Monday, March 29, 2010

How Do You Define 'Money'?


It has been said that money is merely an idea in our heads; a perceived amount assigned to these little strips of paper and coins of metal that we carry in our wallets.  Modern economics, however, teaches money as a “unit of account”, designed to set the economical tone and allow for the trade of goods and service in exchange for money.
Noting that money is that perceived amount assigned to the individual strips of paper known as “units of account”, can it be argued that money is not one or the other, but instead a combination of both?  Could it be that money is an idealized object and just a mere figment of imagination with no real meaning?

One side will argue that, yes, money is simply required to live and is used to purchase things whose value is arbitrary and set to make a profit, rather than provide benefit to the purchaser.  Another side will argue the opposite; money remains the key to the future and what makes the world go around.

Have you ever heard the saying that there are people who have money and that there are people who are rich?  I believe that money doesn’t make you who you are; it only allows for the material and can sometimes prove to muddy the brains of those who want and want and want, neglecting the importance of friendships, family, security, love and safety.  Our world is so obsessed with what money “means”, that we forget that it is merely a piece of paper with an arbitrary amount.  

In the world of Canadian Girl, money has consumed me.  No, I don’t mean the things that the material cannot substitute for: security and satisfaction.  For the first time in my life I can safely say that I am financially secure.  Do I have the most expensive things, or the best of the best?  No.  But I have money in the bank for an emergency {yes, money will get you out of an emergency, I’ll give you that}, a family that loves me, wonderful friends and the love of those around me.  This mere figment in our world’s imagination has become a representation of my own success.  I do not put my full measure of success on the balance of my bank account, but rather measure my success in the ability to cease spending and thus viewing money as a “unit of account” to fuel the materialistic microcosm of the economy which existed in my own head.  I have transformed the “unit” to a figment or an idea.  Money is transformational and its value lies in the beholder. 

It’s clear from my experience that the true meaning of the word ‘money’ will vary among those you talk to.  So, my dears, what do you think ‘money’ is?


Hugs,

*Canadian Girl

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