Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Money Talks, But So Do People

     Money makes the world go round. It does certainly seem that way. I mean, I only have a few bills a month and I still feel like just the middle man passing money from one hand to another. First there are the necessities to fulfill and then the wants to acquire. Yet, in our society, a common desire is just for money alone. Yes, the money comes with a monetary value to be traded for goods and services - but there is so much more. With more money there is more power -- at least perceived power. Our society caters to those with large bank accounts and grants them that greater influence in various spheres.
     I fear that all that accompanies money contributes to large egos and false senses of entitlement. The arguments of "do you know how much I make in a year?" or "I pay good money for this?" are apparently intended to open all doors. This entitlement also contributes to a general mean arrogance -- thinking that you may treat people anyway that you wish.
     Here is an interesting comparison that I heard years ago. "Think of words to describe friendship." The answers included several very economic terms, including "value". When we are asked to think about what we truly find valuable, it is more often the people in our lives than the money that we have. The government and society may give great value to currency, but we do not have to follow suit. We should be more discerning about where we place value.

Think about where you place value and be sure that those things affect you in beneficial ways.

2 comments:

  1. I remember hearing that talk about friendship-as-economics and feeling like I shouldn't think of people in monetary terms. I like your interpretation much better--that the words we use show our real treasures, which often are our relationships. "Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also"!

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  2. Yeah, I realized this as I was typing. At first I was heading down the more negative sounding road. However, I started thinking about the actual words that we use and started applying the very simple definitions. It just clicked!

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