Namaste and thank you for joining me once again. How have you been? Fantastic.
Today I want to talk about money. Everyone THINKS they know what IT is, but do they really? Do you really? Follow me, Alice, as we journey down this rabbit hole once again to Wonderland.
When most people think about money, they think about large stacks of freshly printed dollar bills, green and with a particular smell like no other. Many people fantasize about rolling around in large piles of money they would hypothetically spend on fancy cars, homes, jewelry, televisions, and a lot of avarice.
I don't personally believe that most people actually understand what money is, let alone of where it comes from, or what it means symbolically. I intend to inform my reading audience of my opinions about this topic. First, however I want to go back a bit in time to when there was no money, only barter. Barter is the trade of goods and services outright, without money.
Hold on, rewind...
Let's actually start by defining a textbook definition of money:
"A current medium of exchange in the form of coins and banknotes; coins and banknotes collectively"
Did that definition confuse anyone? It sure has me confused because in truth, there is more "money" in computer files, approximately 90% that is NOT printed into paper currency, which is only about 10% of the total "money". How then can money be made solely of coins and banknotes? Furthermore, American money was once held by a GOLD STANDARD that meant that every paper dollar in a person's pocket was equal to a certain portion of gold held by the federal government in vaults like Fort Knox. This is no longer the case. Our dollars were once worth something SOLID, backed by gold. NOW, this fiat currency is backed only by blackmail and threat of impending war.
Sorry to digress there, but I wanted to set up for the next part.
So barter didn't work out for early people because there was no set standard for pricing. One person may charge significantly higher than another for the exact same good or service. Coins made from, but not limited to, metals such as copper, silver, bronze, iron, and gold were the first forms of what we consider modern "money", although there were cultures that traded seashells and other trinkets as money as well.
Coins eventually evolved into paper currency as we have in modern times.
Now we have set the stage here, I'm going to blow your mind...
MONEY IS NOT REAL!!! Yep, I said it and I'll say it again... MONEY IS NOT REAL!!!
Mind = blown
I sense some confusion in my reading audience. The little pieces of fabric/paper in your wallet/purse are of no more value than the Monopoly money in your little game box on the shelf of your closet. The ONLY thing giving it ANY value at all is the fact that YOU, and millions of other people, think that it has value. Now me, as a writer, if you've read any of my past blogs you will know that I don't believe in the value of inanimate objects. My belief is that human beings, primarily, have the most VALUE because we have the innate ability to create something from virtually nothing, unlike other creatures of the animal kingdom.
Moving on, I want to keep talking about this idea of VALUE, because when you are thinking about "money", you aught to be thinking about what it is worth TO YOU. Some people have an over-inflated value for this paper currency. The love of money is the root of all evil, YES, but I challenge you to try to live without it. Like many other things in life, I believe that if you can UNDERSTAND something than it is less to be feared by the unknowing masses. People don't fear things they understand, only the things they don't.
Now, to get deeply technical even our own government doesn't own or control the money system, but rather a cabal of international bankers really own the money. With control of the monetary system also comes control of nations, their resources, and their citizens. Sad but true. Money, if we want to be technical is a monetary payment to a person that has been deemed to be of what VALUE an hour of your labor is worth. This may be difficult for some to accept, but if you make around minimum wage, slightly above, or even less... you and the job you contribute to society at large has been deemed to be LESS THAN VALUABLE and your services rendered gets you only the BASIC lowest imaginable "minimum wage". Let's be honest again and just state for the record that "minimum wage" is only a SLAVE WAGE that keeps you going back to shitty jobs to keep the grind of life going as you are forced to barely SURVIVE, rather than truly LIVE your life. Also, please think about this: those individuals who "own" all the "money" have deemed that entertainers, athletes, politicians, lobbyists, Wall-Street crooks, among others are more VALUABLE to society than the teachers, military and other uniformed service men and women, firemen, cops, blue collar workers, etc. THINK ABOUT THAT!!!
For all those nostalgic people who are holding onto fantasy notions of a government cares about YOU as a citizen just because you live in their geographical borders... It should let you know what they think of you when they pay themselves and entertainers more than YOU and I, those who hold up the backbone of society. So when the president get's up on the podium and talks about a fair minimum wage, he KNOWS that in doing so it will cause inflation because they system will NOT let go of it's own profit margins; too many hands in the cookie jar and a system that has been set up INTENTIONALLY to keep the real wealth in the hands of the few.
Lastly I want to talk about the current system of money in American circulation. I'm not going to waste time talking about the Federal Reserve, fiat currency, global currency reserve, etc (I've talked about them extensively in past blogs). Bringing this discourse back in full circle, money is the collective efforts of the working portion of the population in any given society. When a society consumes MORE than it produces, like in the United States, we have massive deficits. When a society consumes LESS than it produces then they have a surplus of money and resources.
Focusing on this nation, the U.S., in which I live, I can see that people don't have a basic clue about economics. It's really simple. The government doesn't have any money. They can only rob one group of people to pay another. For all those on food stamps, unemployment, social security, medicare, WIC, disability, etc... That money didn't just grow on a tree. Now I am aware that our own tax dollars have gone into pay for these systems and it is unfair for people not to get what they paid for... HOWEVER, the TRUTH is that our reckless, irresponsible, selfish government/leaders has wasted away all the money on foreign aid, endless wars, building up an arsenal of bombs, bullets, and bullshit that has eroded away the foundation of our nation. We are like 17 TRILLION dollars in debt to these bankers who are sitting pretty like fat cats while the world rots away. When there is no reserve of funds, there is NOTHING to pay back the citizens who were promised these benefits from their hard work and contribution towards society. Not only has the money and value of human life and labor been stolen away, but it is past the point where only the labor of many generations to come will ever fix the problems that were never designed to be fixable. All this debt to centralized bankers, while people still believe in money and NOT VALUE, will suffice to enslave the entire human populace... and still we just trudge along through the mud and filth, undervalued and underappreciated as key components to this society where mediocrity has become glorified as the norm and true excellence is squashed or exploited until it is no more. A greedy, self-centered society focused on "money" over all else is doomed for failure, especially when the citizens don't even understand that without OUR collective labors, the "rich, elite" wouldn't have anything either.
So the choice that each and every one of us has is right before our eyes. Do we keep yearning in our labors to amass wealth for those above us, toiling for their gain? OR do we labor in our own efforts for self betterment, love, and lasting virtues like helping others, being good decent people, and healing the deep wounds of this planet we ALL inhabit: rich and poor alike.
Be wise with your money and where you spend it. Like my previous blog stated "Every Dollar Is a Vote for Policy". If you want change, invest in something REAL like an education, starting your own business, or maybe immigration to another country if this one is too far gone for you. Just do SOMETHING of VALUE. Think and be rich beyond the limitations of a fiat monetary system.
This has been the one and only Quiet Mouse.
Today I want to talk about money. Everyone THINKS they know what IT is, but do they really? Do you really? Follow me, Alice, as we journey down this rabbit hole once again to Wonderland.
When most people think about money, they think about large stacks of freshly printed dollar bills, green and with a particular smell like no other. Many people fantasize about rolling around in large piles of money they would hypothetically spend on fancy cars, homes, jewelry, televisions, and a lot of avarice.
I don't personally believe that most people actually understand what money is, let alone of where it comes from, or what it means symbolically. I intend to inform my reading audience of my opinions about this topic. First, however I want to go back a bit in time to when there was no money, only barter. Barter is the trade of goods and services outright, without money.
Hold on, rewind...
Let's actually start by defining a textbook definition of money:
"A current medium of exchange in the form of coins and banknotes; coins and banknotes collectively"
Did that definition confuse anyone? It sure has me confused because in truth, there is more "money" in computer files, approximately 90% that is NOT printed into paper currency, which is only about 10% of the total "money". How then can money be made solely of coins and banknotes? Furthermore, American money was once held by a GOLD STANDARD that meant that every paper dollar in a person's pocket was equal to a certain portion of gold held by the federal government in vaults like Fort Knox. This is no longer the case. Our dollars were once worth something SOLID, backed by gold. NOW, this fiat currency is backed only by blackmail and threat of impending war.
Sorry to digress there, but I wanted to set up for the next part.
So barter didn't work out for early people because there was no set standard for pricing. One person may charge significantly higher than another for the exact same good or service. Coins made from, but not limited to, metals such as copper, silver, bronze, iron, and gold were the first forms of what we consider modern "money", although there were cultures that traded seashells and other trinkets as money as well.
Coins eventually evolved into paper currency as we have in modern times.
Now we have set the stage here, I'm going to blow your mind...
MONEY IS NOT REAL!!! Yep, I said it and I'll say it again... MONEY IS NOT REAL!!!
Mind = blown
I sense some confusion in my reading audience. The little pieces of fabric/paper in your wallet/purse are of no more value than the Monopoly money in your little game box on the shelf of your closet. The ONLY thing giving it ANY value at all is the fact that YOU, and millions of other people, think that it has value. Now me, as a writer, if you've read any of my past blogs you will know that I don't believe in the value of inanimate objects. My belief is that human beings, primarily, have the most VALUE because we have the innate ability to create something from virtually nothing, unlike other creatures of the animal kingdom.
Moving on, I want to keep talking about this idea of VALUE, because when you are thinking about "money", you aught to be thinking about what it is worth TO YOU. Some people have an over-inflated value for this paper currency. The love of money is the root of all evil, YES, but I challenge you to try to live without it. Like many other things in life, I believe that if you can UNDERSTAND something than it is less to be feared by the unknowing masses. People don't fear things they understand, only the things they don't.
Now, to get deeply technical even our own government doesn't own or control the money system, but rather a cabal of international bankers really own the money. With control of the monetary system also comes control of nations, their resources, and their citizens. Sad but true. Money, if we want to be technical is a monetary payment to a person that has been deemed to be of what VALUE an hour of your labor is worth. This may be difficult for some to accept, but if you make around minimum wage, slightly above, or even less... you and the job you contribute to society at large has been deemed to be LESS THAN VALUABLE and your services rendered gets you only the BASIC lowest imaginable "minimum wage". Let's be honest again and just state for the record that "minimum wage" is only a SLAVE WAGE that keeps you going back to shitty jobs to keep the grind of life going as you are forced to barely SURVIVE, rather than truly LIVE your life. Also, please think about this: those individuals who "own" all the "money" have deemed that entertainers, athletes, politicians, lobbyists, Wall-Street crooks, among others are more VALUABLE to society than the teachers, military and other uniformed service men and women, firemen, cops, blue collar workers, etc. THINK ABOUT THAT!!!
For all those nostalgic people who are holding onto fantasy notions of a government cares about YOU as a citizen just because you live in their geographical borders... It should let you know what they think of you when they pay themselves and entertainers more than YOU and I, those who hold up the backbone of society. So when the president get's up on the podium and talks about a fair minimum wage, he KNOWS that in doing so it will cause inflation because they system will NOT let go of it's own profit margins; too many hands in the cookie jar and a system that has been set up INTENTIONALLY to keep the real wealth in the hands of the few.
Lastly I want to talk about the current system of money in American circulation. I'm not going to waste time talking about the Federal Reserve, fiat currency, global currency reserve, etc (I've talked about them extensively in past blogs). Bringing this discourse back in full circle, money is the collective efforts of the working portion of the population in any given society. When a society consumes MORE than it produces, like in the United States, we have massive deficits. When a society consumes LESS than it produces then they have a surplus of money and resources.
Focusing on this nation, the U.S., in which I live, I can see that people don't have a basic clue about economics. It's really simple. The government doesn't have any money. They can only rob one group of people to pay another. For all those on food stamps, unemployment, social security, medicare, WIC, disability, etc... That money didn't just grow on a tree. Now I am aware that our own tax dollars have gone into pay for these systems and it is unfair for people not to get what they paid for... HOWEVER, the TRUTH is that our reckless, irresponsible, selfish government/leaders has wasted away all the money on foreign aid, endless wars, building up an arsenal of bombs, bullets, and bullshit that has eroded away the foundation of our nation. We are like 17 TRILLION dollars in debt to these bankers who are sitting pretty like fat cats while the world rots away. When there is no reserve of funds, there is NOTHING to pay back the citizens who were promised these benefits from their hard work and contribution towards society. Not only has the money and value of human life and labor been stolen away, but it is past the point where only the labor of many generations to come will ever fix the problems that were never designed to be fixable. All this debt to centralized bankers, while people still believe in money and NOT VALUE, will suffice to enslave the entire human populace... and still we just trudge along through the mud and filth, undervalued and underappreciated as key components to this society where mediocrity has become glorified as the norm and true excellence is squashed or exploited until it is no more. A greedy, self-centered society focused on "money" over all else is doomed for failure, especially when the citizens don't even understand that without OUR collective labors, the "rich, elite" wouldn't have anything either.
So the choice that each and every one of us has is right before our eyes. Do we keep yearning in our labors to amass wealth for those above us, toiling for their gain? OR do we labor in our own efforts for self betterment, love, and lasting virtues like helping others, being good decent people, and healing the deep wounds of this planet we ALL inhabit: rich and poor alike.
Be wise with your money and where you spend it. Like my previous blog stated "Every Dollar Is a Vote for Policy". If you want change, invest in something REAL like an education, starting your own business, or maybe immigration to another country if this one is too far gone for you. Just do SOMETHING of VALUE. Think and be rich beyond the limitations of a fiat monetary system.
This has been the one and only Quiet Mouse.
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