I feel more and more that those in power - the capitalists - have done a tremendous job of conditioning us from birth in the last 100+ years that capitalism is “the only way”.
Yet if you read a book like “Debt: the first 5000 years” by David Graeber, it put things into perspective. And there is so much more to read.
Also, learn the difference between a political system and an economic one. Of course they're related (see "collusion" above), but it's a mistake to act as though they're the same thing.
I do think we've been heavily trained to do this however.
Again, this issue is orthogonal to the economic model. Authoritarianism can and does exist in every economic system. The antidote IMO is institutions which define and enforce rules without bestowing permanent favor on any one group. Democracy, federalism, checks and balances, yadda yadda. I even mentioned social democracy already. But don't take my word for it. I suggest you actually study the issue for yourself, not just polemics from one side but the actual history of how these systems have developed and the theories that have been developed with them over centuries, then reach your own conclusions. They might not be the same as mine, but I guarantee they'll be even further from the laissez-faire extremists.
It seems that it's more effective to leverage this natural desire (as in capitalism) rather that punish it (as in communism). The important part is "natural", i.e., people are born with it, as well as animals, and you cannot prevent it. That's not a minority at all. So the only way for communism is to constantly fight it on a great scale, which is possibly with turning into a authoritarian government.
Ideally the planned state leaves room for art and culture. Who how and where the state supports creative endeavors is an open question. I'd ask similarly for open source. Ideally the state provides some spare capacity for individual development, that people can establish themselves with & start getting rewarded for.
Overall I see such a starkly different view. Coersion into behaviors & punishment seems low on my list of concerns for non-authoritarian communism.
Putting capital (or socialism, growtn etc) as ultimate goals, and not tools, are on he higway to the disaster, how much of the actual economic/financial global system will exist if at every step in the development the pool of basic rights and true alternatives are respected more...
(to me) progress is (mainly) the creation of alternatives and possibilities.
similarly, someone says progress is actually the speed of the race but not it's direction..