Money Talks

Money, get away

Get a good job with more pay

And your O. K.

Money, it's a gas

Grab that cash with both hands

And make a stash

New car, caviar, four star daydream

Think I'll buy me a football team

Money get back

I'm all right Jack

Keep your hands off my stack

Money, it's a hit

Don't give me that

Do goody good bullshit

I'm in the hi-fidelity

First class travelling set

And I think I need a Lear jet

Money, it's a crime

Share it fairly

But don't take a slice of my pie

Money, so they say

Is the root of all evil

Today

But if you ask for a rise

It's no surprise that they're

Giving none away

- 'Money' by Pink Floyd.

It is terrifyingly true that the qualities, skills and talents which really are most needed in this world are those which seem to garner the least monetary reward. Humility, empathy, understanding, patience, respect, morality, forgiveness, attentiveness, kindness, honesty, loyalty, creativity, sensitivity, perceptiveness, thoughtfulness - these qualities seem to be in rather short supply and yet they are all mandatory requirements for living life well. Schools don't really teach them, they do not appear to form any part of our structured learning environment, and the overarching significance and importance of these attributes often just gets lost in the quagmire of what is deemed by society as actually of value.

Where on earth did it all go so wrong?

Well, if one is prepared to delve into the murky world of politics, the answer to this can be found. The capitalist system, particularly the prevailing neoliberal doctrine and accompanying consumerism/materialism agenda, has brought us to this place. Whilst I could write pages to support this theory, and cite you dozens of references from a plethora of sources, I don't believe any value could be gained from that action. I am happy to point the reader in the right direction on this, but for the purposes of this piece I shall avoid discussing the politics of the situation.

It is when we look at the lives, culture and societies of people who live without money that we realise just how much better things can be. The exchange of goods and services between people is achieved without assigning monetary value on everything. Instead of employment, roles are assigned to individuals based on age, experience and the natural progress of developing their skills and talents. The needs of the individual are proportionately taken care of by the group. Individuals are given jobs according to their innate qualities and particular areas of expertise - carers, hunters, teachers, scribes, mystics/shamans, etc. Rules are made, adjusted and remade according to the changing situation of the whole group, by taking the views and guidance of each individual into account. They have democracy, trade, education and law taken care of without paying a penny for anything.

And there it is, in a nutshell!

Money is indeed the root of all evil in our society. That 'way of life' we are supposed to love, aspire to, be proud of and protect at all costs, that 'freedom' has, in reality, only ever served to enslave us. Everywhere you go, every place you look, our entire way of life is geared towards the accumulation of wealth in order to consume material things. Most of us, faced with being stuck in the 'have-not' camp rather than the fortunate few 'haves', turn to debt in order to afford the shit we think we need, thereby enslaving ourselves for x-amount of time. Ironic then, that in this very act we consider ourselves as exercising our freedom! We spend a far larger amount of our precious time working jobs we don't really enjoy and are utterly beneath us than we do actually reaping the benefits of having the money we earn. How much of life's tragedy, suffering and stress is caused by inequality, lack of money, obsession with wealth creation, lack of social mobility and debt problems?

Imagine a world where we were all valued according to our individual worth, our unique skills, talents and qualities. Imagine groups thriving together for the benefit of each other, with everyone knowing how and why their uniqueness contributes to the good of the whole of society. Imagine the opportunities for development, the progress, the creativity and the pioneering spirit that could be nurtured for everyone..

"Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people sharing all the world"

- excerpt from 'Imagine' by John Lennon.

For now, we have to contend with things as they are. If I have learned anything about the problem of money in my life it is in some of these observations..

• If you can find a job doing something you love then you never really have to work a day in your life.
• It's all about a healthy work/life balance - and if your employer doesn't get that then it is time to find a new one. Flexible working should never just be an afterthought.
• If you're not being paid what you know you're worth then you're actually willingly letting yourself be robbed blind.
• A fool and his money are soon parted. A wise man keeps his wallet on a platinum chain with a hefty padlock to which only he has the key.
• Money so often makes one focus on scarcity and what one doesn't have. Always try to refocus on the abundance and richness that is available for free all around us.

I look forward to the day when we, or more likely our children or theirs, can thrive in a world where money is irrelevant, unnecessary and effectively obsolete, where a person's worth is based on the qualities they possess to make things better for everyone, where nobody is left poor, suffering and alone because of a lack of money, a world where we make use of the abundance in life for the benefit of all, a resource-based economy to replace our old and destructive way of life. It may be a long way off, but it is possible. If humanity doesn't fall off the cliff edge it is rapidly stumbling towards, instead casting off the shackles of the greedy old men in grey suits who own and control everything with their massive piles of cash, we can all look forward to a bold new future - a chance for everyone to find their place in a world free of the evils of money.

You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one..

'Money' by Pink Floyd Copyright ©1973 Harvest (EMI Group Ltd.)
Copyright ©2018 Richard C. Greenlow. All rights reserved.