Capitalism Walks into a 12-Step Meeting
- Paul & Aaron
- Sep 5, 2025
- 4 min read
We at Better Capitalism occasionally encounter pushback for stating that problems in the current form of American capitalism are political in nature and not attributable only to Democrats or Republicans.
While it may be painful for some to recognize that the problem isn’t just “the other side,” the truth does set us all free, and the truth is that current capitalism’s main problem is much bigger than either political party. We won’t develop real solutions until we collectively recognize the real problem, however painful it may be—so let’s give it a shot.
Imagine . . . Capitalism (personified with a capital “C”) is you and me and our households and our businesses and our government all rolled into one, and we’ve just walked into a 12-Step meeting because we've finally recognized that we’ve hit bottom and need help.
How might that first meeting unfold? How might six months of meetings unfold? Well, 12-Step meetings are confidential, but here’s a summary of Capitalism’s reflections and responses to each of the 12 Steps after receiving our six-month coin.
Step 1. We admitted we were powerless over our addiction — that our lives had become unmanageable.
Capitalism: We admitted we were addicted to "maximize profit," to “more,” and our lives have become unmanageable because of it.
Step 2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
Capitalism: We had a nice life before our addiction, and others in the meeting say they’ve been restored, so we have reason to believe.
Step 3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
Capitalism: We understand God as instructing to love your neighbor as yourself, and we made the decision to turn our will and lives over to that.
Step 4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
Capitalism: We discovered that “we” are “they” and all together we are the common good.
Step 5. Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
Capitalism: We admitted we are wrong about many things, all of which spring from our core failure of not loving our neighbors as ourselves—not keeping a level playing field.
Step 6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
Capitalism: We are braced to accept the changes needed for a better character.
Step 7. Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
Capitalism: Warily but trusting in a better future, we asked to be fixed.
Step 8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed and became willing to make amends to them all.
Capitalism: We recognize that in serving special interests, we harmed the common good— which is everyone—and so are willing to make amends to the common good.
Step 9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
Capitalism: We’re making amends by offering everyone the better ethic of “optimize profit,” fueled by enough and mutuality.
Step 10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong, promptly admitted it.
Capitalism: Every time we see a plantation system—one person or group maximizing profit at the expense of another—we promptly admit it’s wrong and work to change it.
Step 11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.
Capitalism: Through prayer and meditation, we understand that God’s will for us is to recognize we are in relationship simply by being on the same planet with each other, so we pray for willingness to love our [economic] neighbors as ourselves.
Step 12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these Steps, we tried to carry this message to others, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.
Capitalism: God provides more than enough; we just need to cooperate.
If you are in the recovery community, have supported someone who is, or have ever attended 12-Step meetings just out of curiosity, does this thought exercise resonate with you? We hope so. Let us know if it did.
Meanwhile, which of these Step(s) can you put to use in your life, the life of your business, the life of your local community, and the national conversation about capitalism?
Fix Capitalism. Fix the American Dream.
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