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. Too often, modern comforts dampen our motivation to question the system, leaving us to fear uncertainty more than we resent our hidden constraints. We take on the role of a house slave when we cling to our routine, soothed by the soft, steady glow of a screen and the hum of air conditioning, unwilling to face the uncertainty that true freedom demands.

— Neal Flesher, Modern Chains (Chapter 1)

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