Are We Addicted to Money?

[The Sum of Awe]

I'm sure most of us agree that addictions are a thing we'd want to avoid and get out of, but is human society addicted to money? Isn't money the system basic to organizing society and keeping it from chaos? So it makes sense why it becomes a main essential feature we depend on in order to actual belong to civilization. That also makes sense why it can become a burden as much as a supporter.

This addiction is logical, yes. But is it useful? Is it moving us forward or holding us back? What if we're too addicted, too dependent on it that the end of it will not dawn a new, more advanced civilization, but instead takes us back to anarcho primitivism, certain people working certain jobs will have a helping hand in this. Everything we gather is on the shelves. Money loses its value completely and eventually the shelves will be wiped of resources, then what? We're so distant from our hunter-gather state because of money and structure that is inevitable to crash; whether it be from error, or if we advance so highly that our devices will be more valuable than the system itself. What will we do then?

I'm not supporting anarcho-primitivism, nor a lack of the market. Heck, far from it. I'm just not supporting keeping a similar structure for too long, in fear that it might stretch out and break when we least expect it, turning us into something like Mad Max, and even later, something like Castaway. I'm supporting a prevention of those things, I support the idea that we need to revolutionize everything, the entire culture and structure of our world. We are so advanced in knowledge of the recorded past that we should have enough history to cover our tracks when we build a Near-Perfect System, learning from the mistakes of the past rather than looking at the resources we've got and plan about the future simply by science without history (the Advanced Analogous System).

We can already see the facts supporting: The value of the dollar lowering, the public craving of job creation (which would sure be nice if you look at it one way, but looking at it from another you can see it would have no help in getting us out of dependence), and, unless it's not obvious, the increasing dependency and neediness from our system, ungratefulness.

Summary: Money is going to eventually become infallible, but by that time we will know nothing beyond that system, we wouldn't be prepared and would have a very short amount of time (spent in anarchy) to decide what to do with the remainders before we have to start from scratch again. We need to revolutionize everything; money, culture, law, business...

 

[dyanaprajna2011]

I would say yes, and take it a step further- some people view money as a god. It's never a good thing, IMO. Some people gather and hoard money just for it's own sake, which is something I don't understand.

 

[The Sum of Awe]

I would say yes, and take it a step further- some people view money as a god.

I was going to bring that point up, but I didn't in spite of already sounding like a conspiracy theorist and making a bigger frown upon on fellow supporters of laissez faire and freemarket concepts.

Always I was of the opinion that: The fastest growing religion is consumerism, our God is money, the most celebrated religion is Black Friday, and or place of praise is the shopping mall.

Heck, maybe we're so fabricated that the place of praise is Amazon or other online shopping sites.

In either case, thanks for sharing your opinion, now I know I'm not crazy

 

[Amechania]

What medium of exchange would be used in this proposed revolutionary system, bartering? Money is the way we maintain a concensus on the value of goods and services. Whether we use paper currency, electronic credits, or seashells, it's still money, a necessity for doing business. Sure people can become addicted to collecting cash, "root of all evil," etc., but so what? People are addicted to worse things.

 

[The Sum of Awe]

In my opinion, when it comes to addiction to destructive things, worse may be measurable by one's subjective value, but in the long run it's not an important factor.

If someone's addicted to crack and also addicted to cigarettes, sure crack is worse, but this should not at all justify or lift the value of cigarettes.

In my ideal Near Perfect System, I'm not sure what system would be used. It wouldn't be for me to decide. I'd leave it to someone who's detailed in history, team them up with someone who's detailed in logic as well as standardizing things using the scientific method, to decide a system that would work better. Perhaps it will be money again, but renewed. The same exact money, same exact resources, but renew the value we place on them. Sure it'd be difficult at first, but it's better to touch a filthy doorknob than to get covered in filth yourself, right?

I highly doubt it'd be barter, I've seen many issues in the barter system even though most would be related to how people like higher valued things, and if it gets way out of hand it'd ruin us. It'd start out as a good exercise though, as far as I can tell.

 

[NobodyYouKnow]

It is very difficult for me to be 'addicted' to something I've never had.

I can see others addictions to money, but because I have never had money, others note this as being 'jealousy'.

I am not jealous of them, but I'd like to know what 'having money' feels like. All I know is what it feels like not to have money, but having everybody else think that you do (enough to be able to sue you for non-existent funds).

In the end, it will be decided...money worshipers vs nature worshipers and there won't be many/any people left who don't worship money...

Unfortunately this revolution will not be witnessed in my lifetime...

 

[LuisDantas]

I tend to agree at least generally with the first few posts of this thread.

We have become so used to see money as a sure-fire way to security and confort that the association reached an irrational level of strength. Money even became an end in and of itself, which is insane.

 

[dyanaprajna2011]

I've seen this happen: the more money one has, the bigger the fall one has.

 

[Revoltingest]

Money, money, all around. I want more!
Piled high....my oh my, on my kitchen floor!
Already, I've a little bit.
Wonder where there's more to get?
Earn it I suppose I could, if I were a.....you know.

 

[The Sum of Awe]

It is very difficult for me to be 'addicted' to something I've never had.

I can see others addictions to money, but because I have never had money, others note this as being 'jealousy'.

I am not jealous of them, but I'd like to know what 'having money' feels like. All I know is what it feels like not to have money, but having everybody else think that you do (enough to be able to sue you for non-existent funds).

In the end, it will be decided...money worshipers vs nature worshipers and there won't be many/any people left who don't worship money...

Unfortunately this revolution will not be witnessed in my lifetime...

I've seen this happen: the more money one has, the bigger the fall one has.

Now I disagree. I don't think we should point fingers at who's more addicted and who's more likely to fall. I think if you contribute, even the slightest, to the system, and don't intentionally fall short, then there is a craving for money there that needs to be tamed.

I'm not saying to be better at all. I have this addiction, I never said it's illogical, I'm saying that it's going to crash. Like a drug for example, you get so high into it, the drug is amazing, and then when you least expect it, you crash completely, and then it's too late, the drug's the only thing you ever knew. You missed the signs before this crashing, or maybe you saw them but didn't want to consider them: the higher doses, the craving going really wild...

Actually, going by that, I'd say money is the perfect drug to society. All I'm saying is that the system needs to be renewed. Perhaps, and I wouldn't doubt it, that paper money and our current system is the most successful system in history. I would fully support using the same system, however I think we need knew money, it's losing its value, companies are popping up around every corner to contribute to this value sucking. Job creation is good, but unless we revolutionize money, with this old system job creation will only suck value out like a vacuum.

 

[The Sum of Awe]

Money, money, all around. I want more!
Piled high....my oh my, on my kitchen floor!
Already, I've a little bit.
Wonder where there's more to get?
Earn it I suppose I could, if I were a.....you know.

I agree with this, money should be an earned thing not a given. That's not my concern though, my concern is that the more money is spent, each time it circulates, its value drops and a company's value increases. It's making a black hole on the inside that'll work its way out.

 

[Revoltingest]

I agree with this, money should be an earned thing not a given. That's not my concern though, my concern is that the more money is spent, each time it circulates, its value drops and a company's value increases. It's making a black hole on the inside that'll work its way out.

Money & company value don't work that way. But inflation (ie, currency
devaluation), which is an intended result of gov monetary policy can cause
loss. Ask them about their reasons for doing this, but I see:
- Taxpayer bracket creep (to get more money from us).
- Federal debt reduction (due to the dollar losing value).
- Public relations (seeing their homes go up in value).

 

[The Sum of Awe]

Money & company value don't work that way. But inflation (ie, currency
devaluation), which is an intended result of gov monetary policy can cause
loss. Ask them about their reasons for doing this, but I see:
- Taxpayer bracket creep (to get more money from us).
- Federal debt reduction (due to the dollar losing value).
- Public relations (seeing their homes go up in value).

Why can't it? The more jobs, the more companies, the more shopping, the more benefits to twenty-some companies in one setting of going to the grocery store, the more circulation, the more trade, the more demand, the more corporations, the more companies, the more jobs, (circle that around for a few rounds), the more expensive market, the more inflation, the more rich, the more population, the more government, the more government power. >CRASH- The system we're used to is gone, the hand that feeds us left us with the food, we eat the last of the food before another provider comes by then what?

 

[Revoltingest]

Why can't it? The more jobs, the more companies, the more shopping, the more benefits to twenty-some companies in one setting of going to the grocery store, the more circulation, the more trade, the more demand, the more corporations, the more companies, the more jobs, (circle that around for a few rounds), the more expensive market, the more inflation, the more rich, the more population, the more government, the more government power. >CRASH- The system we're used to is gone, the hand that feeds us left us with the food, we eat the last of the food before another provider comes by then what?

How is it now different?

 

[Penumbra]

I like to receive money for my work rather than, like, a pile of wool and wood and milk and silk and some pigs.

 

[Caladan]

I'd take artifacts.

 

[NobodyYouKnow]

Food will become currency.

It's already happening with the welfare cuts and food stamps having tradable worth.

 

[LuisDantas]

Food never stopped being currency, it was just deemphasized.

 

[The Sum of Awe]

I like to receive money for my work rather than, like, a pile of wool and wood and milk and silk and some pigs.

I've never promoted the barter system

 

[The Sum of Awe]

Perhaps, after the system dies and nearly halfway through the remaining resources era, a new form of currency will arise out of chaos and unintentionally, not thought up; authority would belong to the man with better shooting and more bullets. But eventually there'd be no currency at all, nothing to buy unless you go 80 miles out of your way, which is doubtful with the lack of lowest appreciated amounts of resources.