In our modern culture we spend a lot of time thinking about money. How to get more and what it would be like to be ‘rich’ and so on. Let’s look at money, and the philosophy people have of it. And investigate whether or not money makes you valuable, or successful.
The Idea:
MONEY IS EVERYTHING – GET AS RICH AS YOU CAN
- MONEY IS THE MEASURE OF VALUE
Value here meaning not just numerical physical – like how much money you have. Like literal amount of money you can exchange for other things. It means is human value. How much value you have as a person.
How much you and your life is worth.
This is also what’s meant when saying – I am worth this or that. He’s worth more than her. Etc
The meaning is not just literal monetary amount. It’s about actual human value.
People normally won’t say this cuz it sounds terrible.
But it is whats meant and its why you feel very bad when you say something like I have no money, or I’m not worth much, or I’m poor.
Because this doesn’t mean i cant buy this or that thing.
It means my life isnt worth as much as theirs.
My human value is lower than theirs.
If i die it won’t matter as much as if they die.
Or what someone else means when they say I’m richer than you, I’m worth more than you, I have more money than you.
They don’t mean I can buy more things or exchange more money for other things.
They mean my life is worth more than yours.
I have more human value than you.
If i die , it will be more of a loss than if you die.
This is the understood implicit meaning under all this. Which is why people steal, kill, and attack others based on money.
If it was just about actual physical numerical value. They wouldnt do that.
And people hate to feel like they have less human value – obviously. Thus they hate the rich.
And the rich – some of them at least – love to feel they have more human value – and thus they do things to really emphasise the difference in their human value and worth compared to others.
Creating rich people clubs and spaces etc.
Also we have these titles and ideas like: ‘millionaire’ and ‘billionaire’ ‘elite’ and so on. They don’t just mean a numerical value. But again they have that bigger meaning of lots of human value and worth. More than others.
This is the underlying idea in this philosophy beneath the connection between money and value. And the driving force of why people will pursue it so hard, killing, being killed, robbing people, risking and going to jail, lying and so on. Even taking over other countries etc.
So obviously this doesnt sound great. But is it true?
No of course not. How can you add something external to yourself? Also money in itself has no intrinsic value.
Money is either the cash – which is paper. Which has a constantly changing value based on demand/supply.
Or its the currency value behind the paper – that the paper represents or the digital numbers in the bank represent.
That currency value also is not intrinsic. In other words its not real, it’s constantly fluctuating. It’s based on many many different things like what other currencies are worth, the stock market, global events and so on. It’s not intrinsic or real. It’s more like an agreement between lots of people.
So then, how is it possible for you to gain more actual value based on something that doesnt have any?
Obviously its not possible.
So then just like every other bad philosophy, and bad set of actions. It’s based at bottom on a lie.
So then if its not true. Then it must mean that we each have intrinsic value. And we have all the value we can have intrinsically. Having more money doesnt make it go up. Having less money doesnt go down.
Having more money that someone else doesnt make you more valuable than them in human value, or real value at all.
Having less money than someone doesnt make you less valuable than them in human value, or real value at all.
It doesn’t do anything.
It just means you can’t buy certain things , or you can buy certain things.
Thats it.
If you have money. You have something that goes up and down in value all the time. You’re still valuable – and not cuz of the money.
If you don’t have it. You don’t have something that goes up and down in value all the time – you’re still valuable. And the money being missing doesnt change that.
That’s the truth of things.
So worshipping money. Or basing your idea of success on it is a mistake. And definitely basing your idea of value on it is a mistake.
So why is success so intertwined to the idea of having money?
Because in our society money is required at least at some level to buy basic things. Like to have housing, food, and so on. These things require some amount of money. So then that’s why we associate success with money.
The key however is that, the amount of money is just some amount. It’s not millions. And really, if you live with other people like your family, it’s really not that much.
Maybe a few hundred pound a month. If you want to contribute to the household and others are working too.
And maybe just like 2000 or so if you are the main provider.
But at no time do you lose human value, or are you worth less, if you don’t have that amount. You still have value. And when you get that amount you dont become more valuable. But you are doing something good in terms of supporting your family or self.
So if you want to make money, make it so you can pay for your basic needs. And support your family. If you want to make more, do it so you can do good with it.
In other words the true value is never in the money itself. Because money has no value.
It’s always in what you do with it. The action you are taking: like taking care of your basic needs, or supporting your family, or helping other people to get their basic needs.
It’s never about the money. The money itself has no value.
To be rich – based purely on money amount – is meaningless.
To be poor – based purely on money amount – is meaningless.
It’s always about the actions you are taking. Like if you were to build your family a shelter, and hunt their food, and collect their water. You’d be doing good things too. The equivalent of paying rent and buying food and paying water bills.
The money itself is not meaningful or valuable. If you could do it without money, like if you decide to live rurally, then you don’t need money at all. And you can still be ‘succesful’.
Now what about this idea of success itself. What is success?
As i said, it cant be the amount of money you have. Since money has no value.
It has something to do with fulfilling your basic needs or needs of family – thats how its commonly understood.
But truthfully if you ask me. What is being successful ? its being a good person. That’s it.
Because all these things, like providing your basic needs or supporting family are like good actions. What we can call duties or like good things to do.
But they are only good if a good person does them.
For example, if a drug trafficker or slave dealer provides for his family perfectly, and himself, and gives charity besides with the earnings from these evil things – no one would say he is doing a good thing.
In fact it would almost be more evil, since he is pretending to be good. And using that ‘good’ behaviour as a cover for his bad evil deeds. Also feeding your family from evil means is a evil thing to do.
It’s like a corruption.
So then in reality, you must be good, and as part of being good – you make money from good means and use them to provide for your family or self. That is success. The money again is irrelevant.
And its not the providing in itself that makes you successful. It’s the being good. And if you can be good and provide , then great.
But the being good itself is the success.
Like a man at war for example, he is not providing for his family or himself really. The army feeds him. And maybe they might need to work for themselves. But he is a very good man if he is defending the innocent from danger and harm. He is successful.
So too the mother who spends all her time raising her children well and teaching them good things. Making no money. And being provided for by others e.g her husband, or the state even. No one but a fool will say she is not successful. She is very successful.
So then having money doesnt make you successful. Providing for yourself or others doesnt make you successful. But being good is what makes you successful. And just being alive, just being here, being you – you are valuable.
Thats the truth of things.
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