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Quote by: Plasma Snake[D] Ever noticed that money itself is worthless, its just there as proof that you've somehow contributed to society and society will reward you back. |
I made this point in another post and how money is only related to what is guarantees in any society.
For example, the Native American had no concept of money. They traded goods. You may say what about waupum? Well, that was merely something that was traded as well. There was no currency accepted by the majority of Natives as a substitute for a blanket that may be traded for a bow. This is how the Native was "swindled" out of his hunting grounds.
The Native American in 1500 AD did not have a concept of ownershhip of land. They probably thought the Dutch were trading with them for the rights to hunt and live on the Manhattan Island in the 1600's. But they certainly never thought they would be driven from those lands that they inhabited because they "sold" the land to the Dutch.
Money has to be tied to something that the members who use money all want. It doesn't matter if it is gold, silver or carrots, but it must be something that is scarce enough to make the paper worth a certain amount of what is in short supply, ie the carrots or the gold.
Another example of money and its worthlessness is found in China in the 1800's. The British were trading with the Chinese but had nothing of value to trade the Chinese for their silks and teas. So the British got involved with Opium trading which caused addiction in Canton, and throughout China. Then the Chinese needed to trade with the British their silks and teas to supply its opium addicts with their drug. A tragic example of how money, and its lack of value, led to the famed "Opium Wars".
The world uses money because it has to have something to tender between each nation that will drive the world economy. So until they come up with something better, we are stuck with it.
But that doesn't imply that we, as members of that society, shouldn't do as much as we can to get away from having to be a slave to it. The less a person is dependent upon money, and the more self reliant they are in producing for themselves the necessities of life, then the more free they have become from coneventional society. Stay away from addictions and perhaps therein lies the direction of increased freedom and liberty.