by Claudio Grass, Claudio Grass:
An attempt at an analysis from the perspective of a free Swiss individual
What you’re about to read is the abridged and condensed English translation of a speech I gave in Munich in November 2023. You can find the full speech, in German with English subtitles, here.
It tackles the very difficult, but also very crucial, subject of individual freedom, or what is left of it these days, and it seeks to offer a constructive analysis from a Swiss perspective.
It is also focused on identifying the roots of the problems and challenges that liberty-minded individuals face today, and most importantly, it seeks to provide practical solutions to them and perhaps, hopefully shine a light on a way out and a way forward.
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I believe that what awaits us in the future is a revolution at the level of the individual. People will break away from the current system, seeking refuge in mountainous regions and countryside settings, where they can connect with like-minded individuals. They’ll opt out of traditional banking systems, choosing instead to invest in real assets with no counterparty risk, like physical gold and silver, and to prepare themselves for the uncertain times ahead.
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In the interest of clarity and transparency, I feel compelled to answer the question posed in the title, just so you know where I stand right off the bat.
Are we on the road to serfdom? Yes, I believe we are and we have been for a long time. A simple glance at the history of our monetary system confirms this. Gold has been the currency of kings, silver has been the currency of the bourgeoisie, barter is the money of the peasants, and “paper”, or debt, is the money of the servants.
This realization (and its fascinating implications) has fueled my passion for physical precious metals for over two decades, leading me to dedicate more than a decade of my professional life to this field. I’ve had the privilege of working with people who command themselves and who are certainly no servants — successful entrepreneurs and self-employed individuals, who think and act independently and who know the principles of a free and enlightened society.
My dear friends and esteemed colleagues who are also speaking at this event will outline their own investment cases, and they’ll explain the rationale, the angles and the fundamentals backing their positions. We all have different investing styles, strategic approaches, selection processes and specializations. We don’t agree on everything, far from it, but we do all recognize that today it makes sense to invest in real assets, to trade in commodities, and particularly in physical precious metals that you can store outside the banking system. Commodities are definitely undervalued and as has been said before: “Gold is money, everything else is credit”.
The investment case for physical gold is quite obviously self explanatory by now and I have nothing new or interesting to add to it.
So here, I’ll discuss some personal observations and I’ll share a few thoughts and ideas that led me to conclude that we have indeed been living as serfs for quite some time now. Before I jump in at that deep end though, it’s important to understand my background: my roots are Rhaetian, a people known for their resilience and defiance, nestled in the Swiss Alps region of Graubünden. These roots tie me to a heritage steeped in tradition that shapes my perspective on freedom and autonomy.
My origins therefore lie with the mountain tribes, which were organized in loose alliances together with other communities and municipalities from central Switzerland. We were also known as the “Cow-Swiss”, with the symbol of the cow posing a threat to aristocratic structures. Basically, we we were all anarchist mountain dwellers, challenging European nobility for two centuries. We were fiercely independent and we resisted any and all encroachment on our freedom.
The Alpine farmers of Graubünden and the inner Swiss thus form the origin of Switzerland as a nation born in freedom, bound by free will and united by self-determination. Plainly put, I come from the cultural sphere in Europe that has enjoyed freedom for the longest time. The Swiss fought for this freedom for 200 years and because of our success in doing so, we became the best paid mercenaries abroad thereafter.
This is ingrained in the DNA of Swiss culture. Self-sufficiency and autarky, bottom up, decentralized, autonomous structures and communes that voluntarily came together and cooperated. Each individual had a voice, each canton had a delegate and decisions required unanimous consent from all cantons. This is the origin of Switzerland’s system of direct democracy.
