The Prime Mover
Originally money was just a medium to replace barter. It
represented hard work pretty much on a one-to-one basis. The
blacksmith toiled for a day shoeing horses and received five
dollars. The farmer harvested for a day and received five
dollars. Each of them could then take their five dollars and go
buy whatever they needed, understanding that what they bought
would represent in a fair way the fruit of their labor. There
was not much opportunity for wealth in those times since a
person could only work so much. Over time money has
evolved from providing functions of exchange and units of
account to taking on a life of its own through clever financial
schemes of multiplication. Where there is room for corruption,
for someone to cheat, get something for nothing, work the system
to their advantage, you can bet somebody will figure out a way.
Money provides the perfect vehicle to that end, particularly now
that it is nothing more than a stroke on a computer keyboard.
Arguably it is a corruption that money can now be accumulated
disproportionate to the work used to create it. The monetary
world - rather than serving as a measure of work or goods - has
become like a gigantic casino. Luck, inheritance, financial
markets, working the "system" and graft can amass huge amounts
of paper wealth. So too can legitimate business create wealth
through the incremental profits permitted in multiplying oneself
by contract with vendors, agents and employees.
We desire money not only because it permits the necessities and
luxuries of life, but also because it can replace work and give
us ease. More importantly, money has replaced brute strength as
the means to power. Money is like the sword in the stone of King
Arthur legend. Once you pull it out of the stone you are imbued
with special powers. It's also a Golden Rule - whoever has the
gold rules.
Because money is a medium of essentially all interactions, it
can be thought of as the prime mover. Roads, schools, utilities,
environmental protection, social aid, medical care, defense,
industry, religion and even close personal and family
relationships are affected by money. We are na