I read it more that in the grand scheme of things, the only reason that those things exist to balance themselves--they don't create any value on their own. If

I read it more that in the grand scheme of things, the only reason that those things exist to balance themselves--they don't create any value on their own. If the other guy has no military, we need no military. If the other guy builds a bigger military, we build a bigger military. If the other guy doesn't spend on marketing, we don't need to spend on marketing. If the other guy invests heavily in marketing, we need a bigger marketing push. There's only ever a gain in the system if there's an imbalance. Looking at it simplistically, if everyone collectively decided to stop at once, there'd be no need for those things anymore.