> that it cost money to do anything is a confirmation that it is due to capitalism. I would argue that it is the definition of capitalism.
Sorry my friend. It isn't. It costs money to do anything on this planet, even if it isn't what most would understand to be currency. Barter is also a form of currency.
Altruism aside, nobody is going to give someone a dozen eggs without getting something in return. And that something has to be worth at least what it took to get the 12 eggs. Because, well, doing something at a loss is not sustainable. Eventually you hit zero.
And, of course, you have to protect yourself from unknowns --five egg-laying chickens are eaten by a wolf. Which means you need to get something more than what it takes to make those eggs or you will, again, hit zero when you can't sustain things because of various events.
At this point this isn't even profit. You are working for exactly what you put into making those eggs and a small insurance hedge because shit happens.
Now we get into capitalism: Your eggs are better than those someone else offers. You deliver. You have better packaging. If an egg arrives cracked, you replace it. You created a system to be able to package eggs safely with less work.
You recognize this delivers value. You determine you can charge more for your eggs than the raw cost of production. You also want to expand so you can service more people in town and maybe even neighboring towns.
You need money to expand...because the construction isn't going to be free. So, you tack on as much profit onto your price for a dozen eggs as the market is willing to pay and hope for the best. That last part is important. Someone else could come out with equivalent eggs and tack-on less profit. Unless you have a monopoly, you do not control profit, the market does.
And that, in a super-simple nutshell, is how capitalism happens.
Absolutely every person on the planet is a capitalist.
Why?
Everyone tries to earn more than the raw costs to exist. That's your profit. It allows you to save to get things you want, navigate tough times, support a family, go to school, etc.
In other words, capitalism is part of our very DNA. It isn't some weird evil thing that's been imposed on society.
We have family from the old USSR. You wouldn't believe the things they had to do to survive. Capitalists to the core...because the shit they lived in was just that, shit.