Few years ago really started thinking more about money at least partly because was puzzled by big corporations at that time trying to figure out how to make any. And it may seem distant but was not long ago when companies like YouTube, Facebook and Twitter were really being challenged by people asking, but how will you ever make money?
And came up with my own opinions about money, which I concluded is simply an abstraction for a favor. And that money is best used between strangers for things of least importance. For instance, if someone is dying of thirst you wouldn't charge them for a drink of water, if you're a decent human being.
Of course my opinions of where money works best and what it is, might not be agreed upon by others, but establishes the basis for where I will continue from here in this post. And I've talked a LOT more on the details in other posts on more than one blog.
Some may have a distaste for money, but then how do you solve the return a favor to a stranger problem? Like say you're hungry and visiting a community, what if people in such situations tended to knock on doors until they found someone willing to give them a snack? And with that snack, how would you repay the favor to the kind homeowner?
In some imaginary idealized world, one might imagine such a thing to be routine, and people might readily give food like snacks at any decent hour to complete strangers asking for it knowing they would do the same.
In our world even a very decent person, who gets a favor from a stranger, can struggle to pay that favor back, or even forward, without, yup, money.
And the simple solution in our world? Go to a store for your snack. Pay for it with money. Favor to you of the food and having it readily available is easily returned by you in the form of money. Cash or credit maybe.
One of the things I've seen in my opinion with people who DO want the idealized world is that they often underestimate the value they bring to the table with their own efforts. So for instance, maybe that person thinks a simple thank you is always enough. Or maybe a pat on the back. Or maybe they will draw you a pretty picture!
Often some of the most vocal people in decrying money are people who don't seem to think too long and hard how they should return favors for the efforts of others.
If not money, what WILL you give in return for a favor to you from a stranger? A smile?
I think there ARE people in this world who don't really think they should give anything back, except maybe a smile or thank you, for even extraordinary efforts on their behalf from others. Yup. There are such people I believe. I think to their credit some see the entire world as just a giant community and that as members of a community such things should just be given to them. So to them I guess, no one is a stranger? Everyone is just a member of their community who should help them?
A basic reality though is that you may be quite willing to return a favor to a stranger, who helps you, and it is a Big Deal how that is done. You don't even know that person well. How do you know they want what you have to offer?
Well, if it's cash, it's easy, right?
If you are a store owner, that stranger can yes, smile, as he hands over the money for his snacks, walks out the door and goes on his way. Everybody wins in the transaction.
Well, as long as they're healthy...um, not going there! You want it. I'm not going to get on your case for buying your snacks.
James Harris
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