Money (in the form of coins and papre assets) is probably, if not, the simplest yet most complex invention ever created by human beings. It was created to assist the facilitation of the goods and services exchanged between parties. Originally, people bartered their goods and services. This meant that everyone had to carry their items with them to settle or negotiate prices, quantities of stuff or services provided in person. Remember, this is how we were taught the basic origins of trade, commerce, how people viewed wealth and status under the old barter systems. I still recall being told that the origin of money is a mystery, because know one knows exactly when or where it first appeared as vehicle of exchange for trading goods and services. Its creation created a uniquely privileged event similar to the establishment of agriculture over 10,000 years ago by human beings. Coins and paper money allowed people to barter without having to carry tradeable commodities or services to rendered on the spot. Like the discovery of agriculture, money introduced a way to leverage their time, resources and efforts like never before.
Imagine for the first time people being able to track, save and secure their profits, tradeable commodities and labors for the future? It should come as no suprise to any of us about what this represents as a medium from which a savvy person can grow unlimited wealth. This new system created a new relationship between the haves and the have nots. Under the old feudal systems, the overwhelmimg majority of people were bound to the land or owned by their masters. They would have to give most of what they produced away to the kings and noble families that they were indebted(forced) to. They bartered very little, or were penalized and not allowed to at all! How the game was played was obvious, but when money (coins and paper assets) was introduced into this old relationship, anyone could be manipulated into accepting ongoing collateralized "debt" obligations.
Feudalism, broadly defined, was a system for structuring society around relationships derived from holding land in exchange for services or labor. This is what happened under the new system that money created. But, these situations and relationships became much more intricate and evolved, because one can become quite wealthy without ever producing anything of value. For those who were rich already, money endowed them with immense power, opportunity and influence over everything and everyone. Money inevitably would become its own commidity. Two problems would arise that would re-create the structuring of society around artificial constructs! The impoverishment of people in their respective communities caused by the assumption of "Debt" and the need to work longer to repay that debt to the person or entity owed. The other is "Inflation." Inflation causes devaluation of the money supply in whole communities, thereby, impoverishing the abilty of the people living in these communities to produce valuable goods and services.
Promissory notes were the original form of exchange curreny. Theese paper notes or money, represented real goods and the originator of the note(s) has something worthy of value to trade. For example, if I was a logger, and decided to go to the neighboring town to trade with the butcher for meat and spices without carrying my wood with me, I'd write write him a note. The note would entitle him to come to my ranch to pick three full drums of wood for the winter and cooking. So, I walk away with my meat and spices waiting for the butcher to redeem the note for the wood.
Instead, the butcher visits a local merchant because he needs new clothes for himself and his family. He ask's the merchant, if needs some wood. The merchant says he does, and he hands him the note. The note changes ownership twice and the wood has yet to be picked up. Paper money was created to achieve this purpose, however, the temtation to abuse this ooportunity is high. And, if I the logger decided that he could issue more notes than he has the supply of wood in stock, then a situation would ensue that would make it more difficult for the logger to meet his debt obligations. Sensing that he may lose wealth because a portion of the notes have been redeemed, to preserve his supply of wood, he devalues the notes by simply saying that they (notes) are worth a third of their original value. The logger used leverage to create an untenable situation that could hurts others whom he is obligated to pay (i.e., tradeable commodities) upon redemption of the note(s). Or I could borrow someone else's notes to continue trading in the market. Taking on massive amounts of debt like this is dangerous. If more and more people were to engage in this practice, a recession or depression would ensue.
As a consequence of this, an interesting development occurred during the seventeenth century. The foundations of our modern monetary system was born, because money (coins and paper assets) had to be protected. In those days, the goldsmiths were the experts everyone would give their money to be held for safe keeping. They produced the safes and lock boxes that ameliorated peoples anxieties about where to put their money and keep it safe from criminals. So, naturally everyone would go to them and deposit their money with them. An ugly situation arose from this new habit known as "inflation." The goldsmiths would offer their customers receipts in exchange for holding the precious money entrusted to them for safe keeping. These notes circulated as money in their respective communities. They profited immensely from this enterprise, because only a small portion of the notes was ever returned to redeem the money held in their trust. These professional tradesmen were now bankers, and charged a fee or interest on the notes upon there redemption. They could lend money using the receipts without having to put up any collateral in their vaults. This could only work, if the number of redemptions did exceed the actual deposits of money on hand. I'm sure you can see where this is headed, right?
Many people back then and today feel that the system is inherently dishonest, because it hastens social and economic instability. This is understandable because most people never rise above their obsession with toiling physically just to survive. Therefore, they have no time or not enough tiem to seek the understanding and wisdom to become financially, emotionally and spiritually free. But for those who do make the sacrifice, the whole world becomes their play ground to do, achieve and create at will. Being born into wealth is not a prerequisite for realizing unlimited success like this! The introduction of money amplified the duality and complexity of the expectation to succeed and the devastation of becoming insignificant. And that is still true today.
One final note on this segment about money. In the 17th century, the "gold standard" was introduced by the Medici family (most powerful banking family in Italy) as an idea to back or support the new paper currency. The goldsmiths turned banker, wealthy individuals who owned and opportunists jumped on the goldmania band wagon. To the ignorant masses, the rich and wealthy all relished the fact that their paper currency could be redeemed for real gold. Well, what did this create? It created the illusion of economic and financial security. Profits were earned by continually issuing the paper notes by charging fees, interest and leveraged borrowing (i.e., loans). The main concerns being inflation caused by having too many notes in circulation relative to the store of gold held in safe keeping. This practice generates an enormous amount of indebtedness across the population at large. Money was, therefore, printed just for the sake of printing money. Loans were created in this way and had to be paid back to the bankers/gold owners.
This allowed a select few individuals to acquire and manipulate all of the wealth of the valuable goods and services created trhough the innovation and genius of other people. A new form of indentured servitude was born. If the people living under these conditions, did not borrow from the bankers and gold owners, it would slow down the economy because less and less money would be avaible to transact business. Money could now be manipulted on its own terms, and at the expense of the barter system. Your means of production and livilyhood were no longer yours to control. Some of the bankers and gold owners destroyed themselves, too, along with everyone else whose moneyand precious metals was entrusted to them. Others would have to work and give up the things that mattered most to them to pay back these powerful elite brokers. This was now the new science of how money would be used to dominate, control and impoverish people. It seems that money was a derivative that was created out of the old production and barter system.
What's so ironic about the development of this system, is that the true wealth of all nations have nothing to do with the amount of money they actually have. It is the valuable goods and services these nations produce, distribute and holds that are the real indicators of their power, sustainabilty and logevity in the world economy and market place. Money regardless of what your view or attitude is concerning it is valueless. How's that for some good food to munch on.....
To your success, happiness & fulfillment
Arly Denis
Email: ad1018.mainst360@gmail.com
Ph: (347) 675-4428
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