Debt masquerades as prosperity. Few question a system that simultaneously drains their savings yet offers enough superficial luxuries to make them feel secure. We lease our lives in monthly installments, swiping away tomorrow’s effort for today’s indulgence, all while congratulating ourselves for participating in a “free market.” But beneath this veneer of choice lies a monetary system engineered not for liberty, but for control: manipulating incentives, constraining options, and ensuring perpetual dependence.

— Neal Flesher, Modern Chains (Chapter 1)

Get the free book (PDF + audiobook)