From seashells to credit cards, why we have no choice but to be money-minded

We heard of the saying "money is the root of all evil". But, as much as any self-declared money-is-not-my-priority person would like to deny, there is no way that our world will be what it is today without the brilliant invention of this evil thing named money. It's widely believed that the history goes more than 5000 years ago when people started trading with seashells.

Your computer which is staring back at you now wouldn't even exist, the meal that you had just taken wouldn't be there for your, the movie that you had watched few days ago wouldn't be heard of ... (the list goes on), if the evil little notes and coins are not invented in the first place.

It is the ultimate medium of circulation, transaction, exchange,incentives and most importantly - penalty. Money has never ceased to play an important role in every aspect of our life. If it wasn't for money, you weren't be working hard (of course, there are exceptions for people who genuinely love the toil and tumble of their jobs). Most of the time, what people meant by "I love my job" is really just "I love the reward from the job, and to prevent myself from suffering I learn to love the job as well."

Without money, there is little incentive for students to study hard. A sad reality of modern education, but if money didn't exist there wouldn't be so many of us burrying our heads amidst the books in the university library. Some very relevant examples are students doing their courses on money-related field. Actuarial studies, finance, accounting, business etc etc are all rubbish had money not exist. Interest rates, the trade-off between present and future values blablabla are non-sensical in a world without money.

Hence the root of all evil is indeed the basis of everything that human world has.

The whole branch of 'human science' were born about as early as money was invented. Economy grows, trading started, all human race has been prospering since then. Concepts which are intangible, ranging from the basic ideas about cash flows, liquidity, exchange rates to a whole set of macroeconomic jargon e.g. growth, inflation, turnover volume, chain effects, spill-over effects aka rippling effects, are here since then. Where would these things stand if we rid our world off the evil thing called money? Nothing but nonsence.


And then there is this great idea to enable people to spend beyond their means - the hidden inducement to spend on unnecessary things - the credit card system. Money becomes intangible, and is replaced by the action of one swipping his/her card across the machine, and the purchase is done. No sight of income flowing out, nothing but the pleasure of holding the new-owned items.

No one could safely say that he doesn't care about money, unless he is prepared to be isolated permanently from the money-based world and stay in the jungle eating self-planted crops for lifetime. One choice is in our hands, however.

Money: We master it, or let it master us.

On a lighter note:

Girls = Money * Time

Since Time=Money, Girls = Money * Money =

Money is the root of all evil ==> Money * money = evil

Hence, Girls =Evil

Ever wonder why your money keep disappearing?

$1 = 100 cent = 10*10 cent = $0.1*0.1=$0.01=1 cent

Advice from JF: take care of your units