The Root of All Evil?

The world system is driven by one factor – money.

Money was not always the driving force of the system.
We bartered as a way of living which to my mind was a far happier medium.
People survived on what they had and the skills they developed.
A farmer sold the crops that he grew or the animals he bred.
The miller did his share by grinding the corn and keeping a portion for his own use. The baker made bread and sold this to those who had something else to trade.

The system had its limits but people, on the whole, led far more satisfying and productive lives.
Time was spent providing for your family and your future.
People had time for one another and communities were close-knit.
The family unit was sacred and a maniac’s word was his bond.
He was healthier and lived longer with a balanced lifestyle.
Nature was something that was respected, not plundered for its wealth.

Modern man has lost many of these values.
A man now trades his time for money.
He had to work for his money as money was now his boss.
No money means no food, shelter, clothing or anything else.

Man is still a survivalist in a different sense.
His days are no longer spent on the hunt, raising livestock or growing crops.
He dodges reckless taxi drivers, bosses that ambush his promotion and co-workers that hide behind his work.
Instead of growing crops he now puts money into investments hoping they will grow into something more.
Money does not grow on trees but we hope it grows in investments.

The stock market used to be where animals were sold for breeding or profit.
Now it is the place where we trade in stocks and bonds that we never see.
Whole economies place huge value on the sentiment of others.
It is well known that the market reacts to what people believe and not the true value of the stocks.
So you have a market with technical indicators and facts that are controlled by the feelings of others.
I cannot think of a more precarious way to make money.

Society has evolved technologically but at what price?
Mankind used to be patient but not anymore.
We are addicted to an instant lifestyle.
The labour-saving devices were designed for the benefit of mankind and to give him more time.
Some are the biggest time wasters ever and addictive to boot.
Gaming and the internet are two that spring to mind. They do have their roles but can be seriously abused.
You can spend hours on the net never finding what you want but always fascinated by what you find.
Television has replaced the babysitter as mom and dad spend their days working for money.
A survey was conducted some years ago to determine how much money was enough.
All walks of life came up with the same answers around 15% more than what they currently had. Nobody wanted less!

Is money the root of all evil?
That is the same as saying that guns kill people.
A gun has never killed anyone; the person behind the weapon is responsible.
Can money be evil?
No, it is an inanimate object.
The same money that buys you food could be used for habits whilst your dependents starve.
The love of money is the root of all evil which I will examine in another post.

My question today is: How much does money pull your strings?

Money is the last enemy that shall never be subdued. While there is flesh there is money – or the want of money; but money is always on the brain so long as there is a brain in reasonable order.
Samuel Butler, Notebooks, 1912

6 thoughts on “The Root of All Evil?”

  1. I must be out on a limb….. money has NEVER been a motivator for me. I just don’t get it. Maybe it’s because I was born into a comfortable enough situation – not too much or too little money. However I remember distinctly that my parents appeared to be very interested in mixing with the ‘right’ people, usually the successful and RICH ones! and they were not particularly interested in others who had not ‘ made the grade’. It seems to me that the words ‘successful’ and ‘rich’ often appear together and that money is a measure of a person’s success in most cases…..

    It is indeed a sad reflection that mankind has become influenced bythe power of achieving fame and fortune. Although we like to think that we have developed through the centuries, perhaps we have in fact gone backwards in this respect?

    I agree that money itself cannot be called ‘evil’ but I think we are sending our children wrong the message from a very early age and if this is to be put right, we will need to change our thinking and show them that money should be pursued only as a means to an end, the END RESULT hopefully being a far more important factor. I wonder how though…. I really feel if we could change our basic thinking the world would be a far happier place.

    The barter system was really good – with people doing what they did best, exchanging their contribution for something that they were not able to do nearly as well as another might.

    Can we STOP, and try to change our thinking?…………..

  2. money on its own has no magnetism for me personally
    one must be careful to ‘box’ society ‘driven’ by money
    the analysis or conclusions that are made are accurate but there are many other reasons that could be driving society to ‘chase’ money
    self preservation within set rules come to mind
    this is a force outside our control unless we have the full support of all that are inter dependant or the independents
    that money on its own is possibly or more correctly directly responsible for certain behaviours or at the least responsible for the ‘evil’ we sometimes see ie corruption,murder,envy.etc is to a very large extent correct i believe
    society cannot afford the individual to step out of the game rules and therefor an inherent belief that money dictates your ‘standing’ in life or failure if without it is the common denominator
    societies have always based their morals on the combined whole opinion of the group
    so again you are correct
    it is not money but the usage of money by individuals or groups,corporates,etc that make it an evil commodity to trade in
    as said before – i loathe money but my generation and society has left me with very little else to trade with
    values per se are pretty non excistent
    self preservation will always triumph

  3. Hi Nikki. Some folk have no attachment to money and yet when you listen to folk on the TV they say they want a better life for their kids. These are normally poor people that did not have the things in life. Background and heritage have a huge influence in our lives which colors our money glasses. I placed heritage as the number one string puller in my post 5 Things That Pull Your Strings.
    Interesting to note ‘rich and successful’. How many of us associate poor with failure?

  4. Hi Pieter. Self preservation is the main driver as you say but man has no other legal means available except money to pay for what he needs. Unless he owns land and is fully self sufficient.
    But we have the belief that if we have enough money we will be happy.
    Poverty drives a man to steal and even the Bible says that ‘People do not despise a thief who is hungry when he steals to satisfy his appetite,’ but if he was caught he had to repay 7 times what he had stolen.
    Many use poverty as an excuse for failure and a life of bitterness. Whilst poverty is defined in our eyes as not having money.
    Perception, heritage and circumstances all linked together.

  5. Hi Andre,

    I found your site through your comment on my guest post at Make it Happen. This is very thought provoking. I remember listening to my grandparents living and caring life without much worries of 401k and such. Money may not be root of evil but greed sure is.

    We live in society where living without any money is possible but we have cut down on our dependence on money more and more and it has enabled us to survive without any salary right now, but it is not sustainable for long time.

  6. Hi Preeti,

    Thanks for the input. Money is the bane of our existence as it is a terrible boss but a very good servant.
    We have such distorted views in society that we believe money is equal to success.
    Such a pity that we value money above people and that we judge people according to the money they have.
    Being rich should be defined as having the ability to meet any given need at any time.
    It would be ideal if we all used money to bless others as well as ourselves.

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