s by sa y in g
t h a t if we d o n t let them pollute th e y will
ta k e t h e i r fa c to ry (o u r jo b ) some place else.
T h e re will no lo n g e r be a reaso n to own in
d u s t r y if t h e r e is no p ro fit In It. We will p r o
d u c e w hat we want, t h i n g s t h a t a r e well made
made to la st a long time. And no one will
own th e fa c to r ie s and m inerals any more. We
will j u s t u s e them.
T h e re wont be a reaso n to u se a d v e r tis in g
and sa le s people to t r y to fo rc e people to
come and ta k e t h i n g s when th e y a r e fre e . If
people w ant som ething th e y will come and g e t
it. If not we will sto p p ro d u c in g it.
O ur p r e s e n t sy ste m is based on " th e f a s t e r
th i n g s wear o u t t h e more p r o f it t h e r e is in
it." Most of t h e bad t h i n g s In o u r sy ste m to
day a r e done mainly fo r p ro fit, e.g., pollution,
w ars, exploitation,
ra p in g
of
th e
e a rth ,
r o b b e r ie s an d s ta r v a tio n . If we d ecid e to q u it
ta k in g pay an d giv e t h e p r o d u c t s away f o r
f r e e we will h a v e no more re a so n to do t h e s e
bad t h i n g s to people an d to o u r p la n e t ( o u r
d a rlin g old S p a c e sh ip E a rth ).
S cien ce an d te c h n o lo g y will th e n be ab le to
a d v a n c e in a new d ire c tio n f o r people. In
s te a d o f f o r profit! T h e re will no lo n g e r be a
re a so n to s u p p r e s s in v e n tio n s and d is c o v e r ie s
which may in f r in g e on t h e oil i n d u s t r y , etc.
P a te n ts will be u n n e c e s s a r y . I n v e n t o r s will
p ro c e ed much f a s t e r when t h e y s h a r e ideais
in ste a d of w ithhold them . S y n e r g y will sp e e d
up p r o g r e s s ;
a p r o g r e s s f o r life, h a p p in e s s
an d long te rm s u r v iv a l. In stead of f o r p ro fit.

204

ERNEST MANN

I ve heard all kinds of arg u m en ts why peo

ple th in k we couldnt have th is fre e system.
To date, I h av en t heard a reason th a t seemed
valid. One reason p re se n te d is th a t th e rich
people would stop us from working for fre e
and giving th e p ro d u c ts away for free. With
p ro p e r ground work, I th in k , we could avoid
th is.
First, remember th a t its us "pay ta k e rs"
who a re doing th e s u p p re s s iv e jo b s ag ain st
o u rselv es, th a t is, such job s as policemen,
g u a rd s, so ldiers and henchmen. These g u a rd s
(they a re good people j u s t like you and me
who have r e n t o r m ortgage paym ents to make,
food to buy and all th e same expenses as we
do. They have kids to rear, mates to keep
happy and p e rh a p s even lawns to mow. They
a re j u s t tr y in g to get by and th e y took th is
guard job because it may have been th e best
th e y could get a t th e time) must be informed
of how they will be b e tte r off with th e fre e
system th a n th ey a re with th e p re s e n t pay
system. Then th e y will not stop us from giv
ing o u r p ro d u c ts away fo r free. The s u p e r
rich families comprise fa r less than 1% of the
worlds population, so th ey couldnt stop us.
The s u p e r - r ic h a re people too. They will
have more to gain by allowing th e fre e system
to be born. They will have e v e ry th in g th ey
need fo r f re e b u t th e y will no longer have all
th e hassles of holding th e ir p ro p e rty , i.e.,
Power. They can still exercise th e ir leadership
If th ey please. But it will have to be by
friend ly persuasion Instead of by coercion.
They may have some good ideas too.
When ev ery o n e has e v e ry th in g they need,
th ey may no longer have reason to do harmful
a c ts to th e ir own species o r to o th e r life
forms. I always get b e tte r feelings from doing
something nice fo r people than when I have
said o r done something t h a t people didnt

I WAS ROBOT

205

like. I p r e f e r th e good feelings. I d o n t th in k

I m any d if f e r e n t th a n o t h e r people.
The next objectio n I h e a r is "No one would
work if e v e r y th in g was fre e." In t h e p r e p a
ration fo r th e c h a n g e -o v e r people would need
to u n d e r s ta n d t h a t we c o u ld n t have th e b e n
e fits of th e f r e e system u n le ss e v e ry o n e c a r
ried a little bit of th e load. So, o n e reason
fo r w orking would be th e good feeling one
g e ts from doing o n e s s h a r e . A nother reaso n
would be t h a t we could have fu n a t work.
When we give o u r time f o r f r e e we a r e in
control of w hat is made and how it Is made,
o th e rw is e we a r e f r e e to q u it and ta k e o u r
e n e r g y to a place which p le a se s us. T h en ce
fo rth jo b s will g e t done o r p r o d u c ts made
only if we want them. U nd er th e s e te rm s well
have pow er to make any job into a p le a s a n t
one o r we wont do it. When we sto p all t h e
ju n k p ro d u c tio n and o t h e r u s e le s s jo b s well
have t h r e e o r f o u r tim es more help in th e e s
sential work. Well be able to c u t individual
w orking h o u r s way down, if people so choose.
I th in k t h a t we will work b e c a u se of t h e good
fe e lin g s we will g e t from making beau tiful
long la stin g an d smooth o p e r a tin g p r o d u c ts .
E v e ry o n e would feel more equ al. But still
e v e r y o n e would be d if f e r e n t. D ifferent a p ti
t u d e s , a t t i t u d e s and abilities, b u t p ro b a b ly all
would g e t t h e same good fe e lin g s by w orking
j u s t a little to c r e a t e t h e i r s h a r e . E v e ry o n e
would h a v e equal a c c e s s to o n - t h e - j o b t r a i n
ing and jo b s.
A n o th e r o b je c tio n people o f f e r is, Some
people would t a k e more th a n th e y n e e d e d ."
Here again it would be n e c e s s a r y f o r a c le a r
u n d e r s t a n d i n g of t h e f r e e sy ste m b e fo re we
c h a n g e d o v e r. We would need to realize t h a t
t h e less we u se, t h e le ss we will need to p r o
d u c e t h e r e f o r e t h e le ss a n y o n e would need
to work. People m ight need to be rem inded

206

ERNEST MANN

th a t, having tcxD much s tu ff around j u s t g ets

in ones way. Too much food on hand grows
stale and rots. Eating too much, makes one
sicl^, I.e., too much can be a bu rd en and th e
r ig h t amount a pleasure.
If you would like to have ev e ry th in g for
free, and be able to work at a job of your
own choosing, do th e following:
1. Begin today by telling your best friend
ab out th e Priceless Economic System (PES).
2. Begin to d isc u ss th is fre e system with
e v ery o n e you talk with.
3. Write le tte rs to th e e d ito rs of your
new spaper and your fav o rite magazines about
how th e fre e system would eliminate o u r c u r
re n t problems.
4. S ta r t writing your th o u g h ts in a journal.
You will come up with good ideas of your own
on what to do.
5. Figure o u t a way to use y o ur best ta l
e n ts as a means of communicating th e idea of
PES.
6. Write personal le tte rs to all th e influ
ential people who you admire and tell them
ab out PES.
7. Set aside a certain time each day and
th in k only about th e idea of th is fre e system.
You will th in k of new ways to promote it.
8. Write down th e ideas you get and follow
them.
9. Write notes and send pamphlets to politi
cians.
10. Organize a group of frie n d s into a
s y n e r g y u nit and s h a re ideas and su p p o rt.
11. Lets do it! The sooner we s t a r t , , th e
sooner well have a b e tte r system.
J u n e 25, 1979

I WAS ROBOT

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

MAJOR

207

PROBLEMS

Wars & Revolutions

S ta rv a tio n
D estruction of o u r lif e - s u p p o r t sy stem
Crime
G overnm ents
Debts & ta x e s
Fear m ongering media
Prime Cause

Some people make h u g e PROFITS from each

of th e ab o v e problem s.
Solution

If e v e r y o n e w orks a s a v o lu n te e r, t h e r e
will not be a m onetary c o st of goods, so al|
goods and s e r v i c e s can be f r e e of c h a rg e .
When e v e r y th in g Is f r e e t h e r e will no lo n g e r
be a p r o f it in th e s e v e n m ajor problem s.
How to Implement

I h o n estly d o n t know. But, p e r h a p s we can

each s t a r t living FREE a s much as we can in
o u r own lives. I g ive my n e w s le tte r away f o r
fre e . V o lu n teers h av e much more freedom to
sa y and w rite w hat th e y please. I m lowering
my e x p e n se s. I m g e ttin g rid of my " th in g s ."
I u su ally give my s u r p l u s t h i n g s away f o r
fre e . I m t r y i n g to learn to e n jo y life in t h e
" h e re and now."
" I t s la te r th a n you th in k !"
I inform a s many people as I can a b o u t t h e
Problem s and t h e Solution.
What e lse can we do? T h e re m u st be a
f a s t e r more s u r e way to slide u s all into t h i s
a n c ie n t f r e e sy stem .
11-18-88

208

ERNEST MANN

TIME TO PLAY
I have got to find some way
to remind nyself
to have a little more fun
in life.
I dont have to work
all the tile.
There are some little things
I like to do.
Im going to let
that little boy
inside of me,
go out and play
more often.
1-27-89

209

1 3
(The following W arbucks Office Memo was
b r o u g h t to t h e a u th o r by a c o u r ie r who m ust
remain anonym ous.)
S L A V E

M A N A G E M E N T

S laves need to have e le c tric ity so t h a t th e y

can s ta y up la te r and g e t up e a r lie r to work
and s t u d y to be able to e a r n more money so
t h a t th e y can pay t h e i r e le c tric bills and pay
fo r all t h e i r fine labor sa v in g m achines which
enable them to fin ish t h e i r work in time to
g e t some re c re a tio n which will help them feel
more like going back to t h e i r jo b s to e a rn
money to live t h e i r w onderful m e r r y - g o - r o u n d
lives as wage sla v e s.
They a r e lucky to be allowed to b u y all th e
w onderful t h i n g s which make work and play
so much e a s ie r. If th e y d id n t buy t h e s e fin e
t h i n g s th e y would have no reaso n to work fo r
money.
People who ta k e t h e i r food from th e land
and sleep w h e r e v e r th e y can, d e p r iv e th e m
s e lv e s of th e need to work fo r money. This
f u r t h e r d e p r iv e s them of t h e need to buy,
maintain and s t o r e fin e labor s a v in g dev ices.
They d o n t seem to realize t h e f a c t t h a t th e y
a r e holding back p r o g r e s s . If th e y could be
fo rc e d to consum e more, and work, we could
in c re a s e o u r g r o s s national p ro d u c tio n which
is useful to keep t h i s ex cellen t sy ste m going
fo r us. Consum ption can be in c re a s e d by

210

ERNEST MANN

making welfare and governm ent g ra n t money

more available. This we can c h a rg e to th e
w orkers who pay taxes.
It may become necessary to provide b e tte r
working conditions to stop slaves from d ro p
ping out. As more drop ou t and provide for
th e ir own needs and direct th e ir own lives it
leaves fewer people to control them. It is
n e cessary to keep them d ep en d en t on jobs or
governm ent money to maintain o u r control.
We must find ways to keep them from d ro p
ping o u t of o u r schools too. Here we mainly
teach them to obey o rd e rs , re sp e c t o u r laws,
memorize and ab so rb o u r mind conditioning
and love th e ir co u n try .
Of c o u rse th e school and college system s
a re one of o u r b ig g est money makers. For ex
ample; th e land, school and coliege buildings,
f u r n itu r e , fix tu res, c o n sta n t maintenance s u p
plies and all th e books we sell to th e s t u
d ents. Buses and fuel for busing s tu d e n ts are
also big pro fit makers.
We a re increasing o u r pro fits in o u r school
scam in d u s try by encouraging more a d u lts to
r e tu r n to school for more education or
"culture."
Coincidentally, we teach them a
tr a d e o r profession with which th ey will min
is te r to o u r needs and whims o r to th e needs
of o u r s e r v a n ts o r to th e needs of th e s e r
v a n ts who s e rv e o u r s e rv a n ts , etc. We could
have them ta u g h t o n -th e -jo b much f a s te r and
b e tte r b u t it ta k e s more time to complete
th e ir domestication and obedience training.
And besides th a t, th e longer we keep them in
school th e more money we milk from them. _Ha,
ha.

I WAS ROBOT

211

Those who ta k e c a r e of t h e i r own n e e d s a r e

d ifficult to ca tc h and milk. We m ust e n c o u ra g e
people to become d e p e n d e n t In e v e r y a r e a
t h a t It is possibly to do so.
Alexander W arbucks
S ep tem b er 6, 1978

212

ERNEST MANN

LAWS, RULES
AND REGULATIONS
ARE THE FOUNDATION
OF SLAVERY.
FREEDOM
NEEDS ONLY
ONE LAW
THE GOLDEN RULE,
AND THAT
IS NATURES LAW.

213

-I 3

(The following W arbucks Office Memo was

b r o u g h t to th e a u th o r by a cx>urier who m ust
also remain anonym ous.)
WARBUCKS

RAMIL-Y

MEMOi

(Family D istribution Only!)

SUBJECT:
A lexanders memo, "Slave Man
agem ent"
PROBLEM: A lexanders c a r e le s s n e s s allowed
th is memo to leak o u t and be p u b lish e d .
DISPOSITION:
A lexander will be r e s t r i c t e d
from all S outh Pacific is la n d s f o r a p eriod of
six month f o r t h i s in d isc re tio n .
SUMMATION: We m u st hold t i g h t e r s e c u r i ty
on family memos.

SUBJECT: D ropouts.
PROBLEM:
As more of o u r s u b j e c t s q u it
w orking f o r pay and s t a r t p ro v id in g f o r t h e i r
own n e e d s, we lose p a r t of o u r c o n tro l. T his
is o c c u r r i n g n o t only in b lue collar b u t in
b u s in e s s , p ro fe ssio n a l and m anagerial c la s s e s
a s well. If we a r e to c o n tin u e r u n n i n g t h e
world well h av e to find more w ays to keep

214

ERNEST MANN

th e classes d e p e n d e n t on each o th e r, on jobs

and on government.
As you all know it has been ra th e r nice to
have th e whole worlds population ministering
to o u r needs and d e sire s (our personal slaves
and th e slaves who minister to them all th e
way to th e bottom of o u r pyramid).
We a re s ta r tin g to lose o u r grip with our
money counting attractio n . The idea has al
ways been to "keep them busy counting,
earnin g , saving, stealing, spending and wor
rying about money."
This has kept them
busy fo r th o u s a n d s of years, bu t lately they
a re spend ing less, so th ey need to work less;
th is has given some of them some fre e time to
do a little thinkin g . We will blow it all, if we
allow them time to fig u re it. As it is, most of
them, h av en t th e foggiest notion th a t they
are slaves. If th e y ta k e "thinking time" and
fig u re o u t who really r u n s th in g s, they may
rebel and find ways to become independ en t of
o u r games.
DISPOSITION:
1. In all o u r th o u g h t leader media, e s pecially music, we must intensify o u r sublimi
nal motivational s.
2. We will keep them occupied by s tirrin g
up tro u b le between them by reactivating th e
Nazi P arty and th e Ku Klux Klan.
3. In o u r v ariou s religious progre^ns we
must p u t more impetus into encouraging them
to have la rg e r families (we never have too
many s e r v a n ts , it seems). We must encourage
mates to look fo r sex outside of th e ir mar
riage. Make them th in k they d eserv e a mis
t r e s s o r a boy frien d . With o u r media we can
make them think t h a t th is is going on all over
and t h a t it is wonderful! This will help to
break up more m arriages. We will imply th a t
th e ir orgasm will be exotically p referable with
someone else. It will c re a te more single p a re n t

I WAS ROBOT

215

families. This will make, not only u n h a p p y

c h ild re n ,
but
also
unhappy
d is c o n te n te d
f r u s t r a t e d p a r e n ts . These people look fo r
h a p p in e s s by o v e r-c o n su m in g . Divorce d o u b les
th e num ber of a p a rtm e n ts we can r e n t and all
th e e x tra a p p lia n c e s and f u r n i t u r e t h a t we
can sell. We will c r e a te more lonely people
who will sp e n d more money looking fo r h a p p i
ness. They become com pulsive c o n su m e rs and
workaholics. Wonderful q uality in slaves!
4. We m ust reaffirm th e work e th ic t h a t
" c o n s ta n t work" is e sse n tia l and d e sira b le .
This will keep them too b u sy to th in k .
5. Because more food can be grow n p e r
a c re with t r e e s , we m ust e n c o u r a g e th e
p la n tin g of s h a d e t r e e s in ste a d of f r u i t and
n u t tr e e s . Should th e y e v e r p ro d u c e e n o u g h
f r e e food to s u r v i v e on, th e y m ight all q u it
p aying u s r e n t and m o rtg a g e p ay m en ts. T h at
would end o u r contro l.
6. We m ust keep them so o ccupied t h a t th e y
hav e no time to d is c o v e r all th e f r e e food
t h a t is available in n a tu r e . Keep them too
fe a rfu l to find ail th e f r e e places t h a t t h e r e
a r e to sleep on t h i s p lanet. Make them feel
too in a d e q u a te and sham eful to p ro v id e th e m
s e lv e s with body c o v e r in g s from n a tu r e . Moti
v a te them to u se v e h ic le s and oil Instead of
t h e i r legs.
7. Keep t h e i r d e s ir e levels f a r a b o v e t h e i r
actual need lev els f o r food, s h e l te r , c lo th in g
and " th in g s ."
This will keep them tam e and
d o m esticated , a s th e y o b e d ie n tly c o n tin u e to
work f o r u s to pay f o r t h e i r (W arb u ck s
program m ed ) d e s ir e fulfillm ents.
SUMMATION: If more d ro p o u t it will leave
u s with fe w e r s e r v a n t s to g u a r d o u r v a s t
h o ld ing s. This would make it e a s ie r f o r them
to " s q u a t" on o u r land and ev en s u b v e r t o u r
g u a r d s . So you can well u n d e r s t a n d t h e im
p o r ta n c e of t h i s memo. If we a r e to s u r v i v e

216

ERNEST MANN

th is recen t tr e n d we may have to, Give them

a few feet, before they tak e a mile."
Marie Warbucks
September 21, 1978

OUR TIME IS LIMITED

I

If
our economic system
is destroying our
1ife-support system
and people,
should we use
our time to
repair the damages
or should we
use our time
to change
the system?
November 7, 1979

217

2 0
(This is a copy of a l e tte r t h a t
" lib e r a te d from a New York City office.)
WARBUCKS

was

IN T R A -

RAMI L_Y COMMUNIQUE

I know t h a t you d o n t like to th in k th is ,

b u t we a re much like humans. We a r e s u b j e c t
to th e human fra iltie s. We f o rg e t. We g e t s lip
shod. We fall s h o r t of o u r disciplines. You
have selected me to be th e family c o o rd in a to r
and I a g re e d to be, a t least until someone
b e t t e r comes along. So, t h a t is why Tm now
rem inding you of some of o u r basic p r in c ip le s
f o r handling slav es.
Our s la v e s can g e t bored easily. If b ored,
th e y g e t r e s tle s s . Then th e y m ight s t a r t
th in k in g and q u e s tio n in g o r d e r s . T h e re fo r e it
is n e c e s s a r y fo r u s to d i r e c t t h e i r th in k in g
into a r e a s which keep them d e p e n d e n t on o u r
le a d e rs h ip . We m ust make them feel d e p e n d e n t
on society fo r all t h e i r n eed s. Make them feel
im p o rta n t by telling them t h a t th e y a r e p a r t
of th e g r e a t "whole" and t h a t t h e i r work is
n e c e s s a r y to t h e G reat Whole to which th e y
belong. Keep them too deep in d e b t (in t h e
hole) to h av e an y s p a r e time to e x p e rim e n t
with t h e p r in c ip le s of s e lf - s u f f ic ie n c y o r e v en
j u s t g e ttin g o u t of t h e hole.
A few of t h e s la v e s who r e f u s e to conform
a r e s q u a t t i n g In v a r io u s p laces and p la n tin g

218

ERNEST MANN

th e ir apple seeds, plum pits, g rape seeds, a v

ocado pits, o ran g e seeds, n u ts of all kinds
and vegetables. (They are not using o ur h y
brid seeds. They found organic natural seeds
more productive.)
They a re creating Garden
of Edens, with fre e food, no re n t and an
"acceptance of th e Golden Rule instead of
Government. So far, only a few of th e sm arter
non-conform ists a re doing this. It is working
o u t OK for us too, because it g e ts them off
o u r case. However, we must not give them any
publicity, as it might encourage more of our
w orkers to "not conform."
The family came up with a g re a t innovation
when they f i r s t decided to "allow" th e peons
to "own" land. Ownership gives them roots,
tie s them down and makes it easier to find
them. It also gives us a classification of
slaves known as landlords. They s e rv e us by
forcing people to pay them re n t in o r d e r to
have a space to sleep on th is planet. Thus
they ALL work for us for th e r e s t of th e ir
lives. We must always make them think th a t
th is is normal and t h a t everyone has always
had to pay re n t and th a t th ey always will.
If th e slaves deviate from th e ir p re se n t
th o u g h t p a tte r n s , they might think it s tr a n g e
th a t th ey "agree" to work for us for 30 y e a rs
to buy a place to sleep. They might wonder
why some "primitive people" a re able to build
th e ir homes from th e materials at hand in a
couple of weeks and have NO mortgage to pay
on. They might even find it simpler, more
enjoyable and even more adventuresom e to
walk to where th e y wish to go, instead of
working for us to earn money to make
perpetual ca r payments to us, so th a t they
can get to a job to make th e money to make
th e ir c a r payments. To say nothing of th e car
maintenance co sts and depreciation. We must
constantly entice them to buy, buy, buy. They

I WAS ROBOT

219

make much b e t t e r w o rk e rs if th e y a r e always

in th e hole.
Automobile
If we allow them s p a c e to th in k , th e y may
q u estio n th e vehicle with which th e y a r e
killing th em selves, a t th e r a te of 50,800 p e r
so n s and d isabling a n o th e r 1,900,000 p e r y e a r
(1981) in th e U.S.A. alone. They may see how
machines and t h e i r p r e s e n t m a n u fa c tu rin g
p r o c e s s e s a r e d e s tr o y in g t h e i r li f e - s u p p o r t
system . They may see t h a t all th e p ro c e s se d
"ju n k fo o d were selling them is making them
sick and c o stin g them more; see t h a t t h e i r
boring u n s a tis f y in g jo b s a r e d r iv in g many of
them, ban anas. They might even d is c o v e r t h e
simple u n p r o c e s s e d foods which a r e v e r y
cheap and healthful.
As it is re c o rd e d in o u r family a r c h iv e s ,
one of o u r f o r e f a t h e r s . Gal u s J u liu s C aesar,
actually on ce said, Give them b re a d and c i r
c u se s, to keep them from reb ellin g ."
I t is a
simple m a tte r to give them food, b u t it t a k e s
a little more imagination to give them c i r
c u se s . I g u e s s t h i s is t h e c r e a t i v e p a r t of
being sla v e m a s te r s to c r e a t e d iv e r s io n s to
keep t h e i r gullible little minds b u s y , b u s y ,
busy.
Our W atergate Scandal was a fin e c ir c u s . I t
k e p t them th in k in g and ta lk in g along s a fe
lines f o r y e a rs . We a r e still g e ttin g some
mileage o u t of t h e Kennedy a s s a s s in a tio n and
th e y still a r e n t s u r e w h e th e r we s h o t t h e
real Kennedy, his d oub le o r a dummy. We
have a fin e show going in Isra el and Arabia.
Some still lin g e rin g in Africa. A n o th er o n e in
Vietnam, Cambodia and China.
We may u s e t h e China invasion to s t a r t
a n o t h e r world war. I t will be a c h a lle n g e to
a tte m p t to involve o u r s h e e p In a n o t h e r big
war, so soon, a f t e r o u r U.S.A./Vietnam War.

220

ERNEST MANN

However, we may have to pull off another

Pearl Harbor, to get them a n g ry enough to
fight. Maybe we should have China drop a
missile on Los Angeles. This would certainly
get a big one s ta rte d . We wouldnt need to
use th e older nuclear bombs, as they could be
da n g e ro u s to OUR families health. We havent
used poison gas or bacteria because they, too,
could get out of control. We might usq a few
of o u r cleaner H-bombs. It will be a real c r e
ative fun time for us. Wars are tru ly the
s p o r t of Kings. They are more fun to stage
and run than c h e ss games or th e hum drum
activities of production or politics.
Creating straw-men for slaves to knock
down is one of o u r best numbers. For ex
ample, nuclear power is an elaborate stra w man, and now were letting them te a r it down.
It s ta r te d out as a fun experiment. It di
v erted much of th e ir creative energy. It
d id n t work out, but we have created another
excellent diversion by resisting th e ir efforts
to te a r it down.
We gave them th e th r e a t of a domed s ta
dium in one of th e ir downtown areas. We cant
lose. If they stop th e stadium construction it
will occupy th e ir th o u g h ts, a n g e r and en ergy
for some time. If they dont stop th e stadium.
It will occupy th e ir th o u g h ts, a n g e r and e n
e rg y anyway.
We learned long ago th a t people can think
on only one th o u g h t line at a time. We feed
them th o u g h ts and they e ith er fig h t them or
go along with them.
Music has always been an effective tool for
se ttin g th e ir moods, th e ir pace and leading
th e ir th o u g h ts. While dancing they learn to
ste p (or jump) to th e beat of o u r drummer
and keep th e pace WE set. This teaches them
to obey o rd e rs . The drum has always been
useful fo r this. We let them touch each o th e r

I WAS ROBOT

221

d u rin g th e dance. They seem to enjoy to u c h

ing and th e y feel su c c e ssfu l when th e y keep
in ste p , so t h i s tr a in in g p r o c e s s becomes s e lfp e r p e tu a tin g . It also s e r v e s as an excellent
d istra c tio n .
They m ust occupy th e i r minds with keeping
in s te p to th e beat and with how th e y a r e
going to e n tic e th e i r p a r t n e r s into bed. If
th e y a r e c o n s ta n tly bom barded with d i s t r a c
tio n s th e y will have no time to do any real
th in k in g . They will only be aw are of t h a t
which we make them aware.
Our c lo sest g u a r d e d s e c r e t is t h e f a c t t h a t
SLAVERY still e x ists in e v e r y c o u n tr y on t h is
planet.
L abo rers, fa rm e rs , tra d e sm e n , p ro fe ssio n a ls,
m anag ers, d i r e c t o r s and p r e s i d e n t s all ta k e
pay, so th e y m ust obey o u r o r d e r s . They a r e
not aw are of t h e i r bondage. Some a r e v ag u e ly
aw are of th e idea t h a t "big money" r u n s e v
e r y th in g . But th e y a r e u n a b le to re la te to th e
idea t h a t THEY a r e p a r t of t h a t " e v e r y th in g ."
They th in k t h a t th e y a r e f r e e people, mak
ing all t h e i r own decisions. We allow them to
make t h e u n im p o rta n t o nes. The im p o rtan t
o n e s we c o v e r in t h e i r laws, and in t h e i r
custom s,
religious,
conform ity
and
moral
codes. We have ev en tr a in e d them to p u n is h
" th e ir own kind," when th e y do not conform.
We have been m a s te r s fo r a long, long time.
We te a c h o u r k id s how to be m a ste rs. The
s la v e s te a c h t h e i r k id s how to work, to be
su b m is siv e and to obey o r d e r s . T h ese kid s
grow up to be good s la v e s, like t h e i r p a r e n t s .
Most of t h e p a r e n t s ev en go so f a r a s to
b re a k t h e i r own k id s s p i r i t s . So by t h e time
th e y a r e of work age, most of them a r e docile,
gullible and e a sy to m anipulate.
T h ro u g h all o u r media, in clu d in g books, we
give them a s u b s t i t u t e f o r living. For example,
we e n c o u r a g e them to live v ic a rio u s ly t h r o u g h

222

ERNEST MANN

th e exciting a d v e n tu r e s of fiction. This p u ts

th e i r fa n ta sy life th ro u g h an exciting energy
drain which seems to satisfy some of th e ir
emotional h unger.
This s u b s titu te fills one of those spaces in
time which they might have used to go out
and experience life firsth a n d . Distractions
keep them from discovering th e bondage they
a re in. We must continue to titillate them to
want to watch TV and movies, to read
new spapers, magazines and bool<s and to lis
ten to radio and music.
We use th e mass media not only for a
distraction, b u t also to help c re a te th e ir basic
beliefs and expectations. Of course, th e
schools and c h u rc h e s s e r v e th is p u rpo se too,
as do popular so n g s and music. Our "well
known" use of th e media is to c re ate th e de
sire to buy, buy, buy. In th is way we moti
vate them to work for us.
They continue to administer to o u r needs
as th ey did to Caesars and as th ey did for
th e p r i e s t s In th e time of th e g re a t pyramids.
Those a n c e s to rs of o u r s really knew how to
handle people. Although, as slaves get more
education it ta k e s a little more finesse to
keep on top of them. However, its basically
th e same even today. Keep them fearful;
fearful of death, fearful of pain and fearful of
each oth er. Always encourage competition. I t s
like fighting. It s e p a r a te s people and keeps
them fearful of losing.
We must not give th e slaves enough "free
time" to discover t h a t death is a natural t e r
mination of all life. That no one dies .until
th e y want to die. That old age b rin g s with it,
eventually, a d esire to die. That people allow
them selves to get sick o r to have an accident,
j u s t because th e y no longer desire to live.
People program them selves subconsciously to
live as s h o r t a time as th e y wish (we con-

I WAS ROBOT

223

scjously program o u r s e lv e s to live as long a s

we wish). In fact, we help them in t h i s a r e a
c o n sid e ra b ly . They were living way p a s t t h e i r
u s e f u ln e s s to u s a few g e n e ra tio n s ago. Some
were living as long as 95 y e a rs . We were able
to re d u c e th e longevity of th e next g e n e ratio n
by n early 20 y e a rs , and now many a r e dy in g
in t h e i r 50*s. We have s u b tly c r e a te d th e be
lief t h a t th e y wont live v e r y long and t h a t
th e y should s p e n d t h e i r money NOW and not
s a v e it. This is making more effic ien t u s e of
o u r slav es; to p ro gram them to die s h o r tly
a f t e r t h e i r prime working y e a rs . We d o n t
need to give them any p e n sio n s t h i s way ei
th e r . We u se both s u b t l e and subliminal s u g
g e stio n s in t h e media to a c h iev e th is .
We have made them a fraid of d e a th by
telling them t h a t th e y have s p i r i t s which live
on a f t e r t h e i r d e a th . If th e y obey o u r ru le s,
which we tell them were in s p ire d by a God,
t h e i r s p i r i t s will be a s s u r e d e n t r a n c e into a
Heaven, o r r e in c a r n a te d into a b e t t e r exis
te n c e , d e p e n d in g on which of o u r re lig io n s
th e y have ch o sen . This makes them a fra id to
die, b e c a u se th e y know th e y h a v e n t o b e y e d
all th e r u le s (which we d e lib e ra te ly made too
d iffic u lt to alw ays be o b e y e d ).
If t h e y can
be k e p t "a fra id " th e y a r e e a s ie r to manage.
Then th e y look to u s fo r g u id a n c e and p r o
te ctio n .
Promoting f e a r of pain is a n o t h e r d i s t r a c
tion we h a v e alw ays u se d . We m u st not give
them time to d is c o v e r t h e f a c t t h a t "pain" is
t h e i r b o d y s method of a le r tin g them to t h e
f a c t t h a t th e y a r e doing som ething w rong to
it. So b e fo re th e y can c h e c k o u t t h e re a so n
f o r t h e pain, ch a n n e l them to a d o c to r who
will a tte m p t to numb t h e pain. He will t a k e up
t h e i r time and money in doing so. I t c r e a t e s a
g r e a t d iv e rs io n . Some people ta lk a b o u t t h e i r
p a in s c o n s ta n tly . The p a t i e n t s pain will u s u

224

ERNEST MANN

ally r e tu r n (sometimes to a d iffe ren t p a r t of

th e ir body), a f te r th e ir "cure." Doctors u s u
ally dont remove th e cause" of pains. This
would p u t them o u t of business.
We hire some of th e slaves to act as police
p e rso n s and soldiers so th a t we can th re a ten
to inflict pain and imprisonment on th e o th
ers. They literally* enforce th e ir own slavery
when th e y take jobs as law and army people.
We keep them too busy and too broke to r e
alize this.
We have been very successful in keeping
o u r slaves busy. S p o rts and gambling have
always been good mind occupiers. Of course,
money is o u r most reliable mind occupier. Sex
may ra te second place. Booze and d ru g s,
th ird . We have achieved a s o r t of mass h yp
nosis by using movies, TV, radio and music
with which we have been able to implant s u g
gestions and beliefs without th e ir being aware
of it.
We may need to give o u r Space Program
f r o n t page coverage again soon. It can take
up th e slack to hold th e ir attention in case it
is untimely to s t a r t a hot war now.
Remember, th e Warbucks family has ruled
on th is planet for o v e r six thousand years, so
it is o u r rig h t and destiny to continue doing
so. Keep up th e good work and if you have
any problems, contact Alexander o r Marie, as
Im tak in g a little vacation on o u r s e c re t moon
base.
Cleopatra Warbucks
This le tte r was "liberated" by Quick-finger
Pete, Peoples* Snoop^ and delivered to the
Little Free Press, where it was reprinted .
Q uick-finger e n te red th e Warbucks New
York City office disguised as a potential "hit
lAn alias used to throw off detection.

I WAS ROBOT

225

man" c o n sid e rin g a possible c o n tra c t. He spied

t h is le tte r in th e h o p p e r of t h e p a p e r s h r e d
der. By d ro p p in g his p a n ts and scream ing,
( a u t h o r s note:
I wish I could h av e seen
th is )
he was able to d i v e r t th e s e c r e t a r y s
a tte n tio n while he flipped his hat o v e r t h e
h o p p e r and th e r e b y lib e rate d t h e W arbucks
le tte r as he r e tr ie v e d his hat. Needless to
say, his c ra z y display lost him his c h a n c e to
neg o tiate any f u r t h e r on th e c o n tra c t.
E d ito rs Note:
Except fo r a few major al
te r a tio n s perform ed on Q u ic k - f in g e r s s to r y
(to p r o te c t his co v e r), t h i s s t o r y is a c c u ra te .
F e b r u a r y 18, 1979

226

ERNEST MANN

T O T A L
L IC E N S E
(except to do physical harm)
Issued to:
1.
23.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.

To do w hatever you wish.

To discover and be th e real you.
To find and do your own thing.
To smile at and speak to any member of
any sex, age, race o r creed.
To be hereby relieved of all obligations
and duties th a t you no longer agree to.
To go n ud e w herever you wont get
caught.
To sh ap e and mold your own destiny.
To break any promises o r c o n tra cts th a t
you no longer ag re e with.
To accept o r re je c t any programming for
y o u r conscious and subconscious bio
computer.
To re je c t all guilt for not pleasing o th
ers.
To cancel a n y o n e's rig h t to control you.
To have an unlimited number of close
frie n d s.
To be exempt from all customs, traditions,
expectations and morals t h a t you do not
a g re e with.
To disobey o r d e r s if you disagree with
them.

WARNING! Be p re p a re d for th e consequences

of y ou r th o u g h ts , words and actions.
License fee:
Free
This license has been issued a t th e p ro p e r
time and place on th is planet.
Valid on planet Earth only.
by.
(F red rick th e Fourth)

2 27

2-1

WARBUCKS
LEAVING

EARTH!

A T elepathic Message from t h e W arbucks

Family
(It Is a ro u n d m idnight, I th in k . I have j u s t
awaken from a vision which told me to wake
up and s t a r t w riting. I can h e a r t h e music of
t h e s p h e r e s cle a rly in my head a t t h i s mo
ment. Tm being told a s t o r y and I ll w rite It
h e r e a s f a s t and as a c c u r a te ly a s I can.)
I m being told t h a t t h e W arb u ck s family is
s e n d in g t h i s m essage to t h e people of t h e
world. They a r e tir e d and bored with making
all o u r m ajor d ecisio n s f o r us. They a r e in
t h e p r o c e s s of w ith d raw in g t h e i r le a d e rs h ip
from o u r planet. They h a v e now fin is h e d d e
velopm ent of s p a c e c r a f t with which to r e t u r n
to t h e i r home plan et. They a r e ta k in g all t h e i r
family with them. They t h a n k u s f o r all o u r
lab o r which t h e y u se d to develop t h e n e c e s
s a r y te c h n o lo g y . They sa y th e y a r e w ith
d ra w in g
th eir
key
m anagem ent
p e rs o n n e l
slowly so t h a t we will hav e time to assum e
m anagem ent of o u r p la n e t by o u r s e lv e s .
The W arbu ck s wish u s luck. They warn u s
not to c o n tin u e with t h e money and o w n e r s h ip
sy ste m th e y e s ta b lis h e d , b e c a u s e a f t e r th e y
leave t h e r e will be no re a so n f o r Power to

2 28

ERNEST MANN

remain centralized and th e re b y controlled by

j u s t a few people. Theyre saying th a t if we
stop taking pay for o u r work and s t a r t giv~
ing th e p ro d u c ts away for free, we will then
get leaders from among o u r own kind who will
lead us in unselfish pathways. This fre e s y s
tem will encourage leaders who have th e vi
sion to see how beautiful th is planet will be
when it is not being raped for profit. These
leaders will have nothing to gain but' the
chance to exercise th e ir abilities as vi
sionaries and s e e r s into th e fu tu re . They will
know t h a t if they can s te e r you into a won
derful "Garden of Eden" relationship with
your planet, t h a t they too will have a more
wonderful life and so will th e ir children and
grand children. Listen to th e visionaries who
have nothing more to gain from th e ir Ideas
th an you do.
Beware of th o se who speak of some g re a t
power which will save you. We, th e Warbucks
family, were th a t Savior. We invented t h a t fa
ble, and th e n wrote all th e "Holy Books" to
s u b s ta n tia te it. Because you believed what we
told you, you were much easier to manage and
control. We were stra n d e d here on Earth
th o u s a n d s of y e a rs ago when o u r sjDaceship
ran out of fuel. (Dont you feel s o rry for us?)
We promptly began th e management of your
planet and proceeded to u p g ra d e your species
and teach you how to obey o rd e rs . In th is
a re a we have been extremely successful. We
trie d to keep you always too busy to learn to
do your own thinking.
As I said before, we a re giving your planet
back to you. However, it will not be necessary
fo r you to s t a r t think in g fo r y ourselves if
you do not wish to. Some of your b ro th e rs
and s i s t e r s (our lieutenants) who have been
and still are controlling your media will
continue to tell you how and what to think.

I WAS ROBOT

229

They will wish to co n tin u e with t h e Pay S y s

tem becau se t h is will give them t h e Power
t h a t we have. We took th is power from you
and we a r e giving you back t h i s clo sely g u a rd e d s e c r e t so t h a t you can regain y o u r
freedom y o u r Garden of Eden way of a b u n
dance and plen ty if you wish it. Never vote
away y o u r power by allowing a n y o n e to
r e p r e s e n t you.
S h a re t h is planet. T h ere Is p le n ty of room
fo r all of you. Use it to live, not fo r profit.
Harmonize with n a tu r e . Never kill u n le s s in
s e lf - d e f e n s e o r fo r food. Never ev en c u t a
blade of g r a s s u n le s s you a r e going to eat it.
Do not i n te r f e r e with n a t u r e s n a tu ra l cycle of
life.
If you wish to c o n tin u e to d e s tr o y y o u r
bodies and minds as we t a u g h t you, with
d r u g s , alcohol, nicotine, caffeine, s u g a r , white
flo u r and a u to and f a c to r y e x h a u s t, go ahead
and do it. You have t h a t rig h t. We d o n t need
you any more! You have a choice, how ever.
You can learn to t r e a t y o u r body b e t t e r and
be h e a lth ie r and h a p p ie r o r c o n tin u e down
y o u r w e ll-g re a se d slide into misery and an
e a rly d e ath .
We have allowed t h e f i r s t t h r e e War b u c k s
L e tte r s to leak o u t and be p u b lis h e d by
E r n e s t Mann of t h e Little F re e P r e s s , who we
a r e d ic ta tin g t h i s m essage to, te le p a th lc a lly .
We s p e e d e d up t h e evolution of man, on
y o u r p la n e t E a rth , by millions of y e a r s by
b r e e d in g with y o u r lower a n c e s t o r s when we
f i r s t a r r i v e d and now you all h a v e t h e good
f o r t u n e to look j u s t like us. You a r e made in
o u r image; you a r e Gods along with us. You
can follow u s into o u t e r s p a c e in a few y e a r s
If you accomplish y o u r freedom .
If you choose to c o n tin u e in y o u r s la v e r y ,
we will s e e to it t h a t you do not gain " o u te r"
s p a c e t r a v e l . We g iv e you y o u r freedom . But

230

ERNEST MANN

you will now have to tak e It from o u r lieu

te n a n ts , th e Rockefeller, Rothchlld, etc., fami
lies. They can retain o u r power only If you
continue to acknowledge a rig h t of ownership
and if you continue to tak e pay. They may
t r y to retain you in th e Pay System of slav
ery. Some of them, Im s o r r y to say, are very
sh o rtsig h te d . They a re not th e visionaries
who can see how everyone would be so much
b e tte r off in a priceless system. In th is s y s
tem, everyone will have e v e ry th in g to gain by
j u s t "carry in g a little bit of th e load." Even
th e greedy money power h u n g ry lieutenants
may eventually see how power is a burden
not a thing to be so u g h t after. Freedom and
happiness
bring
health
and
abundance.
F rien d sh ip s and t r u e love can flourish when
you discontinue competition and begin inde
pendence and cooperation.
When you discontinue ownership as we
t a u g h t you and begin to practice your ancient
system of "usership," you will have many of
your people leave th e ratbox cities and s t a r t
communities o u t in th e f r e s h - a ir country.
Those who remain may dismantle most of th e
buildings and allow t r e e s and plants to grow
where th e cement was. When th e cement
companies, c h iro p ra c to rs, doctors, and shoe
makers stop taking pay o r profit, they will
not want cement sidewalks either. You will
discover d ir t p a th s to be much healthier and
natural to walk upon. It will p u t your bodies
in d ire c t contact with th e higher vibrations of
health, peace, and pleasure.
Please remember we are giving you a
choice. You can continue to follow o r d e r s o r
you can "take th e time" to think for y ou r
selves. If you elect th e former keep your
eyes and e a r s glued to th e mass media, it
tells you what to th in k and how to feel. In
th is way you live yo ur lives vicariously

I WAS ROBOT

231

its much easier. If you p r e f e r t h e la tt e r

th e n wean y o u rs e lf from all th e mass media.
Cut d ra stic a lly back on y o u r buy in g. This will
give you lots of slack time b e c a u se you wont
have to work so much. Take t h i s s p a r e time
and o b s e r v e w hats going on. Dream a b o u t
how you th in k t h i n g s should be.
Be careful with t h i s s p a r e time t h e r e is
a t r a p - d o o r called " d iv e rsio n s."
If you fall
in, you will be too b u sy to find y o u r freedom.
You d o n t find freedom with booze, sex o r
d r u g s you find addiction, e n sla v e m e n t and
d iversio n. You have a limited am ount of time
left to live. Decide what you w ant from life.
Then go f o r it!
Nature, if e n c o u ra g e d with t h e r i g h t s e e d s
in th e r i g h t places a t t h e r i g h t time, will p r o
vide all th e food you want. People f o r t h o u
s a n d s of y e a r s have been able to build s h e l
t e r s from t h e m aterials a t hand t h a t n a t u r e
p ro v id e s. 3 5 -y e a r m o rtg a g e s of in d e n tu r e d
s la v e r y fo r a s h e l t e r were one of o u r c le v e r
in v e n tio n s. Here again you can choose ei
t h e r c o n tin u e with t h i s e n sla v e m e n t o r c r e a t e
y o u r own in d e p e n d e n c e .
We c a n n o t em phasize s t r o n g l y e n o u g h t h a t
if y o u r le a d e r, t e a c h e r , p r e a c h e r , g u r u o r
g u id e is ta k in g any kind of pay from you,
you hav e re a so n t o be sk e p tic a l of h im /h e r.
(We sh ould know!) They may be u s in g you a s
a m eans t o t h e i r own e n d s . T h e re a r e many
le a d e r s (people with vision) ris in g up to d a y
among you. You may be o n e y o u rs e lf. You can
a t le a st be y o u r own leader. You can im
mediately s t a r t making y o u r own d ecisio ns.
You can d e c id e to c o n tin u e all t h e bad h a b its
we t a u g h t you, to harm y o u r body an d mind,
o r you can d e c id e to d is c o n tin u e them , o n e a t
a time.
Making c h a n g e s In y o u r life will give you a
g r a n d new feelin g of pow er o v e r y o u r own

'4k-

232

ERNEST MANN

destiny. You will soon learn th a t you can gain

full control of your life once you vow not to
let th e media continue to condition and p ro
gram your mind-computer.
When you get your head above water, you
may even wish to help a b ro th e r o r s is te r
along th e way to get th e ir heads above water
too- When you see th a t you dont need o r re
ally want all tho se th in gs" th a t th e media
conditioned you to want, then you will begin
to have some breath in g space some time to
th in k about what it is t h a t really makes you
happy.
WeVe telling you th e se th in g s so you can
ta k e o v e r now t h a t we a re leaving. We
couldnt tell you o u r s e c re ts before, but th e r e
is no point in holding them from you any
longer.
May we meet in o u te r space someday, as
equals and friends!
(This message was written down as It came
into my head a t midnight.)
May 31, 1979
C H A N G E S

-?

If we dont make changes

in our lives,
there is no growth
only stagnation,
monotony
and a diown-hill greasedi slide
into a rest home.

233

OUT

OR

THE

RUT

The original o b je c tiv e of t h e Little F ree

P r e s s n e w s le tte r was to help f r e e t h e world
of War, b u t it h a s t u r n e d o u t to be a means
fo r me to clarify my t h o u g h t s and p ro v id e a
focal point fo r my life. I am gaining my own
freedom by d isc o v e rin g my en sla v e m e n ts. I
still believe t h e P ric e le ss Economic System to
be th e sy ste m t h a t o u r common s e n s e will
s t e e r u s tow ard if we sto p , look and listen. I
hope t h a t some of t h e t h i n g s I ve le a rn e d will
be useful to o t h e r s .
When I r e tir e d 9 y e a r s ago, I told myself I
w asn t going to u se my " th in k in g tim e in
v e n tin g m achines, b uilding s h e l t e r s o r inno
v a tin g ways to make money. I n s te a d , I d e c id
ed to t r y to u s e t h a t c r e a t i v e e n e r g y to d i s
c o v e r o r develop a b e t t e r social o r d e r . I f i g
u re d t h a t o u r social sc ie n c e n eed ed my c r e
a tiv ity more th a n o u r mechanical s c ie n c e did.
Reason told me t h a t I could be most e ffe c tiv e
if I c o n c e n tr a te d most of my e f f o r t s into on e
a rea. I t r i e d to choose t h e most crucial a re a .
I th i n k t h a t o u r mechanical, chemical and
e le c tro n ic s c ie n c e s sh o u ld call a m oratorium
on f u r t h e r d e v e lo p m e n ts an d help u s le a rn to
u s e t h a t which we a lr e a d y h av e w ithout
d e s t r o y i n g life and o u r life s u p p o r t sy stem .
In o t h e r w ords, we sh o u ld learn how to live
in peace, h a p p in e s s and harm ony with people

234

ERNEST MANN

and o th e r living th in g s before we build more

machines.
One At a Time
I seem to be able to th ink on only one
th o u g h t line at a time. However, while try in g
to c o n c en tra te on one Idea, I often get sidetrac k ed Into a n o th e r line of thought; but I
dont seem to think on both th o u g h ts at once.
For instance, I may be try in g to write about
th e priceless system and a bird lands on my
window sill. My th o u g h ts seem to switch to
th e bird until I decide to bring them back to
th e work at hand, o r I pick up on a con
versation in a r e s ta u r a n t and I follow th a t
until I catch myself and bring my th o u g h ts
back. I can do two or more th in g s at once
bu t I dont think I can actually think on two
o r more th o u g h t lines at once. Maybe you can.
I have been aware of th is process for some
time, b u t Im j u s t beginning to relate it to
th e "freedom of th o u g h t" th a t I imagined I
had for th e p a st 51 years. I now u n d e rsta n d
how my th o u g h ts were not only diverted, but
actually led most of t h a t time. They were led
and confined into certain approved areas. The
slots t h a t I th o u g h t in were:
money, love,
marriage, creatin g and rearing new workers,
accepting th e powers t h a t be, s p o rts, war and
peace, war and almost peace, dont rock th e
boat and governm ent knows best.
I m beginning to relate my freedom of
th o u g h t to th a t space t h a t I have remaining
between now and th e day th a t I terminate. My
"now" is really th e only valuable possession
t h a t I have, and yet, I waste 95% of my
"nows" ("th is v e ry moments") on trivial
My
p a st is dead and cannot be changed. My f u
t u r e is not here yet, so I cannot live th at. All
I can really do, is to do th e best th a t I can
with my p r e s e n t (my now). I still make a few

I WAS ROBOT

2 35

plans fo r tomorrow, b u t I c h a n g e them if I

feel like it. I m learn in g a little bit a b o u t liv
ing s p o n ta n e o u sly .
My main p u rp o s e in life fo r many y e a r s has
been to make th e h ig h e s t and b e s t u se of my
time (my now) t h a t I am able to th in k of. (I
d o n t believe in a rew ard a f te r I die, so I t r y
to make my P a ra d ise r ig h t h e re and now. If
t h e r e t u r n s o u t to be one, t h a t will j u s t be
an u nexpected bo n u s fo r having done my
b est.) When I have been aw are of t h i s goal
(which w asnt too o fte n ) I trie d to make th e
b e s t choices of which I was aware. I have
only re c e n tly become aw are of th e fa c t t h a t
fo r th e p a s t 51 y e a r s most of my th in k in g has
been led fo r me. I can see t h a t I have been
re a ctin g in stead of a c tin g most of th e s e
y e a rs. I have moved t h r o u g h life like a t r o l
ley car, ta k in g o r d e r s from my pole c o n n e c ted
to th e o v e rh e a d wire and following t h e t r a c k s
below me.
My f i r s t t h o u g h t - l e a d e r s were my p a r e n t s ,
re la tiv e s and f r ie n d s . Then came t h e t e a c h e r s ,
p r e a c h e r s and g o v e rn m e n t. Books, comics,
movies, radio, TV, n e w s p a p e r s ,
m agazines,
billboards, s p o r t s and music led my t h o u g h t s .
Almost all th e media, almost all t h e time, a t
te m p ts to c r e a t e a d e s ir e to buy, b u y , buy.
This Is t r u e not only in its a d v e r tis e m e n ts ,
b u t in its p i c t u r e s and s t o r i e s a b o u t people
who h av e fin e th in g s . Much of t h e media also
seem s to make me a fra id of o t h e r people and
a fra id of some g r e a t c a t a s t r o p h e s t h a t m ight
h ap p en .
I used to re a d , listen to and watch much of
t h e media. They w ere leading my th in k i n g
along lines t h a t were beneficial to them (big
b u s in e s s ) . I was r e a c tin g , in ste a d of a c tin g on
my own initiativ e. I had a wife an d t h r e e
kids. We had se v e n rooms, an a ttic , a b a s e
ment and a do u b le g a r a g e full of " t h i n g s * to

236

ERNEST MANN

prove t h a t we were goDci, normal reacto rs to

th e ir sugg estio ns.
I am j u s t beginning to become aware of
how s u g g e stib le I am and was. Now t h a t I m
getting aware, I have a choice. Well, as you
may guess, I had to work, work, work to pay,
not only for all those th in g s, but also for the
housing to keep them.
Since I have stopped watching, reading or
listening to most of th e media, I seldom' have
a d esire to buy anything except food, clothing
enough to keep warm and a place to sleep. I
also became aware of th e burden th a t my ac
quisitions were causing me. I sold or gave
away j u s t about all of them. Now I have ju s t
enough "things" to fill my backpack.
I even sold my car about fo u r y ears ago
when I became aware of how much of my time
(life) it was demanding, besides all th e money
it drained from me. For example, one day I
was almost blown away when I suddenly real
ized how much of my day (week) I was
spending th in king about th e tro u b le s of my
car, how and when I would fix it. Where and
when I would get th e p arts. If I would fix It
o r who I would find to fix it. I s p e n t more
time think in g about th e car before I got it
fixed th an I did when I was actually fixing it.
Then it hit me like a cyclone I was allow
ing t h a t bucket of bolts" to rob me of many
ho u rs of my life.
I have since found many ch eaper ways to
get from here to th e re . I no longer need It
for a s ta tu s symbol. I said to myself, "I am
an intelligent, good person. I dont give a
damn what people think! I m going to tr y to
do whats b e st fo r me."
The Time Slots
Im tr y in g to look at time in th is way:
lets say t h a t each life has a bagful of "time

I WAS ROBOT

237

slots" to do with as one wishes. Say t h a t its

a large bag, b u t it Is d a rk inside and one
c a n t tell how many tim e-slo ts one has. Except
one knows t h a t one has 24 tim e -slo ts to use
each day and t h a t t h e s e each contain 60 s u b
slots. So, we each have 1,440 s u b - s l o t s to use
each day untjl o u r bag is empty.
I can e it h e r ta k e t h e s e slo ts o u t of my bag
and use them knowingly, o r I can allow o t h e r s
to p ilfer from my bag o r I can j u s t allow
them to float o u t by them selves. Anyway, my
bag Is always 24 slo ts lig h te r a t t h e end of
each day.
Getting back to th o u g h t- le a d in g . The time
slo ts t h a t I give to re a d in g , w atching o r
listening to th e mass media a r e p a r t of my
rem aining life t h a t I m allowing someone to
lead my t h o u g h ts . In fact, th e y a r e doing my
th in k in g fo r me in t h a t space. I m allowing
them to g r a b a handful of time s lo ts from my
bag ( t h e r e a r e still times t h a t I allow t h i s to
h a p p e n , b u t it is becoming less f r e q u e n t ) .
This th in k in g t h a t I hav e allowed them to do
f o r me, may in flu en ce my beliefs and my a c
tio n s, now, and in th e f u t u r e . It may c a u s e
me to r e a c t in ste a d of a c t of my own volition.
The time t h a t I g av e to them is time t h a t I
have w asted, b e c a u s e I could have been u sin g
t h i s time in th in k in g and in le a rn in g how to
th in k , my own th o u g h t s . As I learn to do my
own th in k in g . I m also le a rn in g to act.
Retired at Age 42

L earn in g to th in k Is g e ttin g to be an ex
c itin g p a r t of my life. I feel like I m j u s t b e
g in n in g to become a w a re of some of t h e ele
m e n ta ry p r o c e s s e s of th in k in g . I m s t a r t i n g to
b r e a k t h r o u g h into t h e o t h e r S0% of my b ra in
t h a t has been idle f o r 51 y e a r s . Wow! I alw ays
t h o u g h t t h a t I was a good t h i n k e r . I was s u c
c e ssfu l e n o u g h in b u s i n e s s to r e t i r e when I

238

ERNEST MANN

was 42 y e a rs of age. But I did not know how

to th in k. I wasnt really aware of th e thinking
process. I only reacted- I reacted to th e ir
Game. I was not aware th a t my thinking was
being tampered with. I th o u g h t th a t I was
making all my own decisions.
Look at it th is way when I used to
watch s p o r t s o r read a novel, I was not living
my own life, I was living vicariously. I was
not think in g for myself. I was reacting to th e
game. Thinking about someone elses game. I
was postponing my own living. I was killing
time. (I mentioned to my neighbor th a t I was
reading science fiction to kill some time. His
little girl asked me why I wanted to "kill"
time. That got me to thin kin*.)
I was pouring my time-slots down the
drain. It was easy. I j u s t got Into a r u t and
went around and around like a phonograph
needle in a record. Im o u t of t h a t r u t now.
I m stan d in g on th e ridg es and hopping from
one ridge to another. Ya, sometimes I fall
back into th e r u t and take a few more t u r n s
around. Actually th e needle moves very little.
I t s th e sc e n e ry th a t continually changes. We
have a few u p s-a n d -d o w n s and in -a n d -o u ts
b u t mostly s tr a ig h t- liv e s j u s t react to those
and t h a t which is around them. There is very
little growth o r change when one Is pluggedIn to th e p re s e n t main-stream. Like learning
to th in k has been damn hard work for me
sometimes. Sometimes I couldnt make any
p r o g r e s s and I j u s t plugged into a th o u g h tleader for a while, like a movie, o r read sci
ence fiction to kill some time. Im doing th e
b e st t h a t I can and it aint always easy,
Baby! But th e re w ard s are so wonderful th a t
I ca n t stop now. Im getting good feelings of
freedom and self determination.
Im now able to see how I have created th e
p r e s e n t ME and am now creating what I will

I WAS ROBOT

239

be like in th e f u t u r e by simply making my

p r e s e n t moment th e b e s t t h a t I can. I can see
t h a t I am making choices all th e time, e ith e r
positive o r n e g a tiv e choices which c r e a te fo r
me e ith e r a positive o r n e g a tiv e life. I am not
able to blame any on e else fo r my "bad
breaks,'* nor fo r my good b re a k s ."
I
b r o u g h t them both on by myself.
It s u r e feels good to know t h a t I can s t e e r
my own ship if I choose to. As I become
aw are of people (even my b e st f r ie n d s )
m anipulating my life, I m b eg in n in g to tell
them, "Hey! It feels like y o u re t r y i n g to tell
me how to ru n my life. I d r a t h e r do it my
self."
Most of th e time I j u s t th in k it and
t r y to c h a n g e th e s u b je c t. I may g e t e n o ug h
c o u ra g e to tell them (in a nice way) t h a t if I
want t h e i r advice, I ll ask fo r it.
Focusing
I th in k t h a t I began th in k in g f o r myself
when I occasionally would w rite some of my
t h o u g h t s down in a notebook. This way I was
able to c a r r y t h e t h o u g h t s o u t much f a r t h e r
w ithout h aving my t h o u g h t s d is t r a c t e d Into
a n o th e r ch ann el. So, by w riting my t h o u g h t s ,
I was able to learn to fo c u s my a tte n tio n and,
t h e r e b y , g e t more of my t h o u g h t s t o g e t h e r
and th e n sometimes a r r i v e a t a conclusion.
I s t a r t e d w riting t h e Little F re e P r e s s
n e w s le tte r a b o u t nine y e a r s ago. Then I got
more p r a c tic e in fo c u sin g my th in k in g on one
s u b je c t. Oh, I s u p p o s e I u sed to " th in k ."
I
had to know how to fo c u s my t h o u g h t s on my
work and w h a te v e r I was doing. I g u e s s it
was
ju st
th at
my
th in k in g
was
more
" re a c tiv e " th in k i n g in t h e lines of t h o u g h t
t h a t I was c h a n n e le d into. Like when t h e bills
came a t th e end of t h e month. I would r e a c t
by t r y i n g to work a little h a r d e r to make
more money to t r y to g e t ahead of them. I

240

ERNEST MANN

would react to a "Sale" on mens s u its o r to a

news article t h a t said th e price of gas would
go up th is week-end.
By getting myself out of th a t channel and
into some se lf-d ire cte d thinking I have been
rewarded. My g r e a te s t reward is th a t it is
teaching me how to th in k for myself. It has
t a u g h t me th e value of focusing my energy on
t h a t which "I" th ink is most important. It is
teaching me how to ta k e care of my own body
(life). It is giving me many good feelings of
satisfaction. Even if th e Priceless Economic
System is n ev er adopted, I feel th a t my time
has been well spent.
Suboonscious Telepathy?

Im experimenting with what I call telepathy

on th e subconscious level. With my conscious
mind, I think no I tell my subconscious
mind to send o u t th o u g h t waves to o th e r
minds who a re tu n ed to my frequency. I tell
my subconscious th a t I need something, and I
tell it what I need. Then I fo rg e t about it.
The next ste p is to tu n e in my receiving set.
My subconscious seems to communicate to
my conscious mind th ro u g h what we call
"hunches."
So, I t r y to become aware of
h u nch es to do o r to say a certain thing o r to
go to a certain place. Usually, when I follow a
hunch, I am v ery pleasantly rewarded by
finding what I have o rd e red . Sometimes by
following a hunch, I find something th a t I
needed b u t was not aware of having o rd ered.
These a re positive examples of getting what I
o rd e r.
A negative example is th e person who al
ways th in k s th e worst th in g s a re going to
happen to him/her. P erhap s they a re giving
th e ir subconscious mind an o r d e r to commu
nicate with people who a re tuned to th e same
negative wave length who will help th e ir be

I WAS ROBOT

241

liefs a b o u t th e m se lv e s come tr u e . It seems to

work o ut th is way. Birds of a f e a th e r , flock
to g e th e r.
My Freedom Now!
Now t h a t I have g otten rid of most of my
"things* and am living v e ry cheaply, I can
sta y re tire d for a much lo ng er time. E v e n tu
ally I may have to make some more money and
when and if t h a t time comes, I ll find a way
to do it. If I d i d n t have some money sa v ed
up and if I were now working fo r pay, I
th in k I would t r y to p e r s u a d e my em ployer to
c u t my h o u r s down o r to be a s o r t of f ill- in
perso n . Or I would look fo r a job w here th e y
would let me work t h e h o u r s of my choice. Or
I would s t a r t some s o r t of b u s in e s s w here I
could choose my own h o u rs. Or I would work
as many h o u r s as I could fo r a few m onths
and th e n q u it fo r a few months. I would g e t
some f r e e time, one way o r a n o th e r.
I now have 24 h o u r s p e r day of freedom to
learn to th in k , to learn w h a te v e r I wish, to
o b s e r v e how t h i n g s really a r e and to s p e c u
late on how good th e y could be. I have f r e e
dom to tra v e l. I not only enjoy tr a v e lin g , b u t
learn much from it. I hav e p len ty of time to
d is c u s s ideas a b o u t life. I find t h i s v e r y r e
w arding. I have gained a lot of freedom b e
c a u s e I have s to p p e d a b s o r b in g t h e mass me
dia, th e r e f o r e ,
I
hav e s to p p e d
d e s ir in g
"things'* and t h i s has b ro k e n my s la v e chain.
F e b r u a r y 22, 1978

242

ERNEST MANN

THINGS
IS THIS "THING"
THAT I WANT;
WORTH
THE HOURS
OF MY LIFE,
THAT I LL HAVE TO
WORK,
TO PAY FOR IT ?

243

2 3
A

L E T T E R

RIROM

MOTHER

Dear Son, (a 51 y e a r old g r a n d p a )

I received t h e n e w s p a p e r clipping^. I d i d n t
show it to anyone. You s u r e live in a mess
and look a mess too. I d o n t see why you live
tike th a t. You a r e not in a war p riso n . My
s i s t e r ' s son died in a war p riso n in Ja p a n . He
c o u ld n t have leave and go home. You a r e
making y o u r f r i e n d s and r e la tiv e s feel bad.
You a r e making them sick. I was th in k in g of
t h a t S a tu r d a y and S u n d a y n ig h t. I got so
sick I d i d n t th in k I would be h e r e to d ay . I
was not able to walk to t h e ph on e to call
y o u r s i s t e r till la te r t h i s m orning. I tr ie d to
g e t to t h e b ath room which is next to my
room. I could h a rd ly g e t th e r e . I n e v e r felt
so sick in my life. I t h o u g h t I would f a in t
b e fo re I got t h e r e . From 4:00 AM til m orning I
was v e r y sick. I n e v e r was t h a t sick before.
Dad and I sh o uld have b lis te re d y o u r b o t
tom when we f i r s t saw you looking like th a t .
It would have sh o c k e d you back to real life
again.
Our d e n t i s t d o e s n t live like you, does he?
My b r o t h e r s t h r e e boys d o n t live like you
and y o u r cousin d o e s n t e ith e r . If you d o n t
IMinneapolis Tribune, Larry Batson Column, 4/4/78

244

ERNEST MANN

feel well, go to a doctor.

I had two very sm art children and I
th o u g h t th ey would always be like that.
My th r e e little children (neighbors) came
o v er for cookies today. They always behave
so nice. I told them to bring th e clothes th a t
needed mending and we could all mend. Why
dont all th e old folks help th e young chil
dren and te e n a g e rs too?
I would love to see you be your old sweet
self again. That would be heaven on earth!
Love,
Mother
(78 y e a rs old) (Note - 1989, she is
88 y e a rs old now and still nags at me in the
same way.)
DEAR MOM,
I h avent written to you for th re e months.
I made myself an g ry with you because of
your last le tte r which I m enclosing a Xerox
copy. Now, I ask you, if you were living the
kind of life t h a t you th o u g h t was th e very
best for you, wouldnt you get a n g ry with
your mother if she would reprimand you, as
you did me?
My frie n d s tell me th a t I should t r y to
u n d e rsta n d you. Im try in g . Another friend
sa y s th a t as long as I seek your approval I
will n ever find happiness and freedom. I
think they a re both right. I ve been sending
you my p a p e rs for nine y ears now. My
frie n d s tell me th a t my p a p e rs are not too
bad, b u t you n ev er comment on them. I in
t e r p r e t th is as disapproval. Well, I continue to
grow and write in spite of this. You m ay 'find
it hard to believe, but, I occasionally get a
le tte r from a re a d e r with favorable comments.
I ll t r y to see th e p ictu re from your side. I
have hopes for my children and grandson too.
But here I have learned from you, t h a t I

I WAS ROBOT

245

d o n t like to have you tell me how to live, so

I now t r y not to give them advice u n le s s th e y
ask me.
I have seen you and dad live t o g e t h e r fo r
49 y e a r s in s u ff e r in g and fig h tin g with each
o th e r. I have learned from th a t. I got a d i
vorce when I became d issa tisfie d with my 25
y e a r s of m arriage. I left a mighty fine lady,
much to y o u r disap p ro v al (I c e rta in ly d o n t
recommend d iv o rce u n le s s people c a n t get
along o r th e ir a r r a n g e m e n t c a n t be worked
o u t to both p a r t n e r s sa tisfa c tio n ). I t r y to
realize t h e s t r i c t religious tr a in in g you and
dad received. I remember how c o n c e rn e d you
were a b o u t receiv in g y o u r r e la ti v e s and
n e i g h b o r s a p p ro v a l. I s u p p o s e th e s e were impossibi
------ bec^
' of
y o u r beliefs. I g u e s s i u n d e r s t a n d t h a t , even
as I c o n tin u e s tu b b o r n l y to reach fo r th e
freedom t h a t I believe in.
I m rem em bering now t h a t when I was in
high school I really wanted to be a d e n tis t,
th e n a ch^-nist and th e n an in v e n to r , b u t
somehow I got s id e t r a c k e d into going to b u s i
n e ss college and th e n to work fo r y o u r
b r o t h e r in real e s ta te . At t h e time I t h o u g h t
it was my own idea, b u t I m not so s u r e now.
I s u p p o s e you tl. vjht it b e s t to s t e e r me
into what looked l:^^, a good o p p o r t u n i t y to
you. I t s too late now to "c ry o v e r s p ilt milk"
b u t I can see nos how you have been doing
t h a t more o r less^
my 51 y e a rs . I h a v e fe lt
y o u r d isa p p ro v a l sin c e I f i r s t " d r o p p e d - o u t
nine y e a r s ago,
I hav e gone ahead and
tr ie d to f i g u r e o u t and 'ive my own d e s i r e s
sin c e th e n . I th in k t h a t I have finally weaned
m yself from my need f o r y o u r a p p ro v a l.
I believe you a r e a lo v irg m other and a
really good p e r s o n . I believe you h a v e ex
e rc is e d t h i s " g u id a n c e ' b e c a u s e you loved me.
This was t h e b e s t way 'ou knew of
show

246

ERNEST MANN

your love and motherhood. It has served the

"world good" because it has ta u g h t me not to
attem pt to "direct" my k id s lives any more.
My th r e e kids are between th e ages of 25 and
29 as you may remember. If I can successfully
get off th e ir b a c k s I believe they each have
enough natural intelligence to discern their
own needs and desires and to find and live
th e ir own happiness. If they pass th is liberty
on to th e ir kids, th is may help in a small way
- - th e geometrical progression of a segment
of freedom. This is what Im try in g to learn
now, afte r about 51 y ears of conformity to
find and live my own happiness. So my kids
have a 22 to 26 year head s t a r t on me. Actu
ally they have more of a s t a r t than th a t be
cause they "took" most of th e ir freedom from
me and th e ir mother when they were much
younger.
I remember th e day my oldest, who was
about seventeen then, took his major b rea k
th ro u g h tow ards freedom. He had grown taller
than me and had taken wrestling in high
school. That day he pinned me down on the
floor when I had attempted to spank him for
not obeying my "orders." Dad had trained me
to obey by beating me. I used the same te c h
nique on my kids. I tru ly r e g r e t th is now but
I did not know of a b e tte r method of being a
good p a re n t at th e time j u s t as dad d id nt.
I forgive him now. I think my kids have fo r
given me as we now have good relationships.
My problem was, I guess, th a t I didnt grow
taller than dad.
By allowing my kids to do th e ir own th in g s
I have gained a lot of fre e thinking an d' do
ing time. I t r y not to waste my time worrying
about w hether they are doing th in g s right"
o r not. I t r y to tell myself th a t they may
need to learn th e hard way, as I often did. I
now use th is time to work out and do my own

I WAS ROBOT

247

life. This is not n early so f r u s t r a t i n g b ecau se

I have more control o v e r my" life and am
learning how to make c h a n g e s t h a t a r e p le a s
ing to me.
Mother, now t h a t I have gotten all t h i s off
my c h e s t, I feel a lot b e t t e r to w a rd s you. I
love you and keenly d e s ire you to have th e
b e st life t h a t you can make for y o u rself.
Love,
Ernest
July 11, 1978

248

ERNEST MANN

T I M E

ADS

T O

CRY,

L I V E

BUY! BUY! BUY!

I DID,

MORE! MORE! MORE!

I PAID,

WORK! WORK! WORK!

W H ER E S MY TIME TO FIND MY THING?

TO DO MY THING?
IS THERE MORE THAN BUY, WORK & PAY?
SOME DAY I M G O N NA DIE
SO N O W S MY TIME TO LIVE.
YOU TAKE THE THINGS.
I LL TAKE THE TIME.

249

MORE

ELECTRICITY -?

When I was eleven y e a r s old my folks

b o u g h t an 80 a c re farm in lower Michigan.
There was no e le c tric ity in th e a r e a so we
used k e ro se n e lamps fo r light. It was a mellow
peaceful life we had.
Dad b o u g h t t h r e e o r fo u r cows, two h o rse s,
two p ig s and a couple dozen c h ic k e n s. About
half th e land was woods and p a s tu r e . We
farmed less th a n 40 a c r e s to ra is e food fo r
th e animals. We used a b o u t a half a c r e to
grow food fo r o u r s e lv e s . The g a r d e n was my
job. Something to do while I was r e s tin g . Ha,
ha. My folks, my s i s t e r and I picked wild
b la c k b e r r ie s in t h e woods e v e r y summer and
m other can n ed them. Boy! Did th e y e v e r t a s t e
good come w inter.
After a b o u t a y e a r t h e o t h e r f a r m e r s and
dad got t o g e t h e r and got REA to p u t e le c tr i c
ity into t h e a re a. Each fa rm e r had to pay
some money to install t h e pow er lines.
We all t h o u g h t t h a t t h i s was real p r o g r e s s .
Now we could h av e e le c tric ity l Now we could
buy all th o s e fin e e le c tric l a b o r - s a v e r a p
p lia n c e s and tools we seen In t h e S e a r s &
R oebucks (I w o n d er if th e y a r e any relation
to th e WarbucKs?) catalog. Mind you, we were
h a p p y b e fo re we got e le c tric ity . We had time
to v is it with t h e n e ig h b o r s an d go to town
orice C4 week, s e e a movie and buy a m'^lted

250

ERNEST MANN

milk. We could even see th e s t a r s in th e sky

before we got o u r fine electric yard light.
After dad boug ht mom an electric stove and
re frig e ra to r, had th e house, barn and chicken
coop wired he had s p e n t all his money. Now
th e r e were a whole lot more fine labor-saving
appliances t h a t we still wanted, but we
needed more income.
I dont recall how dad did it, but he
bought some more cows and more chickens
because th is was where we got ou r money
from selling milk and eggs. Because of the
additional animals we had to raise more hay,
corn, oats, soybeans and needed more p a stu re
land.
Somehow dad managed to buy th e adjacent
unoccupied 80 acre farm. Now o ur two horses
were not enough to work all th is land so he
bought two old tr a c to r s which were always
needing re p a ir (and gas).
Thus we were able to increase o u r milk and
egg Income and buy more electric and gaso
line powered la b o r-sa v e r machinery and appli
ances and pay th e increasing electric and
gasoline bills. With th e electric lights we were
able to work until late at night and get up
before dawn to s t a r t working again to make
enough money to make all o u r payments. This
was certainly glorious p ro g ress.
We could now buy r u g s for o u r house so
th a t we could use o u r new electric labors a v e r vacuum cleaner. Mom got an electric
egg b e a ter too. We had to work longer hours
and work h a r d e r b u t it all seemed worthwhile
then , because we had what everyb od y else
had Electricity! Boy, were we lucky!
October 12, 1977
I two people
would come about
rest of humankind
of the corfort of

TWO PEOPLE
were ever to truly work together, there
so mich order on this planet that the
would flee into the universe, in search
chaos and confusion. "Heaer. Strabisms

251

L I R E

CAN

BE

BEAUTIEUL
My Day

This morning I felt like I had t h e day in

my bag with my hand held t i g h t a ro u n d th e
op ening . Like I could do exactly as I wanted
to. I still feel t h a t way.
To hell, no to re tire m e n t, with all bosses.
I ve found ways to g e t along w ith ou t them. To
p a s t u r e with t h e t e a c h e r s , th e y have y e t to
learn what to te a c h . To vacation with all t h e
lea d ers. Let le a d e rs ris e up who t a k e no pay
o r p ro fit from t h e i r le a d e rs h ip , th e n I m ight
a t least listen to them.
Free Time

I can fill my s p a r e ( f re e ) time by allowing

o t h e r s to e n t e r t a i n me, e.g., r e a d in g what
o t h e r s hav e w ritte n , booze and d r u g s a r e
e n t e r t a i n e r s , ail t h e media, s p o r t s , a job ( th e
bo ss d i r e c t s t h e e n te r ta in m e n t) , liste n in g to
people talk a b o u t t h e i r day, t h e w e a th e r o r
gossip, etc. In o t h e r w ords, I can keep b u sy
( d i s t r a c t e d ) j u s t to fill t h e s p a c e o r I can fill
t h a t s p a c e with t h a t which m akes me h a p p y .
A ctivities re la te d to s u r v iv a l, of c o u r s e , a r e
n a tu ra l and m u st be done. At o ne time in o u r
evolution we may h a v e s p e n t most of o u r time

252

ERNEST MANN

in p u rs u it of survival. There may have been a

time when th e r e was plenty of food and fewer
people so th a t survival was easy and required
little time. I wonder what people did with
th e ir s p a re time then. I would guess they
practiced making babies no, no, no I
would g u ess they may have observed what
was around them and p e rh a p s wondered,
speculated and experimented. They may have
invented reason and su p erstitio n then. What
will I do with my fre e time now?
With th e knowledge th a t I have, I su rv iv e
with very few hou rs of work and use very
little money because I stopped buying the
junk and stopped try in g to keep up with the
Joneses. Maybe humans have always been able
to s u rv iv e with v ery little work, except when
th e r e was a d r o u g h t or a flood.
Chunk of Life
When I was in th e ra t race, was I filling
my s p a re time with th a t which I chose or was
I allowing myself to be hypnotized by th e
su g g e stio n s of th e media and my cultu re? Was
I then following those su ggestions,
but
thinking t h a t th e y were my own ideas, and
doing th in g s which ultimately made someone
else a little richer? Yes, I was. This made me
a little poorer so th a t I had to work more and
th is also made someone else a little richer and
left me with much less free time.
When I work 'o r someone else I give them a
little chunk of my life (almost one th ird of it)
to do with as they please. These ch u n k s of
my time are p a r t of th a t space between my
birth and my death. I do not have an unlim
ited sup ply of time. That time I waste fulfill
ing o th e r s expectations of me or in following
th e bosss o r d e r s o r th e medias hidden s u g
gestions, is time lost from my life, n ever to
be re t'jrn e d .

I WAS ROBOT

253

Act o r React?
At times I " r e a c t to s itu a tio n s o r people
and do and say t h i n g s t h a t I would not do o r
say if I would have d elib e ra ted . So as I b e
come aw are of my u r g e to r e a c t I learn to
act" d eliberately. I gain more control o v e r
my life (my time) and c o n s e q u e n tly more f r e e
dom.
All th is speculatio n leaves me with t h e
feeling t h a t lots of s p a r e time is n a tu ra l fo r
people. How will I fill th is spa c e ? What c r i
te r ia will I u se to decide? What makes me
h a p p y ? I have made a list. I like it. I w onder
what it will do fo r me?
What Makes Me Happy?
I feel a p le a s u r e in craw ling into my b e d
ding a t n ight. I look fo r dawn two o r t h r e e
times befo re I feel t h e joy t h a t it is t h e r e ,
th e n I ta k e p le a s u r e in a few more d ream s
and th e n g et up. Tm b e g in n in g to find p lea
s u r e in eatin g. Tm fin d in g much p le a s u r e In
th e additional freedom I g e t from living alone,
how ever I would p r e f e r to live with a mate
b u t h a v e n t found one t h a t will p u t up with
me.
Sex
I lived with a wif3 fo r a b o u t 23 y e a r s and
a lady frie n d off and on f o r a b o u t 5 y e a r s
a f t e r t h a t and I tiiO ught t h a t it was t h e only
h ap p y way to live. But now I can do exactly
a s I wish. I d o n t have to wait f o r a n y o n e n o r
p u t up with t h i n g s I d o n t like. Now t h a t I
hav e s to p p e d a b s o r b in g t h e sex program m ing
from all t h e media I r a r e ly feel h o rn y , so I
d o n t need to hav e a sex p a r t n e r on hand al
ways.
E v er sin c e I got m arried back in 47, I
t h o u g h t t h a t sex was t h e most f u n t h in g to
do in t h e whole world.
t h e la st c ou ple of

2 54

ERNEST MANN

y e a rs sex has not occupied such an important

place in my life. It may be because Im 50
y e a rs old now, or it may be because I dont
read, watch o r listen to hardly any of the
media any more; o r p e rh a p s it may be for
some o th e r reason? I seldom listen to music
any more, It seems to be heavily loaded with
sexual su g g e stio n s (and a whole lot more be
sides). If Im going to have sex, I dont want
a commercial outside stimulus deterfnining
when and how often I should have it. I think
I would like to find out what my bodys natu
ral lu sts a re and fulfill them if I can.
I catch myself humming old tu n e s from th e
40s and discover how, even then, songs were
loaded with sex su ggestions. So now when I
hum or sing, I sometimes make up my own
words and tu n e s. If th e r e is going to be pro
gramming done to my subconscious, Tm going
to p u t th e su g g e stio n s in th e r e t h a t I want.
Journal
I t s really nice to sit here in th e sun and
p u t th e s e th o u g h ts down on paper. By
p u ttin g them down on p ap er I m able to focus
on one chain of th o u g h t longer and sometimes
even a rr iv e a t a solution. When Im try in g to
do th e same th in g in my head (without th e
p ap er) I often get diverted to some o th e r line
of th o u g h t. I th in k Ive learned more by
writing to myself th an I have from reading
anyone else. We may be a lot sm arter than we
have been led to believe.
Programming

I think th a t ev eryo ne has a choice in' th e

m atter of programming, once we become aware
of it. We can choose to be programmed by
o th e r s o r we can discontinue absorbing it and
begin to program ourselves. But then comes
th e big question, What do I really want?" I

I WAS ROBOT

255

trie d for a couple of y e a r s to make a list of

what I wanted and I c o u ld n t g e t an y w h ere.
Now T ve r e s ta te d th e qu estio n to, "What
makes me h ap py ?"
This one I can handle.
I ve been able to make a list and have
e x p re ss e d some of it here. I th in k I shall al
ways be adding to t h a t list. At th e moment I
c a n t conceive of how I could e v e r be bored
or lonely again if I can j u s t remember to co n
s u lt th is list when I feel it coming on.
Hypnotism?
When I belonged to th e In s a n e Society (th e
ra t race), I w onder if th e reason why I was
unable to t u r n off my TV (b e fo re I g av e it
away) was b e c a u se p ro g ra m s and commercials
may have some elem ents of hypnotism in them.
I w onder if music on t a p e s and r e c o r d s have
subliminal s u g g e s t i o n s which e n c o u r a g e d me
in my old co n su m er hab its. Sometimes I t u n e
in with my co n sc io u s mind to th e ly ric s in
music and h e a r s ta te m e n ts and s u g g e s t io n s
t h a t I totally d i s a g r e e with. P h r a s e s and key
w ords a r e r e p e a te d and r e p e a te d and r e
peated and drummed into t h e mind, not unlike
r e p e titiv e
a d v e r tis in g .
(Reread
Huxleys
"B rave New World")
I th in k most people who s h a r e t h e i r music
with me, a s b a c k g ro u n d music, a r e doing it
b e c a u se th e y th in k I like it. But, b a c k g r o u n d
music is an in frin g e m e n t on my r i g h t s to
peace and q u ie t and good c o n v e r s a tio n . If
th e y r e f u s e to t u r n it off, I may be able to
find a l te r n a ti v e p laces to g e t w hat I want. I
th in k I shall tell t h e p e rs o n in c h a r g e t h a t
t h e i r music a n n o y s me and if th e y p e r s i s t
with it I shall t a k e myself and my money
e lsew h ere.

256

ERNEST MANN

I t s Later Than You Think

I used to see and hear about people who

worked hard and long hours so th a t they
could re tire when they got to be 65 and then
finally have fun. Many of them died before
th a t, and some died a couple of y ears later.
Some felt too old and worn o u t by then to
d a re to have fun. Fun? Whats th a t? Some
th in g for kids, aint it? they said.
Lately I have been noticing many people
much younger, who have gone bananas be
cause they couldnt e n d u re th e ra t race any
longer. When I was 42 y e a rs old I decided to
drop out while I still had all my marbles and
enough en e rg y to use them. Im s u r e glad I
did. I m 50 now and am really learning how to
enjoy life. I realize now th a t I could have
dropped o u t much sooner if I had only been
aware of th e consumer programming and how
to avoid it. If I had know what I m j u s t be
ginning to learn how to e n tertain myself
and how to be happy with myself, I could
have dropped out much earlier. I m finding
much more satisfying ways to ta k e up my time
now which a re fre e o r nearly so.
Shelter

I m beginning to learn ways to live without

having to pay much rent. Some ways are ille
gal, like living in some ones unfinished base
ment. I did t h a t fo r a few y ears for $50. p e r
mo. But I do not consider them a crime be
cause I dont th ink th e r e can be a crime if
th e r e is no victim. One might be able to live
in a v acant house o r apartm ent in exchange
for a s o r t of n ig h t watchman serv ice until It
is rented o r sold. I have j u s t bought a te n t
and plan to travel extensively, I think I can
find fre e and v ery cheap places to camp. I
think some p a r k s and backpacking tra ils are
free.

I WAS ROBOT

257

Personal Possessions

I have gotten rid of most of my personal

p o sse ssio n s now except th o s e t h a t I can c a r r y
on my back. I c a r r y my home ( te n t), my bed
(sleeping bag and pad), a warm ja c k e t, a rain
poncho, a c h a n g e of clothes, a couple of
books, some t r a v e l e r s ch e c k s, my p a s s p o r t
and bank book. Total weight a b o u t 20 p o un ds.
In my head and h a n d s I c a r r y some skills. In
my h e a r t I c a r r y a d e s ir e to u se t h e s e to
s u p p o r t myself. I get- m ighty good fe e lin g s
from knowing t h a t I pay my own way on t h i s
planet.
Work

The reason I used to have to work so much

was sintply b e c a u s e I s p e n t so much money.
Now I s p e n d little and so my m eager s a v in g s
la s ts longer.
B ankrupt Government?

T h e re was a time when I t h o u g h t t h a t th o s e

who took g o v e rn m e n t money to live on were
helping to o v e r b u r d e n t h e sy ste m and would
help to d e s tr o y it. But t h a t s t r a t e g y is not
w orking b e c a u s e th e y j u s t p r i n t more money
and ra is e tax es, etc. This s t r a t e g y may have
t h e a d v e r s e e f f e c t of making t h e money r e
c ip ie n t more s u b s e r v i e n t , d e p e n d e n t on g o v
e rn m e n t and depri'^e them of t h e good fe e l
in g s of i n d e p e n d e ,.je . They may th e n not wish
to bite t h e h and t h a t f e e d s them, so th e y may
be a fra id to help with c h a n g e .
E lectricity

I have v e r y little need f o r e le c tric ity sin c e

I s t a r t e d to simplify my life. I u s e c a n d le s
and go to bed e a rly . I hav e no d e s ir e o r need
to own an y electrical a p p lia n c e s now.

258

ERNEST MANN

Lonely
Many people have asked me, 'What do you
do with 24 h o u rs of s p a re time each d a y ?
My f i r s t year a fte r d ro p -ou t, my wife and I
s p e n t trav elin g in an old pick-up camper.
This kept us busy. The Little Free Press
new sletter was born then too. The next 7
y e a rs th e p a p e r was a major focus for my
th o u g h ts and time. Of course th e r e was time
between issues when nothing was happening
and th is time I filled with traveling, building
rafts, hunting in rub bish boxes, rummage
sales, people watching and many of my old
time-fillers like; movies, TV, the o th e r media,
novels, women, a little drinking, smoking a
little pot, eating in d ifferen t r e s ta u r a n ts and
th e re g u la r necessities.
My last few weeks have been changing. It
has been almost 4 months since my last paper
and I have become more aware of my 24 hours
fre e time. Since I read about th e subliminals
th e media are using, I have stopped taking in
most of th e programming by not watching,
reading o r listening to th e media and very
little music. This has left me with lots more
fre e time on my hands.
I m now becoming aware of th e fact th a t I
used to fill my s p a re time by reacting to my
loneliness o r my boredom by doing th e th in g s
th a t were constantly su g g e ste d by th e media,
etc. Now t h a t I m not taking in th e ir s u g g e s
tions, I m making some big changes and find
ing th in g s t h a t "1 like to do. Many of th e se
th in g s a re free. I like to sit In th e sun and
people-watch, to close my eyes and day
dream, to go for a long walk, to walk the' RR
tra c k s , to fly a kite, to c a r ry my bundles on
my ahead, to look into ru b b ish boxes, to go to
rummage sales, to pet dogs, to watch the
t r e e s blossom, to feed sq u irre ls, to sit in my
room in th e dark and th ink and day dream

I WAS ROBOT

25 9

and to watch th e p ic tu r e s t h a t p a s s th r o u g h
my mind when I have my e y e s closed, its like
rummaging t h r o u g h my memory bank.
Outer Space Messages?

I ve d isco v ered a sound in my e a r s o r In

my head some place. Some call it a rin g in g in
th e e a rs. Some call it th e music of t h e
s p h e r e s . It s o u n d s like t h o u s a n d s of electrical
c ir c u its flowing a t t h e same time. Maybe th e
brain makes some so u n d . Maybe its t h o u s a n d s
of o t h e r peoples b r a in s s e n d in g o u t video o r
audio m essages. If t h a t is so, w ouldnt it be
neat if I could tu n e - i n my b r a i n s receiv in g
s e t to j u s t one s e n d e r a t a time and e ith e r
see o r h e a r what th e y a r e communicating.
Maybe its some b e in g s from o u t e r sp a c e
se n d in g m essages. Will I be able to d e c ip h e r
them? Tune in next week. Ha ha.
Many people can h e a r t h e s e e a r so u n d s .
J u s t p u t y o u r h a n d s o v e r y o u r e a r s so t h a t
you d o n t h e a r t h e o u ts id e noises, and listen
in te n tly inside y o u r e a r s . You may h a v e to do
t h i s a few times b e fo re you can id e n tify t h e
rin g in g so u n d . A fter t h a t you can t u n e in to
it w ithout holding y o u r h a n d s o v e r y o u r e a r s .
Well, "So what?" people may ask. Yes, "So
what?"
But on t h e o t h e r hand we may find
some u s e s fo r t h i s s o u n d . I ll be d a r n e d if I
know what it is b u t I ve fo u n d a u s e f o r it.
When I want to really relax so t h a t I can se e
t h e movies on my e y e lids o r when I w ant to
fall asleep, I j u s t listen in te n tly to my e a r
so u n d f o r a few m inutes. I t w o rk s f o r me.
A ltern ative System?

The " f re e time" t h a t I h a v e c r e a te d f o r my

se lf h a s given me time to o b s e r v e how t h i n g s
a r e an d time to s p e c u la te on how t h i n g s could
be. Having a lot of f r e e time an d u s in g it
co n scio u sly in w ays t h a t make me h a p p y , a r e

260

ERNEST MANN

obviously more enjoyable for me than my old

life style was (22 y e a rs in th e ra t race).
Dropping-out has made me happier, and made
it even plainer to me how bad it really is for
those who are still in th e race. All th is has
encouraged me to t r y to s h a re th e se ideas
with anyone who is tire d of th e ra t race.
I have talked with h u n d re d s of people
about th e Priceless Economic System and
about 99% have agreed t h a t it would be a
b e tte r system than th e p re s e n t world-wide
Pay System ,* but th ey say th a t they j u s t
dont see how it could e v e r happen. Well, it
partly happens to each person when they
d ro p -o u t. They immediately become much more
" fre e . I m think in g th a t as more people drop
o u t and s t a r t really enjoying th e ir more free
life, they (we) will act as examples. People
come up to me and ask me, "How and why?"
and I tell them what I can. I get a little im
patient with th e slowness of th is "example*'
method and publish my ideas in my new sletter
and now in th is book.
There are and will be d ro p -o u ts with dif
f e r e n t ta le n ts th an I have who a re and will
a p p e a r on th e scene to dem onstrate th is free
system in d iffe ren t ways than I do.* Dropping
o u t may be a f i r s t ste p tow ards freedom for
everyone. It looks like an individual thing,
one ste p at a time, not a mass movement
b u t a revolution within each one, revolting
from being enslaved to th e r a t race. P a rt of
my own personal revolution was when I said
to society, "You cant make me c u t my hair,
sh av e my face o r wear y o u r clothing styles!"
It felt good to say it th en and it feels natural
to live it now.
What If?
Well someone Is going to say, "If you all
drop out, who is going to produce th e

I WAS ROBOT

261

gcx>ds?"
If we co n tin u e u sing t h e p r e s e n t
"Pay System," us d r o p - o u t s will have to work
j u s t enough to grow o r pay fo r what we each
c o n sid e r essential fo r us. The r e s t of t h e
people who still wish to buy t h e " ju n k " will
co n tin u e to work a t th e jo b s which p r o d u c e
th e ju n k . T here will still be a balance, be
c a u se as long as t h e r e is a demand fo r t h e
ju n k t h e r e will be jo b s fo r th o s e who need
th e money to buy t h e ju n k .
They wont have to p ro d u c e n early so much
ju n k , so th e n th e y will not pollute o u r p la n e t
as much nor will th e y u se up n early a s many
of o u r r e s o u r c e s . The ju n k p r o d u c e r s and
c o n su m e rs may even learn by w atching us,
even as I le a rn ed by w atching some of th e
young people hav in g fun.
Conditioning
If e v e r y o n e is finally able to become aw are
of t h e mind con dition in g t h a t is going on and
how it is being done and by whom, th e n t h e r e
may be some hope f o r freedom f o r e v e r y o n e
on t h i s planet. Then people may be able to
u n d e r s t a n d "pow er" and how to s e t up a
society w h ere pow er is no a d v a n ta g e b u t Is a
burden.
Then th e y
may
un d erstan d
the
P ric e le ss Economic System; which is based on
w orking fo r fr e e , giving t h e p r o d u c t s and
s e r v ic e s away f o r f r e e and with no need fo r
money o r o w n e rsh ip .
April 19, 1977

262

ERNEST MANN

WE HAVE ALWAYS
HAD WARS
AND ALWAYS WILL
HAVE WARS
UNTIL
WE
TAKE THE PROFIT
OUT OF WAR!

263

WHAT

IS MAPPIMESS-?

Is h a p p in e s s a way we feel? Are fe e lin g s a

r e s u lt of a th in k in g p ro c e s s ? Who is in co n
trol of my th o u g h t s ? Are my t h o u g h t s led by
an a u t h o r when Tm re a d in g ? By a s p e a k e r
when I m liste n in g ? By an a c to r when I m
w atching? By e v e n ts ? By o b je c ts ? By music?
By s p o r t s ? By th e news media? By my work?
O therw ise, do I allow my t h o u g h t s to w an d er
most of th e time?
Am I th e h a p p ie s t when Tm th in k in g a b o u t
t h i n g s o r ideas which please me? If I wish to
be h a p p ie r, sh o uld I fo c u s my t h o u g h t s more
o fte n in t h i s a re a ?
What is loneliness? Is it a mood I p u t my
self into when I h a v e been th i n k in g t h a t I
need "som eone and d o n t hav e h e r o r him? If
I c o n tin u e in t h i s line of th in k in g will it g e t
w orse? If I begin th in k in g a b o u t som ething
which m akes me h a p p y , what h a p p e n s to my
fe e lin g s? I s n t It t h e same with boredom and
d e p r e s s io n ? A re n t t h e y only a th in k in g p r o
c e s s , s u b j e c t to c h a n g e like all t h e o t h e r
fe e lin g s?
Do o t h e r s make me a n g r y o r do I make my
self a n g r y by how I i n t e r p r e t w hat o t h e r s
say o r do? Do I loose control when I make
m yself a n g r y ? Would I be h a p p ie r and feel
more in control of my life if I t r i e d to u n d e r
s ta n d why t h e o t h e r p e r s o n a c te d a s th e y

264

ERNEST MANN

did? Should I let them know how I perceive

them and tell them th a t if they continue, I
will do such and such o r have nothing more
to do with them? This would give them a free
choice th e n , to relate in a pleasing way, or
not at all to me.
I have learned to d irect my thinking into
any a re a of th o u g h t th a t I please; its like
switching TV channels, I j u s t tu n e into a
whole d iffe ren t se t of th o u g h ts, I am becom
ing th e Master of my own Destiny. Whenever I
catch myself think ing along a line th a t I know
will get me d e p re ssed , I immediately s t a r t
thin king about something else to think about.
Or I analyze my problem and s t a r t thinking
co nstructiv ely to find th e best solution and
then ta k e some action. Even wrong action is
OK, because it leads to learning and to th e
c o rre c t action.
We have been conditioned to believe th a t
we need "someone.* WHATEVER WE FIRMLY
"BELIEVE"
* IS TRUE FOR US, and we live
o u r lives according to th e s e beliefs, whether
they a re actually t r u e o r not. Therefore, we
can firmly believe t h a t we dont need someone
and th en th a t will be t r u e for us. "Man is an
Island."
Hermits (both women and men) are
living prof of this. Then o u r searching for
fulfillment and happ in ess th ro u g h someone
else, can cease, because we can also believe
th a t we a re "enough" t h a t we a re each a
complete and self-su fficien t unit. We can then
be happy with o u r self. We can then enjoy
o th e r s for th e moments th a t we s h a r e to g e th
er, b u t know t h a t we dont "need" them. We
a re not d e p e n d e n t on them, t h u s we give
them no power o v e r us.
If we learn to love o u rse lv es much, even
joyously th e n p e rh a p s we will not hold
jealousy any more. P erh ap s "possessive love"
Is not a happy love and it may be th e only

I WAS ROBOT

265

kind of love a p e rso n can feel if th e y do not

love th em selves enough. Tm not really s u r e
ab ou t this.
Present Thought Topic

We a re all living o u r lives as b e s t we can,

learning and growing as f a s t as weYe able.
The more we become aw are of o u r th in k in g
p ro c e ss, th e more we can ta k e control o v e r
o u r lives th e h a p p ie r well become. F irst,
th e b e s t we can do is to s t a r t w atching what
we a re th in k in g about. Second, is to e v a lu a te
and ask, "Is t h i s what I really want to be
th in k in g ab ou t?"
T hird, if we decide t h a t it
is n t, we m ust th e n decide what we would like
to be s p e n d in g o u r time (o u r life) th in k in g
about
th is moment. F o u rth , we can now
s e ttle down to some good th in k in g on a to p ic
t h a t we have co nsciously cho sen by o u r s e lv e s .
At t h is point we s t a r t becoming t h e M aster of
o u r Destiny, p e r h a p s even on th e road to g e
nius.

266

ERNEST MANN

c h e o k

1.

i s t

Is there any reason to live,

if life is not e nj oy ab le ?
2. Am I e n j o y i n g what I m doing
right now?
3. I want to en jo y what I m d o
ing !
4. If I c a n t enjoy what I m d o
ing, I shall stop doing it!
5. I shall find something to do
that
I
enjoy.
My
time
on
E a r t h is limited, so I refuse
to w as te it doing that which
makes me miserable.
6. I am t o t a l l y r e s p o n s i b l e for
the way that I choose to use
e ve ry m i n u t e of my 24 hours
each day.
7. I am the loser whe n I waste
any of my time (my life) d o
ing m i s e r a b l e things.
8. I shall
try to check o^ften
d u ri ng the day to see if I m
doing that w h i c h pl ea se s me.
March 8, 1981

267

S I M P L I R Y ?
Ecologists tell u s t h a t if pollution is not
s to p p e d soon we will e v e n tu a lly be w ithout
d r in k a b le w ater and b r e a th a b le air.
I have j u s t d is c o v e re d t h e idea t h a t I
p erso n a lly have more pow er and control o v e r
t h i s situ a tio n th a n j u s t picking up my b e e r
c a n s and c a n d y w ra p p e r s .
This pow er is a
b y - p r o d u c t of my realization t h a t all t h e
t h i n g s * t h a t I was b u y in g were a h u g e b u r
den to me.
They were ta k in g up almost all
my time (my life) j u s t ta k in g c a r e of them
and p a y in g f o r them.
The p ay in g m eant u s
ing up my s a v i n g s so th e n I would h a v e to
go back to work so o n e r.
The volume of my t h i n g s was im p re sse d
upon my mind and body e v e r y time I moved.
Like; box a f t e r box, t r a i l e r load a f t e r t r a i l e r
load of th i n g s .
Up and down s t a i r s , in and
o u t with arm loads of boxes. Wow! I t finally
got t h r o u g h to me a f t e r a b o u t 25 y e a r s of
m arried life, moving a b o u t e v e r y fiv e y e a r s ,
t h a t I would be b e t t e r off w itho ut th o s e
" th in g s ."
I am now looking a t t h i n g s in a
d i f f e r e n t light.
Now I th in k , "Is t h i s th in g
really w orth t h e h o u r s of my life t h a t it will
c o s t to pay fo r it and t a k e c a r e of it? Would
I feel more f r e e w itho ut it?
Would I r a t h e r
h a v e a lot of f r e e time on my h a n d s to do
with a s I p le a se o r would I r a t h e r u s e t h a t

268

ERNEST MANN

time as a slave to th is thing?" I now look at

most th in g s as j u s t b u rd e n s and anchors.
I now live close to th e area where I "do my
thing " so I sold my car th r e e y ears ago. I
realized t h a t I was spending many of my
h o u rs thinking about and working on my car.
They say t h a t many people spend th r e e month
of th e ir wages, each year, j u s t to own th e ir
car.
Well, th a t means th a t people who, dont
have a c a r could tak e a th re e months vaca
tion each year. Ah, ha!
Now I walk, bus or fly.
I like walking
best, not Ju s t because of th e exercise, but
because I feel more fre e to stop anywhere
and chat with people. Whenever I find some
one who is willing to spend a little time dis
c ussing Ideas th a t in te r e s t me, like a lte rn a
tiv e s to o u r Pay System or how to get th e
most o u t of life, etc., I really get e x tra plea
s u r e from my walk. I even enjoy smiling and
saying "Hello." to absolute s tr a n g e r s . This is
mostly an u p p e r because most people seem
v e ry pleased t h a t someone acknowledged th e ir
p resen ce on th is planet. Their pleasure gives
me definite good feelings so I have increased
my good feelings in th e p a st few years. Of
c o u rse its impractical to do th is where th e r e
is too much traffic. Some people dont answer
or smile and a fte r I understood why, it d id nt
slow me.
I have had people smile and say
"Hi." to me sometimes when Ive been down
and I know how good It made me feel. You
know, life is really fun.
Getting back to stopping pollution and
waste: Can you see t h a t as I quit buying th e
ju n k p ro d u cts, th e adult toys, th e unneeded
th in g s, th e y do not m anufacture as many. I
have a d irect hand in how much my planet is
raped.
As I stop consuming, they pro p o r
tionately stop producing and polluting.
As
o th e r people see t h a t I and o th e rs like me are

I WAS ROBOT

269

h a p p ie r without all th e bu rd en so m e ju n k , th e
age old p rin c ip le goes into effect, m onkey-see,
monkey-do.
E v ery o n e w ants to be hap p ier.
T hings" b rin g a v e ry s h o r t - t e r m h a p p in e ss.
As a d iversion I often sto p and check o u t
r u b b is h boxes.
I have lots of fu n fin d in g
neat useful th in g s .
In p r i n t e r s and I n s u r
ance com panies boxes I often find p a p e r and
e n v e lo p e s t h a t I can use.
I now g e t all my
c lo th e s from rummage sa le s and
r u b b is h
boxes.
I g e t good fe e lin g s from sa lv a g in g
som ething t h a t would have been d e s tr o y e d
and from sa v in g my money. Sometimes I find
t h i n g s t h a t I d o n t need and have fu n giving
them to people who want them.
Last S u n d a y
I found a b u t t e r n u t and a delicious plum
t r e e r ' g h t h e re in Minneapolis.
I got n u t s
and p its from them and gav e them to a f rie n d
who will p la n t them.
I m not afraid of people any lo n g e r sin c e I
s to p p e d w atching TV and re a d in g all t h e
alarm ist f e a r in d u c in g n e w s p a p e r s .
I have
sin c e walked a good many miles alone on
s t r e e t s in many p a r t s of t h i s c o u n t r y and
a b ro a d . The place t h a t I live is in a c lo se-in
slum d is tr ic t.
I believe t h a t all people a r e
basically good if given half t h e c h an ce.
I hav e come to t h e conclusion t h a t t h e r e is
n o th in g t h a t I really hav e to do e x c e p t s u c k
in and blow o u t, t a k e in a little food, w ater
and e x c re te .
Yes, I need a little s h e l t e r in
extrem e w e a th e r and I like to talk with people
o n ce in a while.
I need f r e e q u ie t time to
th in k . I t t a k e s v e r y little money to t a k e c a r e
of my real n e e d s.
The more I p r a c tic e t h i s
p h iloso ph y t h e le ss I need.
I got rid of al
most ail my t h i n g s .
I wont g e t much Social S e c u r ity pen sion
b e c a u s e I d r o p p e d o u t when I was 42, s e v e n
y e a r s ago.
I f i g u r e if I e v e r need more
money I can fin d a way to e a r n it. The less

270

ERNEST MANN

I need th e longer I can remain dropped out.

Some people tell me th a t they wouldnt
know what to do with so much s p a r e time.
Well, I have enjoyed seven full y e ars of sp a re
time.
I always find th in g s to do.
I could
have gone back into th e ra t race anytime, but
I like th is b e tter. Of course, I h av en t got it
all fig u red out yet. I still have times when I
get lonely.
But because "necessity is the
mother of invention" it seems like I always
fig u re o u t something th a t pleases me.
I am
learning to j u s t "swing" with th e low periods
of my cycle knowing from experience th a t I
will come out of it. When I remember th is I
usually come o u t of th e "low" much fa ste r. I
q uit fighting it and maybe go to a movie or
some o th e r diversion.
(A uthor's note, 1987: I couldnt get myself
to get back to work on th is book for th e last
day o r two.
I s ta r te d to feel a little s o rry
for myself and then I could see I was s t a r t
ing to get d e p re s se d . I trie d a couple of my
old s ta n d b y t r ic k s to come o ut of it.
I
walked o v e r for a c re s c e n t and coffee and
people watching for a spell. Bought a news
p a p e r took it home and skimmed it. It didn t
seem to help th is time.
I called a friend.
She happened to be d ep ressed too. I didnt
talk long with her!
A couple of h o u rs later an o th er friend
called. I told him of my blues. I told him it
was probably j u s t a low in my cycle Im going
th ro u g h .
He seemed to a g re e with me, BUT,
he questioned me about what was making me
d e p re sse d . I came up with 3 o r 4 t h in g s ' and
unloaded some f r u s tr a tio n about them.
Then
we a rg u e d almost heatedly about politics and
ended o u r conversation on happier th o u g h ts.
This morning I arose re fre sh e d a t 2:00 AM
and went happily and enthusiastically back to

I WAS ROBOT

271

work on t h is book.
I d o n t th in k t h e r e is su c h a th in g a s
n atu ral mood cycles, anymore.
I th in k t h a t
c irc u m s ta n c e s c r e a te them.
Like when I was
working in th e Rat Race, t h e r e were p e rio d s
when I would g e t into a low mood e v e r y
month j u s t as s u r e as a woman does. I would
g et d e p r e s s e d r ig h t a f t e r th e 10th of each
month, r ig h t a f t e r I atte m p te d to pay my
bills.
During th e t h r e e re c e s s io n s t h a t I
somehow managed to s t r u g g l e t h r o u g h d u r in g
my 22 y e a r s in t h e Rat Race, I had p len ty of
to u g h going t r y i n g to s u p p o r t my family and
s e t aside a little real e s ta t e in v e stm e n t p r o
gram fo r an e a rly r e tire m e n t fo r my wife and
myself.
I d o n t know if my f r i e n d s q u e s tio n in g and
exploring o r my unloading of my f r u s t r a t i o n s
o r if o u r heated d isc u s sio n of politics (o r all
t h r e e ) b r o u g h t me o u t of t h e d e p re s s io n I
was working m yself into.
The n a tu ra l mood cycle th e o r y d o e s n t seem
logical an y more, b e c a u s e I h a d n t been feel
ing th e b lu e s f o r m onths. I ll h a v e to remem
b e r t h i s little e p iso d e fo r t h e next time I g e t
moody [as I s u r e l y will, e v e n tu a lly ].
I now
th in k c ir c u m s ta n c e s and how I r e a c t to them,
a r e t h e c u l p r its . END OF NOTE.)
In c u tt in g back on my consum ption to
s t r e t c h my income I keep ex p e rim en tin g .
I
w ent f o r five m o n th s w ith ou t e le c tric ity in my
a p a r tm e n t la s t y e a r and am now doing It
again. I e n jo y c a n d le lig h t and o fte n re a d by
it. I g e t along w ith ou t t h e r e f r i g e r a t o r easily
b e c a u s e I e a t mostly in r e s t a u r a n t s .
I e n jo y t h e a b s e n c e of all electrical a p p li
a n c es, esp ecially t h e TV, ra d io an d s te r e o .
I
d o n t g e t off on p r o p a g a n d a an y more.
I
h a v e a few p ie c e s of d is c a r d e d f u r n i t u r e .
I
now p r e f e r to sle e p on t h e wood flo or with a
do ub led o v e r b la n k e t a s a m a ttr e s s .
My life

272

ERNEST MANN

sty le may sound very primitive b u t Im

learning th a t th e more I simplify my life
th e happier I am becoming.
(Authors note, 1987; I now cook, have an
electric to a ste r, re frig e ra to r, popcorn popper,
m attress, van, a clean cozy $235 furn ished
apartm ent, a computer and am accumulating
used th in g s again.
I find I have different
needs at d iffe ren t times. END OF NOTE.)
Im cu tting back on my spending so t h a t I
wont have to go back to work so soon.
Purely a selfish reason.
Im not doing it to
save th e environment.
That j u s t happens to
be a b y -p ro d u c t. I do quite a bit of tra v e l
ing and I could afford to live It up a lot more
b u t I p r e f e r to s tr e tc h o u t my fre e time as
f a r as I can. I may be able to s tre tc h it un
til we all switch over to th e Priceless Econom
ic System.
Actually, I work for fre e now.
I dont
make any profit or even wages from my
new sletter. Look at what people have to pay
to get Ralph Naders new sletter and as fa r as
I was able to see, he does not get at the
prime cause of th e problems. Some people get
paid for doing th e same kind of work th a t I
do, e.g., writing, editing, lay out, delivery to
th e p rin te r, pick up and distribution. In fact
it costs me about $200 every time I p u t out a
n ew sletter issue. So you can u n d e rsta n d why
I only publish when I think th a t I have
something to say.
I do it for a selfish rea
son, not to save th e world.
I really have a lot of fun writing and
learning how to publish th e s e ideas. There is
a lot of satisfaction in thinking th a t I am
making th e h ig h est and best use of my time
(life) th a t I am able to at th is point in time.
It gives me a focal point for my creative e n
ergy . (Once In a while a friendly old woman
comes a!ong and gives me a couple of focal

I WAS ROBOT

273

points too.)
And beyond all th is , if my e f
f o r t s a re su c c e s s fu l, I will reap a n o th e r b e n
efit t h a t will be to live in a P ric eless
Economic System w here we all co o p e ra te in
ste a d of compete fo r o u r needs. I m alre a d y
learning to p ra c tic e cooperation. I allow a n y
one to r e p r i n t and d i s t r i b u t e my n e w s le tte r
fo r free.
I do not c o p y r ig h t it. I g e t many
good fe e lin g s from t h i s f r e e system .
I t s
more fu n to give it th a n to sell it. I should
know, I sold my time fo r 22 y e a rs . Giving is
more fun!
I have d isc o v e re d myself being motivated
often by th e m on k ey -see, m o n k e y -d o p r i n
ciple, e.g., when I m d r in k in g coffee o r b e e r
with someone and th e y have a sip, I seem to
automatically ta k e a sip too.
I have e x p e ri
mented with t h i s and have found t h a t I can
in s tig a te th e s ip p in g too.
I have also noted
t h a t it t a k e s q u ite a bit of c o n c e n tra tio n not
to follow s u ite in t h e s ip p in g .
A d v e rtisin g
and movies u se t h i s monkey p rin cip le.
T h e re
is n e a rly alw ays smoking and d r in k in g in all
t h e movies.
Well, t h e smoking d o e s n t g e t to
me, p e r h a p s b e c a u s e I have not really been
hooked on it. But, t h e d r in k in g almost alw ays
does.
I n e a rly alw ays th in k to myself, I
o u g h t to g e t me a b o ttle o r s to p in f o r a
d r in k ." I seldom g e t t h e d r in k b u t th e y got
to me an yw ay. M onkey-see, m onkey-do. P e r
h a p s i t s p a r t of o u r h e rita g e .
This same p rin c ip le is now a t work helping
u s c h a n g e t h e sy ste m . Many of o u r k id s a r e
accum ulating less, and liking it more.
I ve
w atched them. I ve tr i e d it. I like It. I like
it. If o t h e r s a r e able to re la te to t h i s simpli
fication idea th e y will soon gain more f r e e
time too.
With t h i s f r e e time will come more
o p p o r t u n i t y to ex p lo re c o o p eratio n .
Co
o p e ra tio n may be a v e r y close s te p to t h e
P ric e le s s Economic System .

274

ERNEST MANN

This fre e time th a t I now have, has given

me time to see th a t o u r political-economic
system is all fucked up. It has given me the
time to see a common sense solution. This re
alization about "things being a burden" may
be one of th e f i r s t s te p s in converting to a
really fre e system together. I think th a t we
may do it in steps.
We may;
1. become aware th a t o u r p re s e n t world-wide
Pay System is doing bad th in g s to people
and to o u r environment.
2. d esire a b e tte r system.
3. realize we each have th e rig h t to a place to
live on th is planet and th e r ig h t to eat th e
food th a t grows here.
4. reason th a t we dont have to allow anyone
th e rig h t to control th e land and th e food.
5. discover th a t we a re able to communicate
well enough with one another and reason
ou t th e idea th a t we will each be b e tte r off
if we cooperate instead of compete.
6. then soon get to th e step where we decide
to work for fre e and give th e p ro d u c ts and
serv ic e s away for fre e and maybe we wont.
If we should follow some of th e above s te p s
I think we may enjoy life more.
Please dont feel th a t Im putting you down
if you a re not doing what Im doing, because
I realize th a t I may have been where you are
o r I may yet be doing what youre doing. I
believe th a t each of us is doing th e very best
th a t we a re able to do at th is moment.
You a re growing and looking for b e tte r
ways o r you wouldnt be reading th is book.
We each grow as f a s t as we can.
It aint
easy, baby!
I can see th a t change is already taking
place. The Watergate scandal opened up Pan
d o ra s Box and its all coming out.
People
have lost faith in government. That was one

I WAS ROBOT

275

of th e prim ary s te p s .
People a r e s t a r t i n g to
work to g e th e r cooperatively in little g ro c e ry
s to re s , b a k eries, and many o th e r means of
production .
Many a r e a lre a d y working fo r
f r e e o r j u s t for s u b s is te n c e wages.
T h ere
a re good s ig n s a ll-ro u n d . Take a look.
A u gust 26, 1976

276

ERNEST MANN

WHAT

WILL

When everybody stops taking pay for

their work, and starts giving their
products and services away, free of
charge?

WOULD

YOU?

If you could have an economic system

where there was no reason to have
wars, no reason for industry to pol
lute our environment,
no reason to
steal, no reason to starve, no taxes,
no money worries and everything you
wanted was FREE; would you be willing
to work without pay, to make such a
system possible?
Would your friends?
Would everyone?

August 4, 1986

277

F>U R F O S E
An amazing th in g h a p p en e d to me. I th in k
it s t a r t e d when I decided to help sto p th e
war.
I c o n c e n tra te d my e n e r g y in th is area.
I began to find people, books and u n
d e r g r o u n d p a p e r s with new information.
I
began to d is c o v e r fo r myself t h e t h i n g s t h a t
were h a p p e n in g .
T h e re was a period of
g a th e r in g Information, th in k in g and a r r iv in g
a t conclusions.
The o b s e r v in g c o n tin u e s of
c o u r s e and so does th e le a rn in g .
The Little F ree P r e s s n e w s le tte r beg an a s a
m eans of s h a r i n g t h e s e o b s e r v a tio n s and
Ideas. My p u r p o s e was to help sto p t h e Viet
nam war.
Now my p u r p o s e has evolved to
help develop a b e t t e r sy ste m of living t o
g e t h e r on o u r s p a c e s h ip t h a t we call E a rth ."
This " p u r p o s e " h a s given me much h a p p i
n e ss.
It has helped me fo c u s my th in k in g
and a c tiv ity in o ne a re a.
This c o n c e n tra tio n
of my e n e r g y h as made my e f f o r t s much more
effectiv e.
The p r o c e s s of becoming aw are of
w h a ts really going on and se e in g t h e v e r y
o b v io u s solution Is a v e r y s a tis f y in g and ex
c iting e x p e rie n c e fo r me.
I believe t h a t my
p u r p o s e is a w o rth y one.
I can fin d no
h ig h e r calling a t t h i s po in t In time.
My p u r p o s e Is a se lfish one. Td really like
to live in a sy ste m w h ere e v e r y o n e h as
e n o u g h of e v e r y t h i n g ,
w h ere people a r e

278

ERNEST MANN

happy doing creative work th a t they like and

where individual freedom is respected.
I
thin k th a t it will be much more fun to live.
Cooperating has a tendency to bring people
closer to g e th e r and make it easier to be
friendly. So why wouldnt I work my tail off
to help bring th is about?
Whenever I see children who remind me of
my own kids when they were young, I feel a
stro n g flow of love and sadness. Especially if
th e child looks sad or mistreated. This scene
always stimulates me to g re a te r effo rt towards
bringing about individual freedom, especially
for children.
It is amazing th a t a "purpose in life" can
give one so much en erg y , health and plea
sure.
Im amazed when I think of my own
personal growth and good health th a t has also
happened as a b y -p ro d u c t of my purpose.
I m G reedy
Some people tell me th a t we cant have the
Priceless Economic System because most peo
ple are greedy.
Well, Im as greedy as they
come, I want th e b est I can get for myself.
If th is is t r u e fo r o th e r people too, then they
a re going to want th e PES as much as I do.
All th a t remains to be done then is to show
them how they will be b e tte r off in a price
less economy and how it can be achieved,
then th e r e will be no stopping them until
they have it.
Greed will be working for
humankind instead of ag ain st us.
Some people ask me, "Why dont you stop
using money as long as youre telling us to
stop?"
I g u ess I dont make myself clear
enough.
I have attempted to say th a t we
should se t a date and all stop using money on
th e same day. It would be nearly impossible
to stop using money until everyone sto p s at
th e same time.

I WAS ROBOT

279

I have d isco v ered t h a t by not owning many

th in g s " o r using much money I have become
more free.
The more p o ss e ssio n s I had, th e
more b u rd e n e d I felt. I d id n t "give up" my
p o sse ssio n s to help th e poor c o u n trie s .
I
"got rid" of my b u r d e n s becau se I m selfish
and want more freedom fo r myself.
The less
s t u f f I have, th e less I need,
I d o n t s u p
pose its possible fo r a ny one to u n d e r s t a n d
th is until th e y have tr ie d it.
As I d isc o v e r
th e fa c t th a t I need less, I buy less.
My
s a v in g s will last longer and I can keep my
freedom lo n g er and c o n tin u e doing my th in g .
A nother in te r e s tin g b y - p r o d u c t has come
from my e f f o rts to find o u t how th e world is
ru n , who r u n s it, how th e y do it and to look
for an a lte rn a tiv e .
While p u r s u in g t h e s e e f
f o r t s I ran sm a c k -d a b into myself.
I started
to learn a b o u t me, a b o u t how I m re la tin g to
o th e r s , a b o u t my n e e d s, a b o u t f e a r, life and
d e a th and a b o u t love.
They say you c a n t
find h a p p in e s s by p u r s u i n g it. Maybe t h i s is
t r u e in fin d in g o u t a b o u t o u r s e l v e s too. P e r
h a p s it is a b y - p r o d u c t of being involved in
following a p u r p o s e we have s e t up fo r o u r
selv es.
I m not s u r e , b u t t h a t seem s to be
th e c a se fo r me anyw ay.
I c a n t w rite a b o u t
how o t h e r s a r e feeling , th in k in g o r believing,
so if I m to write, I g u e s s it will sometimes be
a b o u t myself.
If it b o r e s you, you will q u it
re a d in g it, b u t as long a s I e n jo y w ritin g , I
will c o n tin u e.
T h in k in g
When I m th in k in g ab o u t:
Crooked g o v e rn m e n t, pollution by i n d u s t r y ,
sexism, racism, d r in k in g , sm oking, ta x e s, m u r
d e r s , r o b b e r ie s , a u to a c c id e n ts , s p o r t s , r e
p a irin g my machine, movies, TV, p r is o n s , laws,
news, t r a v e lin g , sailin g , b u ild in g a b e t t e r

280

ERNEST MANN

house, getting a second job, my job, space

tra v e l, UFOs, high prices, a new energy
source, s h o rta g e of jobs, revolution, going to
jail, salt on th e s tre e t, ru s ty cars, escaping,
sex, holidays, sickness, fears, love, clothes,
appearances, what th e neighbors think, God,
good, evil, b u re a u c ra ts, socialists, communists,
capitalists, democracy, money, p ro p e rty , se c u
rity, etc.,
- ~ then I ca n t be thinking about, dis
covering o r sh arin g a way we could live to
g e th e r in peace and happiness on th is planet.
Which thinking and action would be th e
most beneficial for us over th e long haul?
J u s t think how f a s t change will come when we
each focus o u r thin kin g and energy on -^hat
which is most beneficial to us.
Ja n u a ry 20, 1975

NOTHING IS ACHIEVED
BY GROUPS!
EVERYTHING IS DONE
BY INDIVIDUALS!

281

G O O D

L I R

------C .

O .

>.

Protests

Seems like o u r p r o t e s t d e m o n stra tio n s have

s e r v e d at least two good p u rp o s e s . They drew
us into th e action and th e y showed u s t h a t
we do not control gov ern m en t.
When we p r o t e s t to o u r M asters we a r e
playing t h e i r game and a sk in g fo r b e t t e r co n
ditions. If we controlled g o v e rn m e n t we would
tell them. To q u ie t u s th e y give u s a few mi
nor c h a n g e s. We g e t off t h e i r b a c k s and th e y
remain in power.
We sto p p laying t h e i r games (with t h e i r
r u le s ) when we se ek an a lte r n a t i v e sy ste m
and begin to Implement it. It is t h e same as
when o u r c a r b e g in s to m alfunction. We d o n t
d e s tr o y it and th e n go looking f o r a new car.
No, we u se it until we find a b e t t e r one.
The money game is a complex and u n n a tu r a l
sy ste m of "them with t h e most, tellin g u s with
less, w hat to do."
Seems simple e n o u g h :
1. F ig u re o u t who ru le s.
2. What kind of sy ste m do th e y u se ?
3. F ig u re o u t an a l t e r n a t i v e s y ste m w h ere no
on e can g e t co n tro l.
4. And c h a n g e - o v e r !
This is w hat I h a v e a tte m p te d to do a t t h e
Little F re e P r e s s . This is w hat t h i s book Is
a b o u t. I believe I h a v e fo u n d a simple and

282

ERNEST MANN

natural fre e system. Seems like an obvious

solution once you get into examining all possi
ble alternativ es. As f a r as I can see th is so
lution has as yet been unnamned, so I j u s t call
it th e "Priceless Economic System.
Chaos?
People have said to me, "The idea of having
e v e ry th in g fre e for everyon e and working for
fre e and controlling o u r own jobs sounds
g re a t by wouldnt th e r e be chaos if we made
th is c h a n g e -o v e r all at once?"
Lets attempt
to th in k th ro u g h th is problem and see what
we come up with.
Lets say th a t we all s t a r t talking to each
o th e r openly about Priceless Economics. Seems
like th is is o u r f i r s t ta sk to get people
discussing th e s e ideas. We d iscu ss back and
fo rth how we a re going to do th in g s a fte r th e
Change Over Date (C.O.D.). We may decide to
keep o u r same jobs for a while to make s u r e
t h a t th e flow of necessities continues to th e
sto re s. As we get th e feel of freedom; of g et
ting e v e ry th in g for free, of working for free
and being o u r own boss. This doesnt mean
t h a t we wont tak e advice if we think its
good. Well have th e r ig h t to choose. Well
s t a r t evaluating o u r jobs. I suppose lots of
people already know th a t th e ir jobs a re to
tally useless and th ey will j u s t quit on C.O.D.
and get into a work th ey like.
We will d isc u ss o u r "after" C.O.D. life and
work so much and so thoroughly th a t we will
have a hard time waiting fo r th a t date. But
getting back to th e h ere and now, 1974, I
dont see how we can s e t a date until j u s t
loads of people s t a r t talking about th e se
Priceless Economic ideas. I guess we will all
know when we a re ready to s e t th e C.O.D. Im
ready now! Are you?
Lets t r y to visualize how we would do o u r

I WAS ROBOT

283

p r e s e n t job w ithout a boss, how we would feel

if e v e r y th in g we wanted was free, how we
would feel without money o r wage worries.
How would we g et along if we d id n t need to
use words like mine and y o u rs so much? If
we s h a re d th e use of more t h i n g s it s u r e
would eliminate a lot of pro d u ctio n w ouldnt
it?
E veryone will need to u n d e r s ta n d how th e y
will be b e t t e r off in th e P ric e less Economic
System before th e y will want to ch an g e.
T h a ts all we have to do j u s t show people
th a t. No need to fo rc e anyone. No battle. No
fig h tin g . No s tr u g g le . No blood sh e d . J u s t
good old American "jaw ing."
All companies a r e o p e ra te d by people like
you and I. The little com panies a r e even man
aged by an o w n er who Isnt s u p e r - r i c h , who
has th e same problem s (and more) a s you and
I.
In t h e big c o rp o r a tio n s all t h e work Is
done by people like us. We all hav e a b o u t t h e
same basic n eed s. Were all in t h e same family
" th e family of hum ans." We a r e p ro d u c in g
all th e p e o p le s n e e d s r i g h t now. We hav e th e
know how. Were doing it. The s u p e r - r i c h a r e
now here to be seen . They p r o d u c e n o th in g .
How could th e y s to p u s from doing t h i n g s t h e
way we se e b e s t and from ta k in g control of
o u r own jo b s ?
Well, you m ight say th e y will h a v e t h e i r
forem en s to p us. No. Foremen a r e us. Then
t h e y ll h a v e t h e i r s u p e r i n t e n d e n t o r c o r p o r a
tion p r e s i d e n t kick u s all o u t th e y could
call t h e g u a r d s . But t h e g u a r d s a r e us. Then
t h e s h e r i f f and police? No, th e y a r e u s too.
Then how a b o u t t h e arm y ? No, th e y a r e u s
too. So you s e e t h e r e is no one to s to p us.
Nobody e x c e p t o u r own se lv e s. We will not a l
low t h e c h a n g e o v e r to h a p p e n until we
can clea rly u n d e r s t a n d how t h e new s y s te m

284

ERNEST MANN

will work and how we will be b e tte r off.

After C.O.D., if you decide th a t your job
Isnt producing anything th a t you consider
necessary for survival o r happiness, you will
probably quit and s t a r t working where you
choose.
However, if you think your work is p ro
ducing something valuable to o u r society you
will s t a r t thinking and talking with your fel
low w orkers about how you can make your
p ro d u c t o r service b ette r, how you can make
your work easier and more pleasurable, how
you can make your environm ent at work more
beautiful and healthful, how you can eliminate
waste, pollution, needless work, conflict, etc.
You will probably help to develop o n - th e job methods to tra in new people who come to
work with you.
Your place of work might tu r n into a so rt
of family of v ery close frie n d s working and
maybe even living to g eth er. Seems like th a t
would be fun. (Im a 47 year old g ra n d fath er,
b u t I still like to have fun. I think we are
n ev er too old to enjoy life.) I can see how
we will welcome g ra n d p a s and grandmas and
even children to work if they wish to help.
Lets ta k e an example. Say, C.O.D. has a r
rived and you a re a worker making cans for
beer and pop. Well, lets say, you have de
cided by now t h a t you think It is a big waste
to have disposable containers, so you quit
y o u r job and p e rh a p s get into making
reusable c o n ta ir e r s th a t people can wash out
and ta k e in fo r ref ill Ing.
Even though most people decided for _themselves th a t disposable cans were a waste of
o u r planets natural reso u rce s and labor, lets
su p p o se th a t a few people still wanted to use
them. If most of th e w orkers had quit, then
th e only way th e y could have cans would be
to work a t producing them. P erhaps then they

I WAS ROBOT

285

would be able to u n d e r s ta n d th e waste b e tte r

when th e y p ro vid ed th e labor.
We a re slowly evolving Into many d if f e r e n t
kinds of living a rra n g e m e n ts . After C.O.D., I
s u s p e c t th is evolution will be a cc ele ra te d .
With e v e r y th in g being f r e e it will be much
e a sie r to experim ent with change.
November 25, 1974

ALL WORK
AND NO PLAY,
MAKE ME
A VERY DULL BOY

286

ERNEST MANN

A 1ST

H O U R

D A Y

Long
long
long
ago,
p e op l e ^
w o r k e d a b o u t an h o u r p e r d a y to
survive.
They
used
their
wits
and muscles.
They were healthy,
h a pp y and friendly.
Today,
peo
ple still
work their
hour,
but
must
do
an
additional
7 hours
p e r d a y to p a y for t h e i r w o n d e r
ful
labor-saving
devices.
They
a re
unhealthy,
unhappy
and
un
friendly. ?

ITasaday Cave People, National Geographic Magazine,

gust, 1972.

Au

287

3 0
M E M O IR S
O R

D R O F > O U T

My ex-wife and I were happily m arried fo r

23 y e a rs.
But it seemed to me t h a t t h e la st
few y e a r s we were grow ing in d if f e r e n t d ir e c
tio n s and a t d if f e r e n t r a t e s of g row th .
We
had t h e option of compromising and giving up
p a r t of o u r d ir e c tio n s and sp ee d of grow th to
fit th e o t h e r s needs.
This seemed to me to
be a r e s t r i c t i n g th in g to do.
I wanted to
grow to be me, not p a rtly be somebody else.
So we lived s e p a r a te ly fo r a coup le of y e a r s
and th e n finally had t h e c o u r a g e to divorce.
We a r e still good f r i e n d s and both can grow
a s we please.
This was a v e r y d iffic u lt th in g f o r u s to
do. And a s I look back on it, I can se e t h a t
I played se v e ra l games to accomplish t h i s
freedom .
I had seen many c o u p le s my p a r
e n t s a g e who s t u c k it o u t fo r almost 50 y e a r s
t o g e t h e r , who s p e n t much of t h e i r time f i g h t
ing.
This f ig h tin g in my opinion made them
p h y sic a lly sick much of t h e time. This d id n t
seem like a wise th in g to do, to me. I s u p
pose it in flu en ced me in my decision to live
my own life.
My hope was t h a t I would find a p e r s o n o r
people whose i n t e r e s t s w ere more sim ilar to

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ERNEST MANN

mine and th a t we might be able to spend some

time to g e th e r before our in te re s ts grew apart.
Because I dont, at th is point, quite see how
two people could possibly grow at th e same
pace Indefinitely. But th e time we do spend
to g e th e r can be beautiful anyway.
(Authors note, 1988, 15 ye ars later:
Did
you e v e r read such bull shit?
Boy! How I
conned myself back in *73. As I look back on
th a t period of my life, I can remember why I
really wanted a divorce. I wanted to go out
and make love to all those o th e r p re tty women
o u t there!
I couldnt cop to th a t then so I
gave myself th a t cock and bull sto ry to make
th e divorce look good. I th in k I was affected
by th e mass media which was always telling
about all th e "affairs" people were supposed
to be having and wife-swapping.
My, but
th a t sounded exciting. I wanted some of th a t
action and I went for it. I never found much
and none was as good as I had had it in our
marriage. My c u r r e n t belief Is th a t you need
to know someone really well before sex gets
especially good.
This may be j u s t another
belief th a t I will outgrow o r it may be a
Truth.
WARNING;
Let th is be a warning to you,
dont accept what I write as tr u t h , its only
what I believe to be tru e , at th is point in
time.
I make plenty of mistakes.
END OF
NOTE.)
Most of o u r p a re n ts grew up programmed
with th e beliefs, hopes and d esires of th e ir
p a r e n ts who were programmed by th e irs. The
p r e s e n t young people are lucky b e c a u se many
of them (in America) have a lot of leisure time
before they s t a r t working.
With th is time,
many of them have looked at my generation
and my p a r e n ts generation and have asked
themselves, do they want to live th a t kind of
life. Mv generation and p a st ones d id n t have

I WAS ROBOT

289

th e time to do th is becau se we had to go to

work and s t a r t s u p p o r tin g a family r ig h t
away. We d id n t have time to th in k , to e v a lu
ate, to decide fo r o u rse lv e s . We did what was
expected of us.
We worried a b o u t what th e
n e ig h b o rs and re la tiv e s th o u g h t.
But some of o u r kids, th o se beautiful peo
ple, a re t r y in g to b reak o u t of o u r old deep
deep r u t s and a re looking fo r b e t t e r ways to
live.
They d o n t have to look f a r to f ig u r e
o u t b e tte r more logical ways to live. Now we
can learn from some of them. At least learn
to th in k for o u r s e lv e s instead of a c c ep tin g all
th e old ways.
J u s t b e ca u se th e y have been
having w ars sin ce "who knows w h e n d o e s n t
mean t h a t th e y a r e a good o r a n e c e ssity .
W atergate Revelation
Now t h a t we can
see th e g o v e rn m e n t
c ro o k e d n e s s being p ro v e d in th e W atergate
c o u r t case we a r e re in fo rc e d .
We t h o u g h t
t h i s was h a p p e n in g all t h e time b u t we
w e re n t q u ite s u r e .
Now we may a sk o u r
s e lv e s t h e next q u e stio n Who n e e d s it?
What good do g o v e rn m e n ts do f o r people a n y
way, t h a t we c o u ld n t do b e t t e r and c h e a p e r
fo r o u rs e lv e s ? "
When I was 19, I decided to g e t a job
w here I could make t h e most money t h e
q u ic k e s t way possible, and th e n r e t i r e a t a
y o u n g e r th a n usual ag e so t h a t I could t r y to
do some good in t h e world. So I d ecid ed to
be a real e s t a t e salesm an. I w ent to b u s in e s s
college and t h e n to work a s a r e a lty salesm an.
L ater I in v e s te d in real e s t a t e and had my
own re a lty b u s in e s s .
I m arried a t 20 and we
had t h r e e kids. In t h e r e g u l a r r u t I was too
b u sy to s e e o r th in k a b o u t a n y th in g e x c e p t
t h e game I was in called "Have a lot of sex
and pay y o u r bills."
Around t h e ag e of 4C, my bills s t a r t e d to

290

ERNEST MANN

get c a u g h t up.
It o ccurred to me th a t I
could re tire even before I had made a million
o r before I reached 65. I wouldnt be able to
buy a new c ar every 3 y e a rs or have cham
pagne ev ery day but I could eat good and
travel for a long time on what equity I al
ready had in p ro p e rty . So I sold it all, even
o u r home and bought an old pick-up tru c k
with a camper. We traveled around th e , U.S.A.
for a year, p u t on 20,CXX) miles and t h a t s
when I realized many th in g s. I began to be
free.
And I wanted more of it. T heres an
old saying, "The more keys you have, th e
more worries you have."
That was t r u e for
me. I had had two cigar boxes full of keys
in th e t r u n k of my car.
I then began to get rid of my personal
possessions. Here I u n b u rd en e d myself even
more. I d id n t have to tak e care of all those
th in g s any more o r worry about someone
stealing them, etc. I dont really want to own
an y th in g anymore. But I do like to use some
th in g s once in a while. So now I re n t them
o r buy them second hand and then sell o r
give them away when Im th ro u g h with them.
Wow! What a relief. I can now c a rry all my
possessions in a small bag on my back.
Sometimes I th in k of all th e hassle th a t I
went th ro u g h to get to where Im at today. I
look at th e young people who a re at th a t
same place already.
Man, a re they lucky!
They took a 20 y e ar s h o r t cut.
I hate to
thin k of all th e d ru d g e ry , worry, s t r e s s and
sh it I took to get all those th in g s and all th e
work it took to get rid of them! I actually
need v e ry little money to live. I can now see
t h a t I could have s ta r te d way back th e r e to
really live my own life instead of going
th ro u g h th a t 22 y ear w ork-money-possessions
hassle.
I have v ery little need of money so I may

I WAS ROBOT

291

be able to remain " r e tir e d " on my m e rg e r in

v e stm e n ts until my Social S e c u rity pension
starts.
I have time to th in k a b o u t a n y th in g
and e v e r y th in g .
I have time to reason.
To
f ig u r e o u t how good t h in g s could really be on
th is p lan et for all people if we j u s t used o u r
head s more and s p e n t less time in bed.
As
long as we j u s t work h a rd , buy a lot of s t u f f
and let th e o t h e r guy do th e th in k in g
t h e y re going to keep u s in o u r r u ts .
The
t r u t h of it all is t h e r e fo r e v e ry o n e to see
when th e y ta k e t h e time to look.
It is and has been a lot of fun; le a rn in g
a b o u t myself,
a b o u t o t h e r s and
fin d in g
c h e a p e r ways to live.
I g u e s s my definition
of th e word " n e c e s s a r y " has been co n tin ually
c h a n g in g . The p r o c e s s of t r y i n g to do t h i n g s
on my own has s t r e n g t h e n e d me g re a tly .
Given me t h e c o u r a g e to t r y even more s c a r y
th in g s .
T h in g s t h a t a couple of y e a r s ago
were j u s t day d re am s o r "I d o n t d a r e s ."
Now th e y a r e j u s t s te p p in g stone.
Sometimes
th e y a r e grow ing p a in s and sometimes g ro w
ing jo y s and sometimes th e y j u s t seem n a t u
ral.
I have been w riting my t h o u g h t s in t h e
Little F ree P r e s s n e w s le tte r now f o r a b o u t 4
y e a r s and I g u e s s
can now c o n d e n s e what
I ve been sa y in g into one p a r a g r a p h .
And
t h a t is:
"We could h av e a really beautiful world fo r
people and o t h e r living t h i n g s if we would
q u it u sin g money, b a r t e r and p r o p e r t y o w n e r
sh ip . If we would work a t o u r jo b s f o r f r e e
and t h e r e f o r e make all t h e p r o d u c t s and s e r
v ice s f r e e f o r e v e ry o n e , we would contro l o u r
own jo b s and keep people informed of all t h e
ways t h a t a n y o n e could make s la v e s o u t of
us. G o v ern m en ts would th e n be u n n e c e s s a r y .
Wars and pollution would s to p when t h e r e was
no p r o fit motive. And p ro b a b ly ev en s i c k n e s s

292

ERNEST MANN

would almost disappear when people were

happy (Ill bet th a t on th e day we change
o v er to th e PES, at least 50% of th e patients
in hospitals will get up, d r e s s and leave).
Working to g e th e r would also be more fun than
competing,"
The Priceless Economic System seemed so
clear to me and seemed so simple th a t I
th o u g h t s u r e people would pick it up and
s t a r t some s o r t of "crash program" to teach
th e s e ideas to everyone (including th e police
men and soldiers) so th a t when everyone
could see th a t th is would make for a happier
world they would all j u s t c h a n g e-o v e r to
gether, without a revolution. It seemed to me
th a t if we really worked hard on it we could
do it within a year.
I dont know what you can do to help. Im
doing all th a t I can do a t th is moment.
December 11, 1973

"THE ONLY THING

THAT IS CONSTANT
IN THE WORLD
IS CHANGE.
Albert Hubbard

293

31
G O O D

H E A L T H

I S

E A S Y

Mind Program m ing

Since I d r o p p e d - o u t of t h e r a t ra c e f o u r
y e a r s ago I have had more time to o b s e r v e ,
th in k and experim ent. I have d isc o v e re d some
in te r e s tin g and even exciting t h i n g s a b o u t
myself and t h e world a ro u n d me.
The inventio n of t h e c o m p u te r h as made It
e a s ie r fo r me to u n d e r s t a n d th e w o rk in g s of
my mind. I can now se e somewhat of a parallel
between my body and an autom atic machine
c o ntrolled by a co m puter. A machine t h a t can
be ru n on autom atic o r on manual. I can now
see how "The System " had condition ed me to
re sp o n d to t h e i r stimuli autom atically.
Mind L ib ra ry
I u n d e r s t a n d t h a t s o u n d s , s ig h t s , fe e lin g s
and t h o u g h t s a r e re c o rd e d and s to r e d In o u r
Immense c a p a c ity mind like filing t h i n g s
away in a h u g e m u ltl-s to rle d lib r a r y o r t h e
program m ing of a co m p u ter. O ur c o m p u te r quick s u b c o n s c io u s mind Is able to s o r t
t h r o u g h t h i s lib r a r y anytim e and ail t h e time.
O ur c o n sc io u s mind seem s to h a v e a v e r y lim
ited a c c e s s to t h i s lib r a r y .
Both p o sitiv e an d n e g a tiv e t h o u g h t s a r e
s to r e d in t h i s lib r a r y . If we accu m u late mostly
n e g a tiv e , th e n we will be n e g a tiv e people most

294

ERNEST MANN

of th e time. What I mean by positive Is, "for

th e good life th a t I want for myself and by
negative, is against th e good life for myself."
You wouldnt believe how much baloney I have
fed Into my mind library th a t Is really against
"the good life for me" or negative. I have
j u s t s ta rte d to see th is and I am now learn
ing how to stop feeding th is negativity into
my mind.
I have discovered th e fact th a t my mind
can only thin k one th o u g h t line at a time. So
when I discover a negative th o u g h t coming in
I say to myself "Thats negative, I dont want
that! What is positive about th is th a t I do
want?" Then I t r y to th in k about th e posi
tive and tr y to get something good "for life"
from th e th o u g h t o r experience.
A computer is n eith e r positive nor negative
until it is programmed. I believe th e same is
t r u e about us, when we are born. But from
b irth on we a re programmed constantly with
both + and
Now th a t I have cau ght-on to
th is phenomenon I am try in g to re je c t th e
negative and admit only th e positive.
This d oesnt mean th a t I refu se to see th e
bad th in g s th a t a re going down. No. Ill see
th a t, too. But I dwell on positive ideas th a t
may help to solve th e negative problem. I tr y
to see how th in g s could be in a positive
sense, and t r y to fig u re o u t how to get there.
Negative programming examples:
I m no
good. I ca n t do anything right. What will
people th in k ? Im all thumbs. Im a born loser.
You give me a headache. Im going to make a
mistake. I need you. I cant live without you.
He Is my hero, I want to be like him. E very
one is watching me. The FBI a re o u t to get
us. Got to buy g u n s for th e Revolution. My
phone is taped. My mail is censored.
Positive programming examples:
Im a
beautiful person. Im learning. I m getting

I WAS ROBOT

295

b e tte r. I m j u s t r ig h t for me at t h i s p r e s e n t
moment. I ac c e p t myself fo r what I am now.
I m ch a n g in g as e v e r y th in g is c h an g in g . I m
c h a n g in g for th e b e t t e r b ecause t h a t s what I
want for myself. I m exploring new ways and
new ideas. I m learning. I ac c e p t ideas and
t h in g s th a t work b e s t fo r me. I m glad I m me
and I m evolving to be me, not to be like
someone else. If Tm being spied upon, I hope
th e sp ie s a r e capable of seeing w here th e i r
long term b e s t i n t e r e s t s lie.
Our commercialized com petitive e n v iro n m e n t
is c o n s ta n tly bom barding u s with f e a rs . T hese
I m becoming more aw are of. I m more choosy
a b o u t how I allow t h i s program m ing to e n t e r
my su b c o n scio u s. I t r y to see it fo r what it
is, mostly p r o p a g a n d a to sell som ething; p r o d
u c ts, politics o r some s la v e - m a s te r re la tio n
ship .
Tension

I m not q u ite s u r e y e t b u t I th in k t h a t
t h e s e n e g a tiv e t h o u g h t s give te n sio n in d if
f e r e n t p a r t s of o u r body.
Try making y o u r arm real te n s e , like y o u re
show ing off y o u r muscle. Hold it t e n s e fo r a
little while and s e e how weak it g e ts ev en
way up to y o u r s h o u ld e r, neck and y o u r
head. Do you s e e how t h i s te n sio n may slow
down t h e blood s u p p ly and th e n e r v e e n e r g y
flow to y o u r arm and even to y o u r hand and
f i n g e r s ? I believe t h a t In t h i s weakened
condition it will s t a r t to d e te r i o r a t e and even
come down with some d is e a s e o r ailment. But
did you notice, when you let go of t h e a n sion, t h e tin g lin g of t h a blood flowing back
into y o u r arm to feed th o s e s t a r v i n g cells?
I t h in k t h a t o u r body is program m ed by
millions of y e a r s of evolution to heal itself, if
we j u s t allow it. T hat is, when I d is c o v e r an
a r e a o f my body to be te n s e , I j u s t relax it.

296

Then th e
begins.

ERNEST MANN

blood flows back and th e

healing

Relax
Sometimes I discover a tension, a fte r it has
been th e r e long enough to cause a pain. In
th is light, pain is a good thing because it
a le rts me to th e faqt th a t I am te n se some
place and am s h u ttin g off my blood supply to
th e painful area. My next step is to ten se up
real hard th e muscles in th a t area of pain
and th en let them go relax. I repeat this
e x tra tension and relaxing routine a few times
to get th e feel of th e area being relaxed.
I t r y to fig u re out whats going on In my
thinking th a t is making me so tense. I think
its usually some problem th a t I must solve
th a t was causing th e tension. When I face th e
problem and do something, one way or th e
o th e r about it, th en th e tension can go away.
Or p e rh a p s It is a negative th o u g h t Im holding (I*m experimenting in th is area yet).
I notice sometimes I get te n se in my facial
muscles when I m a little u p -tig h t talking with
someone. If th is continues very long, before I
notice It, I get a tooth ache o r an e ar ache in
th is area. Well, th is pain is my signal. I re
alize whats wrong and I immediately relax
th e se facial muscles and th e ache goes away.
Sometimes soon, and sometimes it ta k e s s e v
eral hours to heal, depending on how long I
have kept it tense.
I have a good deal to learn yet about th e
th o u g h ts th a t cause th e tension. But I th o r
oughly believe th a t almost all illness is caused
by te n s e n e s s th a t we a re holding somewhere.
And th a t once we learn to relax th a t te n s e
ness, o u r body will heal itself.
I also believe th a t any hate, a n g e r or r e
venge th a t we hold in o u r minds will cause
tensions some place and make us sick and

I WAS ROBOT

297

p e r h a p s even c a u se can cer. Somehow we m ust

t u r n th e s e n eg ativ e t h o u g h ts into positive
ones if we a re to g et well. (Some call t h i s
'forgiving.*')
(A u th o rs in s e rt, 12/22/87:
Sweet Revenge?
Anger, h a tre d , fe a r and r e v e n g e a r e th i n g s
I have ex perien ced . On some u n co n sc io u s
level, I felt f e a r of g o v e rn m en t when I used
to watch th e old box. I seen th e s p y s to r ie s
and with all t h e i r s u rv e illa n c e g a d g e ts and
weapons, and how th e y always c a u g h t t h e i r
wo/man. P e r h a p s t h a t was p a r t of t h e reason
I was s c a r r e d at f i r s t to say a n y th in g a g a in s t
g o v e rn m e n t fo r th e v e ry bad t h i n g s th e y
were doing.
T hat f e a r e v e n tu a lly t u r n e d into a n g e r and
th e n into hate. I made a tte m p ts to g e t my r e
v e n g e on g o v e rn m e n t by not o b e y in g some of
its laws and not e a r n in g e n o u g h to pay It
taxes.
As I learn ed who con trolled g o v e rn m en t, my
a n g e r, h a tre d and r e v e n g e t u r n e d to t h e
Elite. I tr ie d not to s p e n d much money in
t h e i r c o r p o r a tio n s o r sell them any of my la
bor.
E ventually my th in k in g evolved to w here
I m a t now. Now I believe t h a t it is t h e Game
t h a t we a r e all p lay ing t h a t m akes good peo
ple do bad t h i n g s a s th e y a tte m p t to win a t
t h i s game. I now d o n t th in k t h a t g o v e rn m e n ts
a r e bad, I j u s t th in k t h a t th e y will be e n
t i r e t y u n n e c e s s a r y and illogical when we play
a Game w here e v e r y o n e can be a w inner. I no
lo n g e r th in k t h a t t h e Elite a r e bad. They a r e
j u s t b e t t e r a t p la y in g t h e P ro fit Game th a n
t h e r e s t of u s and t h a t If we were a s good a t
it a s th e y a re , we would p r o b a b ly be s ittin g
a t t h e head ta b le with them r i g h t now.

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ERNEST MANN

When my belief system s were focused on

revenge, I sp e n t most of my sp a re thinking
time in th is negative area attempting to te a r
down th e se Institutions. This left little or no
thinking time to be dreaming about how good
th in g s could be for us all if we had a sensi
ble Game going. It left little time to be
dreaming up a b e tte r Game.
Revenge is a very sickening game.* It sick
e n s both parties. One party th in k s of ways to
"get even" and ta k e s action. Then the o th e r
p a rty must find a way to punish (get even)
with th e other, etc. I t s th e same as th e old
"family feuds," e.g., th e Hatfields and th e Mc
Coys which lasted for generations. It has u n
doubtedly led many people to cancer, insanity
and even m urder.
Some c h u rc h e s recommend "forgiving" these
people who have wronged us. And th is works.
It is not logical b u t it works! It is like letting
go of a trem endous burden. Like taking off a
70 pound back pack. Such a relief to no
longer be driven to get revenge.
A more logical way to dump th is revenge
b urd en is to become aware of "why" a person,
governm ent o r corporation is doing th e se bad
th in g s. Did they act originally in a moment of
extreme agitation o r even hysterical anger or
fe a r to do th e thing th a t got th e whole re
venge tr ip s ta r te d ? Did I do or say some
th in g s th a t trig g e r e d some sore sp o ts in them
th a t fired th e e v en t into a blaze? Do o th e rs
loose th e ir cool and go momentarily hysterical
sometimes j u s t like we do?
Once one u n d e r s ta n d s th e "real" reasons
behind those actions, one no longer has a
need to hate th e person o r p erso n s responsi
ble. To p u t ones self in th e ir place and ask if
we might have done th e same, had we been in
th e ir shoes helps one u n d e rstan d . Then
one can focus ones en erg y on creating a Game

I WAS ROBOT

299

where th e s e bad t h i n g s a re not Profitable.

Both of th e s e m ethods have worked fo r me
to shed h uge b u r d e n s . After th a t, I had th e
fre e th in k in g time to do positive th in k in g and
th e n I desig n ed th e P rice le ss Economic System
idea. Since th e n I have attem pted to use my
time in a positive way to s h a r e t h e s e ideas.
U n b u rd e n in g myself of fe a r, a n g e r, hate
and a need fo r r e v e n g e has fre e d my biocom
p u t e r of most of its g a rb a g e . Now I have
sp ac e in it to work on t h i n g s which a r e mak
ing my life much h a p p ie r and more s a tis f y in g .
I seem to only th in k on one t h o u g h t line a t a
time, so now Tm t r y i n g to u se my " th o u g h t
time" fo r p ositiv e t h o u g h t s which build a
b e t t e r tomorrow and a b e t t e r NOW fo r me. I
find t h e s e p o sitiv e t h o u g h t s make my body
and mind feel much h a p p ie r and h e a lth ie r
th a n when I dwelled on th e old g a r b a g e .
End of in s e r t.)
TASTE YOUR FOOD AND ENJOY IT!
A fter its swallowed, its too late.
C ounter-act N egativity

In o r d e r to c o u n t e r - a c t all t h e n e g a tiv ity

t h a t o u r mind h a s been program m ed with I
th in k t h a t we merely hav e to h a n d le t h e n e g
a tiv e t h o u g h t s a s th e y s u r f a c e to o u r c o n
sc io u s level. Then to re p r o g ra m o u r mind with
a p o sitiv e t h o u g h t a b o u t t h e same idea.
I t seem s like t h e r e a r e a t le a st two levels
to o u r mind, t h e c o n sc io u s one, t h a t we a r e
a w a re of and can control and t h e s u b c o n
sc io u s one, t h a t seem s kind of hazy, one t h a t
we a r e not q u ite a w are of. Most of o u r body
f u n c tio n s a r e
run
by t h e autom atic o r
s u b c o n s c io u s mind level. Most of o u r a c tio n s
seem to be g o v e r n e d by t h e program m ing t h a t
we a b s o r b e d in t h e p a s t. If we w ant to

300

ERNEST MANN

change o ur f u tu r e actions it seems likely well

have to change some of o u r prograimmlng.
Hunches
I m beginning to believe th a t what we call a
hunch is really o u r subconscious mind com
municating with o u r conscious mind. Perhaps
o u r subconscious mind is so com puter-quick it
is able to s o r t over o u r v ast mental library of
information and p re s e n t th e best solution
available to o u r problems. It may p re se n t this
solution in th e form of a hunch. We dont
consciously know why we should do a certain
thing or go a certain route, but it j u s t feels
rig h t and it proves rewarding.
Im try in g to flow more now. To be more
flexible. Im s ta r tin g to get hunches now. I
usually follow them and it t u r n s ou t good. I
used to have long range plans th a t wouldnt
allow one to follow a hunch. I can see now
th a t it was v ery limiting. Hunches usually
seem very illogical but I guess th a t is be
cause we dont see or remember ail th e facts
th a t are p re sen t.
Telepathy

They say o u r minds a re more complex than

a computer, radio o r TV. Then p e rh a p s its
possible th a t we may be able to send mental
radio messages or mental TV images to o th e r
people who a re tu ned in to o u r channel. P er
haps we can even s o rt th ro u g h someone elses
mental library fo r ideas if th a t o th e r person
is open to It.
Im not certain yet b u t Ive had some ex
periences with hunches th a t seem to point to
this. Like a friend subconsciously gets my
message th a t I need something. So he doesnt
know why b u t he b re a k s his p a tte rn and
s ta y s home one S aturday. That is th e day I
call him for a favor. Hes usually at th e lake

I WAS ROBOT

301

b u t he d id n t go th is time. This looks to me,

like, if two people a re open telep athically to
one a n o th e r, th e y may sometimes communicate
subconsciously. Maybe someday we will learn
how to do it on a conscious level. Wow! No
more phone bills!
F a n ta sie s
I have j u s t re c en tly made th e fa s c in a tin g
d isco v e ry t h a t a lot of my time is (or was)
ta k e n up by reliving c e rta in p a s t o r possible
f u t u r e e v e n ts. I would g et into t h e s e f a n
ta s ie s so deep t h a t I would d isc o v e r myself
all te n s e d up. Now when I find myself in one
of t h e s e f a n ta s ie s I examine it and see if th is
is a p r o d u c tiv e place to fo cu s my a tte n tio n , if
not, I begin th in k in g a b o u t som ething eise.
Thinking

Seems like th in k in g is done with words.

Like ta lk in g to oneself. I m ust ex p erim en t
more in t h i s area. What do you know a b o u t
th in k in g ? I s u r e h av e a lot to learn yet. But,
Baby! I t s fu n le a r n n.
Destiny

I am th e one who c o n tr o ls my p r e s e n t and

f u t u r e , b e c a u se I m b e g in n in g to control t h e
program m ing of my mind. My mind is me. I t is
t h e th in k in g o r co n scio u s p a r t of me. My life
is not in t h e h a n d s of some o u ts id e o r h ig h e r
power o r d e s tin y .
E v e r y th in g t h a t I th in k and do is c r e a ti n g
my p r e s e n t and f u t u r e fo r me!
I am t h e o ne _who ultim ately h a s " s e t up"
( e ith e r co n scio u sly o r s u b c o n s c io u s ly ) all t h e
good and all t h e bad, t h a t I h a v e e x p e rie n c e d
in life! I am ta k in g complete control of my life
b e c a u se I choose to do so. I ch oose to be me,
not a r u b b e r stam p copy of someone e lse o r
t h e i r e x p e c ta tio n s of me. You can h av e a Mas-

302

ERNEST MANN

t e r if you wish one but I choose to be my

own Master.
October 29, 1973

MY MIND
IS
MY MOST
IMPORTANT
POSSESSION!

303

CHANGING . G A M ES

Of c o u rs e th e P ric e le ss Economic System is

th e be^t Game y et p r e s e n te d , b u t how do we
implement it?
By Example!
Those of u s who believe in it a r e doing it!
Here is how:
In d iv id u a lly
a. We avoid in ta k e of th e m ass media b e
c a u se we know it is d e sig n e d to p r e s e r v e th e
p r e s e n t Profit-W age System. It is like ta k in g
off o u r mind c o n d itio n e r helmet o r sla v e col
lar. By avoiding it we not only miss t h e s u b
tle mind co n ditioning to be fe a rfu l and to d e
s i r e more t h i n g s b u t we also e s c a p e t h e even
more im p ercep tib le p e rs u a s io n to "conform."
This s a v e s u s much money and time and
leaves u s with c le a r e r , more c r e a ti v e and
c o u r a g e o u s minds.
b. This "time" t h a t we s a v e is o u r Life. We
learn not to "kill" t h i s e x t r a time, b u t to f i g
u r e o u t w ays to u se it to make o u r lives h a p
p ie r and more w orth living.
c. We t r y to s ta y away from e n te r ta in m e n t
t h a t we m ust pay f o r and le a rn new w ays to
e n t e r t a i n o u r s e lv e s .
d. We g e t rid of o u r s u r p l u s " th in g s " (by
selling o r g iv in g ) and d is c o v e r t h e y w ere
b u r d e n s . Some of u s a r e th e n able to live in

304

ERNEST MANN

a smaller space, th u s reducing not only our

r e n t o r mortgage payments but also our
housekeeping and upkeep. We gain more free
time too, not having alt th a t s tu ff to take
care of and worry about.
e. We get rid of all our d eb ts In one way
or another. For some debts, we work and pay
them up. Some of us ignore d e b ts th a t we
now feel are exploiting, like some bills from
big corporations, government, colleges, hospi
tals, i.e., anyone who charged ridiculous
amounts for th e ir time th a t they sold us. Once
we realize how we got-took" by th e se Robber
Barons (who have th e ir monopolies and pricefixing agreem ents) we dont feel guilty about
not paying them. Beating th e se ro b b e rs may
not be possible if you keep a job they can
g arnish o r a s s e ts they can find.
f. We c u t way back on o u r expenses, th u s
stre tc h in g o u t o u r money for a longer period
of Freedom or redu ce th e amount of time we
need to work for money each year. Again
gaining more free time.
g. We who were "workaholics," find plenty
to do in helping to promote th is priceless new
system and building o u r own log cabin or
o th e r survival system of one s o rt o r another
and learning how to play. We are not needed
in s tr a ig h t production as it really only takes
about 10% of th e population today to produce
all th e "necessities."
h. We reevaluate o u r old belief system s and
discover which were designed for controlling
us and causing us to conform to some set of
rules which allowed a few (or one) to control
everyone. The people a t th e top of th e se hi
e ra rc h y pyram ids a re usually very wealthy.
This can be seen in th e buildings they build,
th e c a rs they drive, th e p ro p e rty they own
and th e prices they charge. They enjoy th e
Power too, so you can see why th ey e ncour

I WAS ROBOT

305

age us to believe in and follow c e rta in belief

system s.
Rules se t down by o t h e r s ta k e away o u r
individual freedom to d isc o v er for o u r self
what is best for us (th is may be t r u e for
ch ild ren as well). As we ign ore th e e s t a b lis h
ed ru le s (laws, customs, morals & tr a d itio n s )
we even tu ally d isc o v e r th e only Rule we need
and th a t is called th e Golden Rule. It was
used long before religion was in v e n te d , it is
j u s t common sen se. We get along much b e t t e r
by using it, th a n not. All th e r e s t of th e
ru les a re r e d u n d a n t, except for th o se who
wish to Rule.
Individual freedom is som ething we each
j u s t TAKE. T here is no one to really sto p us.
J u s t o u r fe a rs :
"What will people th in k ? Can
I really make it? What will m other sa y ? I ll
loose all my se n io rity . I ll be pun ish ed ! I ll
g e t r e in c a rn a te d as a worm. The Devil will get
me. I ll s ta r v e . I ll be lonely. I c a n t g et along
without th is job. I ll not find a n o th e r as
good."
FEAR g u a r d s th e door of o u r p riso n (o u r
s la v e r y ). As we face o u r f e a r s th e y v an ish
and we a r e FREE to p r o g r e s s .
We ta k e o u r freedom one s te p a t a time. We
like to be able to see t h a t t h e r e will be a
sa fe place to p u t o u r foot b e fo re we ta k e
each new ste p . It t a k e s lots of f r e e time to do
all t h e th in k in g and r e s e a r c h t h a t is needed
to gain each s te p to w ard o n e s INDIVIDUAL
FREEDOM.
Should o u r lives be d ev o ted to merely
keep in g o u r bodies and m inds fit to go to th e
s a lt mine each day and give o u r 8 h o u rs ?
Has th e life of t h e sla v e really c h a n g e d ?
The M aster still g e ts o u r labor and now s / h e
" s e lls u s t h e d iv e r s io n s to fill o u r minds,
when we a r e not a t work in h i s / h e r s a lt mine,
e.g., ball games and movies to watch and

306

ERNEST MANN

shiny to y s to play with.

As individuals take th e ir freedom, o th e rs
learn from th e ir example and th e process ac
celerates by geometric progression. Eventually
we may have a Free World of Free Individuals
if we persist.
As we take th e ste p s to Individual Freedom,
th ose who follow us gain confidence fa ste r
because of o u r example and consequently
learn s h o r tc u ts and th e route gets stiorter
and easier. J u s t think of some of those who
went th e route ahead of us. Some had it much
h a rd e r than we do. Some of us may be almost
there!
With Friends
We can cooperate as much as possible with
o u t using money, credit, b a r te r or ac
countability and well each be b e tte r off and
more in dep en d en t of th e money and ProfitWage System, for example:
a. We can make known o ur skills th a t we
a re willing to give, at o u r convenience, to
o th e r s within o u r circle of friends.
b. We can make available, with a fre e box o r
garag e space, o u r s u r p lu s "things" o r p ro d
u c ts we a re willing to give to anyone in our
circle.
c. We can make available a list of tools,
appliances, machines, etc. th a t we a re willing
to loan to people in o u r circle.
Some of us who have saved up a little
money a re giving o u r p ro d u cts free of ch arge
to anyone who wants them rig h t now. We have
discovered much more freedom and joy in our
fre e production because now we a re in control
of th e how, if, when, where, why, what and
who of o u r work.
When we sold our work we had to please
th e boss o r o u r customers. Now we please
ourselves. If t h e r e is no demand, we can con

I WAS ROBOT

307

tin u e to p ro d u c e anyway. We may j u s t be a

little ahead of o u r time. R egardless, we a re in
control of o u r p ro d u ctio n and can co n tin u e
on, o r we can make c h a n g es, as we see fit.
For some of us, o u r p ro d u c t," is o u r
promotion of th e P riceless Economic System,
i.e., food for th o u g h t. We believe t h a t th e
so o n e r more people learn a b o u t th e PES and
s t a r t a rg u in g a b o u t it, th e so o n e r th e y will
want to implement it world-wide.
Even th o u g h not many a r e living th e sim
plistic lives t h a t some of u s have chosen; a f
t e r e v e ry o n e u n d e r s t a n d s PES, we can ta k e a
vote and all s w itc h - o v e r on th e same day on
a world-w ide scale.
T h ere is little d o u b t t h a t e v e ry o n e would
be happy to work w ithout pay if th e y could
have e v e r y th in g th e y wanted f r e e of c h a r g e
and only need to work a b o u t 1/3, o r less, of
th e h o u rs t h a t th e y do today to c r e a te a b u n
dance. Especially when th e y could g e t f r e e
o n - t h e - j o b tr a in in g a t a work th e y would like
to do. Especially; when th e y realized t h a t
t h e r e would be no more wars, pollution,
s ta r v a tio n , ste a lin g , ta x e s and no more money
w orries.
The s w itc h - o v e r would not be complicated.
We merely a g r e e to stop ta k in g pay on a c e r
tain day and th e n begin giving all p r o d u c t s
and s e r v i c e s f r e e of c h a r g e .
We would keep o u r p r e s e n t jo b s, so t h a t
t h e flow of useful goods and s e r v i c e s would
c o n tin u e a s u sual, e x c e p t fo r people who
could se e t h a t t h e i r jo b s really w ere not n e c
essary.
Obsolete Jobs

For example:
Most g o v e rn m e n t em ployees
and all politicians, c h e c k - o u t c l e r k s and sa le s
p e r s o n s , a d v e r t i s i n g people, bank and i n s u r
an c e em ployees, c r e d i t d e p a r tm e n ts and bill

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ERNEST MANN

collectors, armed forces personnel, 94% of the

p riso n e rs (they are in for stealing) 94% of jail
and prison personnel, security guards, most
of th e lawyers and judges, most of the book
keepers, accountants and secretaries, S4% of
th e police p erso n s and all meter maids, work
e r s in defense factories and oth er "junk"
production.
These 38 million (or more) people could
then get fre e training in work t h e y would
like, th a t they could see was useful. They
might be able to use th e ir same skills or have
fun learning a new skill righ t o n -th e-jo b .
With th is huge influx of new help, more
sh ifts would be created, th u s cutting down
th e working hours for everyone.
The e n g in eers and d e sig n e rs from p re v i
ously competing companies could then get to
g eth e r and design a su p e rio r produ ct which
would last 10 times longer and be more tr o u
ble free, easy to repair and maintain, more
economical to operate, more beautiful, more
useful, easier to run and be without th eir
p re s e n t built-in obsolescence and d eterio ra
tion factors.
Once th e market is sa tu ra te d with these
new long-lasting products, o u tp u t would be
reduced to almost nil. Only a small plant
would then be needed for each Industry to
keep up with th e demand. The excess plant
could then be dismantled and recycled and
th e s u r p lu s crew could get retraining in some
o th e r production or service. Then working
ho urs would be reduced again by th ese addi
tional workers.
Because no one will fig h t against having
complete automation and robots for th e bor
ing, dan g ero u s and j u s t plain shit jobs, this
will f u r t h e r reduce o u r human work load.
You can see how th is will eventually lead to
very few hours of work per week for e v

I WAS ROBOT

309

eryon e, and we may j u s t each work fo r one

month and vacation fo r eleven o r w h a te v er it
works o u t to be.
We will all have more time for f r e e tr a v e l,
f re e learning, time fo r c ra fts , a r t, etc., and
time to enjoy each o th e r.
More people may choose to help o u t in
sp a ce tra v e l and satellite colony re s e a rc h .
There will no d o u b t be unlimited v o lu n te e r s in
th is work. With no b u d g e t w orries th e Space
Program should s u p e r - a c c e le r a te . T h ere will
be exciting times ahead!
I n v e n to r s will no long er have to hide t h e i r
ideas, b u t will be able to work to g e th e r . This
gained s y n e r g y will prod p r o g r e s s even more.
T here will no lo nger be a reason fo r th e Oil
I n d u s t r y to hide p a t e n t s on c h e a p e r and sim
p le r e n e r g y s o u rc e s. This alone should ex
plode p r o g r e s s into many new d ire c tio n s.
Besides all th a t, th in k how nice it will be,
w ithout commercials on TV and no a d v e r
tise m e n ts in th e p a p e r and m agazines and not
have to pay fo r cable o r sa te llite TV, and
have some c r e a tiv e h a p p y and e n jo y a b le p r o
gram s fo r a c h a n g e . And have all video ta p e s
f r e e along with f r e e beer, etc. Besides not
having to balance y o u r check b o o k o r pay
ta x e s any more. And
BEST
of all NO
MORE MONEY WORRIES o r a r g u m e n ts a b o u t
money!
Remember too, a s v o lu n te e r s we will be
t r e a t e d really well a t work, b e c a u s e we can
q u it a t any time and still g e t e v e r y t h i n g f r e e
of c h a r g e . I t will be to t h e o t h e r w o r k e r s a d
v a n ta g e to keep u s h a p p y , b e c a u se t h e more
people th e y h av e t h e fe w e r h o u r s t h e y need
to work to keep ahead of t h e dem and.
You may w ond er why I h av e s p e n t t h e la st
18 y e a r s of my life and most of my money d e
veloping and prom oting PES. I t s b e c a u s e Td
like v e r y much to live in a world like th a t.

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ERNEST MANN

And, I*d like to leave th a t Free World as an

inheritance for my kids and grand kids
wouldnt you?
I can see it happening too, maybe even
within a year, if all th e good people s t a r t
helping who a re now b urning up th e ir extra
time and energy fighting each of th e tentacles
of th e b lu n d e rp u s named Profitwagegame."
Its tentacles reach out in every direction to
cause us trouble. One arm s tr e tc h e s out and
s t i r s up wars, another one dumps pollution all
over o u r planet and then t h e r e s th e tentacle
which steals food from millions of people.
Profitwagegame even reaches out and prods
people to steal. It has a tentacle in in d u stry
which causes unemployment, inflation and de
pressions. It has several tentacles attached to
Its p u p p e t called government.
When o u r good freedom f ig h te r s and all th e
o th e r p r o te s te r s finally realize th a t when they
attack and c u t off p a rt of one of th e bl u n
d e r p u s s tentacles, it grows back almost as
soon as they get home and grows a few more
besides. It feeds on th e ir energy. The more
they fig h t it, th e more people it hires to pro
te c t itself. J u s t look what it is costing us
j u s t to feed its p u p p et government* each
year! And look how fa s t it is growing!
A b lu n d e rp u s is th e easiest c r i t t e r in the
world to kill. We j u s t stop feeding it. It loves
attention. Ignore it and it will soon die for
lack of en erg y.
I t is such a waste to fight it and feed it so
much of o u r en ergy . Energy th a t we could be
using to build a new society. One for peo
ple, instead of for Profitwagegame.
There is no enemy only Ignorance of
a b e tte r Game to play.
We e ith e r get th is show on th e road or the
old b lu n d e rp u s will soon drop a lu lu of a
depression into o u r laps and then a few y e ars

I WAS ROBOT

311

later WW III to g e t us o u t of it.

Lets c r e a te us a Game t h a t we can all win
at, before it is too late.
July 27, 1987

S E V E N

1.

W O N D E R S

OE

THE

WORLD

People

d o n t

own

things

own

things

people.

2.

A
few
billionaires
all g o v e r n m e n t s .

3.

Five b i l l i o n
mit this .

4.

Scarcity

wage

is

control

slaves

per

created

for

destroyed

for

PROFIT.
5.

Environment

is

PROFIT.
6.

Wars

and

started
7.

There

for

would

destruction,

revolutions
PROFIT.
be no

PROFIT

if p e o p l e

without

pay

free

charge.

of

are

and gave

in

worked

products

312

ERNEST MANN

Little Free Press newsletter

If you would like to receive a
current copy of my free newsletter,
send a stamp t o :
Ernest Mann
Little Free Press
Route 1, Box 102
Cushing, MN 56443 USA

INDEX

Acorn, 94
Act o r React, 253
Advantage, 48, 131,
168, 176, 261, 309
Agent p ro v o c a te u r,
13, 20, 32, 55, 65
Agitator, 157
Agony, 8, 15
A lternative system ,
166, 259, 281
Around and Around,
162, 238
Atrocities, 38, 56
A u th o rs note, 161,
183, 225, 270, 272,
288
Automobile, 219
B ackground music, 1,
3
Backpack, 236, 256
Bad law, 180
Banana Peeling, 86, 87
B a n k ru p t Government,
257
Bear, 121, 182
Being Free, 131, 285
Belief system , 191,
298, 304, 305
Ben F ra n k lin , 183
Bicycle, 51, 94, 122,
136, 147
Big money people, 2,
5, 9, 18, 161
Billion dollar
biocom puter, 152
Blackmail, 203
B lu n d e rp u s , 310
Boondoggle, 27, 28
B o o t-s tra p , 153
313

Boredom, 168, 258, 263

Boss, 7, 8, 14, 23, 34,
64, 76, 114, 136
Broke, 165, 199, 224,
241
Broker, 197
Buckm inister Fuller:
See Fuller
Bulldog, 9
Bus, 8, 28, 136, 268
B y -p ro d u c t, 184, 267,
272, 278, 279
Cabin in th e Woods,
135
Caesar, 158, 159, 180,
219, 222
Car Radar, 124
Cash cro p , 182
CAUSE OF INFLATION,
161
C h a in -le tte r, 146, 149
C h a n g e -o v e r, 183,
205, 281, 282, 292
Chaos, 250, 282
Chess, 113, 114, 115,
116, 118
Chunk of Life, 252
C ircus, 180, 219
Clothing, 7, 133, 137,
215, 236,260
Committee, 102
Community, 25, 48,
230
Communication sy stem ,
77, 110
Conglomerate, 6
C onditioning, 190, 210,
261, 303
Condominium, 174

INDEX

Consumer, 191, 215,

255, 256, 261
Cooking, 25
Cottage I n d u s tr y , 33,
34
C ounter-act
Negativity, 299
Crew, 97, 98, 100, 101,
102, 103
Critical Mass Effect,
148
Crocodile Dundee II,
39
Day care cen ter, 201
Defensive, 14
Depression, 65, 78,
107, 147, 185, 194,
197, 263, 271, 310
Debt, 207, 217, 304
Decent World, 29
Democracy, 19, 62, 63,
146, 280
Demonstration, 19, 21,
55,281
Dependency, 2
Depression, 65, 78,
107, 147
Destiny, 189, 190, 224,
226, 232, 264, 265,
301
Disguise th e Poor, 133
Disposable container,
11, 284
Diversion, 147, 171,
180, 219, 231, 269,
305
Divide and Rule, 56
Divorce, 199, 215, 245,
287, 288
314

Dont believe me, 18,

133
Drop-out, 7, 186, 201,
210, 215, 245, 256,
260, 293
Dropped Charges, 40
Drugs, 1, 2, 66, 126,
142
Drummer, 133 ,
Dumpster, 14, 32, 42,
155
Election Trick, 113
Electronics Inventor,
10

Elephant, 195
Eliminate work, 14,
150
Emotion, 121, 222
Entertain, 186, 190,
251, 256, 303
Entertainment, 2, 7,
142
Everyone Makes
Ripples, 193
Factory pollution, 46,
123
Fantasy Adventure,
194
Fantasy, 59, 120, 222,
301
Fear mongering, 80,
107, 178, 207
Fight Them, 87, 220
Food chain, 148, 181
Food growable land,
172
Foreign countries, 4
Free Box, 91, 92, 143,
144, 155, 186, 306

INDEX

Free choice, 23, 264

Free lunch, 93
Free S h arin g Club,
35, 36
Free Skills PcxdI, 35,
186
F riendly p e rsu a sio n ,
204
F rie n d sh ip Club, 36
F r u s tr a tio n , 166, 270
Fuller, Buckm inister,
30, 33, 37, 86, 110
Gadget, 10, 297
Garbage, 11,42, 61,
299
Gave Away My Power,
190
Golden Rule, 54, 108,
212, 218, 305
Good deed, 38
Governm ent Rule, 11
G overnm en ts
Function, 118
G reedy, 30, 124, 126,
134, 230, 278
G reen h o u se e ffe c t, 46
G rits fo r th e mill, 137
Group Action, 55
Guru, 193, 231
H arassm ent, 17, 20
Helmet, 1, 3
Help Wanted, 10
Henchmen, 38, 175,
202, 204
Hermit, 116, 264
Hoard, 168, 172
Holiday, 61
Hunch, 240, 300
H un ger, 68, 222

Hypnotism, 190, 255

I Went Along, 6
Tm Greedy, 278
Idle Rich, 179
In c in e ra to r, 12
Income, 127
In v e n to r, 203
In a Nutshell, 22
In Business, 4
In Common, 90
I n ta k e Time, 1
In v e stm e n t, 161, 176,
271, 291
Is Our Boat Leaking,
133
I t s la te r th a n you
th in k , 207, 256
Jail L e a rn en, 19
Jaw ing, 283
J o g g e r, 31
Jo u rn a l, 206, 254
J u n k p ro d u c tio n , 205
J u s t Think, 40
Keep in Time, 133
Kerosene lamp, 249
Killing time, 238
Landlord, 159, 197
Law of S u p p ly and
Demand, 174, 181
Leader, 131
L eisure time, 105, 288
Liberation, 14
Light D etector, 10
Loaded dice, 130
Log cabin, 115, 304
Lollipop, 118
Lonely, 258
Long haul, 132, 280
L o re tta Nose, 159
315

INDEX

Losers, 6
Manipulator, 55
Married, 198, 253, 267,
287, 289
Mass media, 2, 137
Merciful, 6
Merry-Go-Round, 2,
209
Middle Class, 127
Mind and Computer,
120
Mind conditioning, 37
Mind Library, 293,
294
Mind programming, 9,
293
Missing Piece, 29
Monkey-see, 170, 190,
269, 273
Mood s e tte r, 53
Mood, 120, 190, 220,
263, 271
Moratorium, 233
Motivate em, 22
Motorcycle, 122
Moved Again, 41
Multinationals, 6
Music, 53
My bag, 237, 251
My day, 194, 236, 251
My Freedom Now, 241
My Programming, 2
Mysterious, 44, 157
Nervous breakdown, 7
New technique, 5
Newsletter, 312
Newspaper clipping,
243
Nightmare, 6
316

Notebook, 239
Obsolete Job, 307
Obstacle, 44, 245
Offensive, 14
Old age, 222
O n-the-job, 23, 70,
73, 77, 89, 109, 145
One at a time,. 231,
234
One-of-a-kind, 174
Organic, 218
Organization, 165
Outer Space Message,
259
Outer space, 229, 232
Pandora's Box, 10, 274
Parent, 170, 178, 287
Paradise, 72, 176, 235
P art of th e whole, 193
Peace, 30
Pension, 25
Peoples Grapevine,
146
People-power, 166
Personal Possession;
See possession
Pioneer, 179, 180
Planet, 144
Point of no re tu rn ,
177
Police, 18
Possession, 42, 168,
234, 257, 279, 290
P re se n t moment^ 239,
295
P re se n t Thought
Topic, 265
Presidential Election,
33

INDEX

Salesman, 197, 289

Salt mine, 305
Satisfaction, 168, 240,
245, 272
Save Money, 7
Scapegoat, 29
Scheme, 143
Screwed Up, 5
S e c re t, 136, 221, 224,
229
Selectivity, 153
Selfish, 30, 169, 228,
272, 277, 279
Sewer disposal, 5
Sheep, 175, 182, 219
S h e lte r, 193, 201, 215,
231, 233, 256, 269
S h ip w re c k e d , 136
S h opp ing , 119, 184
S h o r t c u t, 290
S h rin k , 7
Sick of Your Job, 124
Sign of S u b s e rv ie n c e ,
191
Social o r d e r , 233
Soma, 1
Song, 138, 192, 222,
254
S pace pro g ram , 172,
224, 309
S p a c e -a g e , 85
S p a c e sh ip , 30, 203,
228, 277
S p e c ta to r , 171
S p e llb in d e r, 126
S p o n ta n e o u s ly , 235
S p r a y , 122
S q u eeze, 161, 185, 201
S ta r , 123, 161, 170

Prime cause, 29, 207,

272
Prime I n t e r e s t Rate,
159
Priming th e pump,
143
Problem, 119
P ro d u ce More, 167,
173
P ro d u c tiv ity S h a rin g ,
159
P ro f ite e r s Promote
Waste, 12
P ro te s t, 281
Publicize, 47, 166
P ublish, 213, 229, 260,
272
Pyramid, 94
Radical c h a n g e , 39
Rat race, 7
Recession, 157-165,
271
Red Meat E ater, 181
R egulate price, 202
Relax, 259, 295, 296
R e p re s e n ta tiv e , 132
R esponsibility, 167,
174, 189
R e s ta u ra n t, 173, 184,
234, 258, 271
Retired a t Age 42,
237
R etired, 24, 114
Robot, 1, 10, 23, 49,
69, 77, 80, 111
Rule, 63
Rummage sale, 7, 42
Rut, 3, 233, 238, 289
Sale = H appiness, 45
317

INDEX

S ta tu s symbol, 14, 236

Stealing, 78, 214, 290,
307
Still Spraying, 122
Straw man, 13
S u p e r-ric h , 283
Subconscious
Telepathy, 240
Subconscious, 44
Subliminal, 2, 3, 10,
190, 214, 223, 255
Suggestible, 190, 236
S u p e r-ric h , 41, 200,
204, 283
Survival, 169, 203,
251, 252, 284, 304
S u rp lu s, 149, 207,
303, 306
Sweet Revenge, 297
S y n erg y , 203, 206,
309
Taking Control, 119,
187, 283
Technology, 169, 172,
203, 227
Telepathy, 240, 300
Tension, 295, 296
The Time Is Ripe, 151,
177
The Time Slot, 236
Thinkers, 73
Thomas Edison, 154
Thought leader, 235
Time for Prevention,
67
Tiny child, 29
Training, 23
Trance, 1, 68
Tree, 171, 215, 230,

258
Trivia, 186, 234
Trivial Diversion, 62
Truck, 160, 198, 290
Truth, 37, 190, 192,
288, 291
TV Kickout, 3
Typesetting, 16
Under Your Hat, 152
Unnecessary job, 77
Usership, 164, 230
Utopian, 72
Vacation, 42, 224, 251,
268, 309
Van, 44, 272
Vegetarian, 182
Vicariously, 59, 192,
221, 230, 238
Vision, 227-231
W.P.A., 197
Wake Up, 21, 227
Wars Are Killing Us,
125
Waste b u rn e r, 11
Waste, 12, 25
Water purification, 5
Watergate Revelation,
289
We May Be Wrong, 46
Webster, 63
Welfare, 134, 160, 165,
210

What Can One Person

Do, 72
What If, 260
What makes me
happy, 253, 255
What to do, 32, 158,
175, 186, 206, 270,

318

INDEX
281

What would h ap p en ,
35
Who Is Most
Im portant, 193
Who Is T ryin g, 67
Who*s Kidding Who,
127
Why Continue, 45
Winner, 6
With frie n d , 173, 306
Witness, 31
Work ethic, 215
World Game, 33, 37,
86, 148
Yard Bird, 31

319

P r i n t e d by:
G. Wayne W i l c o x , P r i n t e r
M i n n e a p o l i s , MN U. S . A.

in here,

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that will make

ISBN D - ^ tS 0 3 0 1 ^ w

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