We clearly need to recognize our human money for what it is — interpersonal tokens for privileged human trading.

Money is necessary to utilize the division of labor that makes our entire societies work, but it must be understood by the people, especially in a democratic system of governance that has control of the supply and distribution of the unit of account. Money is not scarce, but we have been made to believe it is by governments that don't understand it or are corrupted by those who the present system benefits.

Money is a product of law, and laws are written by governments. Taxation drives a currency's acceptance/use in a society and that allows the issuing authority/government to provision itself and pay for public purpose spending without needing a revenue stream. This makes any ills/suffering that can be mitigated with money in a rich economy entirely a political "choice", not anything related to economics.

In fact, most countries have constitutions or laws that mandate the creation of money "for the general welfare" or some similar wording. However, by creating conditions that limit distribution of a nation's currency to project the illusion of scarce money and unlimited resources control of both can be given to those who the economic system (or corrupt government) favors.

So the question becomes, not how to fix the economy, but how to reorient it back towards a healthier track.

I disagree with this, as it promotes the concept of sacrificing our economy and starting from scratch when it isn't necessary. Reinventing the wheel is something we don't have the support, or time, for. Fixing our broken system is going to require labor and sourcing of resources that must be paid for if people continue to eat and require shelter, not to mention the few luxuries that asking people to give up completely will kill any initiative large enough to make a difference.

In the present economy those things are dependent upon working for someone else's profit to "earn" them. It is the definition of work/job that must be changed so it is inclusive of the things needing to be done to salvage what is left of the world's natural environment. We must make saving the planet as attractive as destroying it has been in the past and that isn't going to be easy, but it isn't even possible with the current framing of economics in the scarcity/austerity language of the destroyers that motivates from fear.

Back into a cyclical pattern that won’t by necessity burn itself out in flames.

This requires a different relationship with out money that we now "perceive". We need to see the money for what it is, a tool to deploy the desired labor and resources, not the end game that requires winners and losers.

Once our lawmakers understand this, and know we won't any longer tolerate their corruption and efforts to enrich the donor class, we can use federal spending of our fiat currency to both deploy resources and support workers with dignity. I believe that the previous generations of exploitation have left many, if not most, workers thirsting for such work that supplies meaning more than the blackmail of employers that offers only submission or destitution.

All we lack currently is political will. The mechanisms needed, including funding not reliant on "getting" money from rich people, are all waiting for us.