Money Matters. You can’t help it, so live with it!

Money, eh… Every day a heck of a lot of people do their best to get relevant monetary compensation for the use of their professional skills. Yes sir-e bob, money matters! And people need “mazuma” to survive and live ordinary, decent lives… Here’s an approximate list you can make (according to the author’s suggestion, of course) to feel happy about your wealth level. Drumroll, please!

• Food expenses. Like it or not, but an average human being needs to consume tasty stuff on a daily basis to remain a human being.
• Rent payment. Need a non-leaking roof over your head? Well, get ready to fork out for it.
• Education expenses. To get more money to spend, you need to upgrade your skills. In other words, to get an opportunity to level up skills, you need to spend lots of money first. Weird, but it’s the way the whole thing works.
• Debt payments. If you have (and use) a credit card or got to keep up with the mortgage, you know what it’s like to give away tons of money.
• Shopping, grooming and other things that “increase the value of your personality.” A good look doesn’t come for free, alright.
• Healthcare expenses. Buying medicines and food supplements does take a chunk of your cookie jar savings.
• Transportation costs… Though, the case seems crystal clear, doesn’t it?

What is money?

Suppose, you’re OK with the idea that money does matter. Nonetheless, the question remains… what is it? Let’s break this down right away. When it comes to its nature, money is nothing but an agreement in society representing a universal value you can exchange for things, services or any other kind of value. And that in turn raises the question of what value it allows to buy? Follow the story to find out the answer!

Values money CAN buy: Time as the Value #1

The vast majority of red-blooded human-beings are driven by two basic instincts: survival and procreation. Thousands of years ago, our ancestors lived in caves with no food stores. As a result, those poor souls had to spend every waking hour trying to get something to eat.

As soon as we are all mortal, we’ve developed another kind of survival instinct – procreation. Simply put, our genes live in our children which makes it possible to ensure the conservation of our species. So, where does cash fit into the story about two instincts making the core of value that we purchase with cash?

These days, we no longer live in caves. Moreover, we are free of the burden of daily food generation. As a result, we got a priceless resource known as “time.” Currencies make it easy to buy foods produced by other people. And not only that! The “time” value we generate using cash, makes it possible to buy other people’s time and have many things done properly without having to work for it. As a result, we get even more time to enjoy the value #2.

Value #2: Sensual Pleasures

In view of the fact that all we have senses in hearing, touching, seeing, smelling and tasting, it seems natural to spend a couple of spare hours enjoying sensual pleasures. Generally, most of us seek that kind of experience from time to time. Well, ok, we DO need that experience to live a full and happy life! At their basic level, the aforementioned pleasures give us a sense of sensory fulfillment. So, another precious thing currencies can buy are sensual pleasures. Sometimes, delightful emotions need a physical recharge, that’s that.

Need for power: one more value you can buy

Last but not least, there’s one more value that makes a part of the “paid package” holding three items. Item #3 is Power, a “thing” that helps us control our behavior. It allows us to shape our environment in a way that further aligns with our goals in survival, procreation, and sensory fulfillment. Long story short, without power, you just can’t organize your time.

Here’s an idea you’ll like for sure: some say, freedom is a sensible combination of time and power – the ability to do things you want whenever you want. Well, it looks like money CAN buy you freedom! Quite intriguing, isn’t it?

Why do we need money for?

To listen to economists, money in itself makes the primary goal of our existence. In that regard, it seems like our lives are nothing but a sort of consumption-related hassle. Can you believe that?!

It would be much better to suggest that human’s desire in life are more varied, diversified. As for cash, it CAN purchase value, but it CAN’T create one.

Back in the day, Benjamin Franklin said that time is money, which was to mean your time is just a cash-making tool. Gosh, why didn’t he specify why do we need money for?