People Who Say Money is Evil Just Don't Know How to Make It(scottscheper.posterous.com) |
People Who Say Money is Evil Just Don't Know How to Make It(scottscheper.posterous.com) |
If you understand that money is the way that we interact with other people by having a currency to exchange effort then you realize that the 'love' of money or the wanting of money that you have not earned is evil. That trying to fake the amount of effort that you have created and trying to interact with other people on the basis that you have not contributed your part, then that is evil. Money is the root of all that is good because it allows people to interact with each other without ever feeling obligated to a person for doing too many favor's and never getting a favor in return.
For instance, if someone asks you to do something and you and you ask for a few dollars to do it, then once the task is complete, then everything is balanced. If on the other hand, you do the favor without getting a few dollars, you are then in debt to that person for a favor. You might take pause at this moment but consider that the other person might come back and ask for another small favor, and another small favor. At some point, you begin living for that person. You might think that doing that favor makes you feel good and that is enough to balance the interaction but how any favors will it take before you no longer feel good doing them? Money resolves this situation by allowing people to trade effort and not ever worry about the favor situations. If you ask me to mow your lawn, I'm going to ask for something in return either through an appropriate level of a task or money. There is a system of trade with built in honor. Everyone knows that the money that the other person has is earned so it's fair to make exchanges. Where it becomes evil is when lazy people cheat their way to money and try to engage in the system.
If you think you might agree with this statement, check out Objectivism and 'Atlas Shrugged' by Ayn Rand for a great breakdown on why money is not the root of evil, money is the root of all that is good.
It's a tool, and like all tools, it's inherently neutral. If I use a hammer to kill a squirrel, is the hammer evil? No.