MONEY: Why it Should Not be the Prime Motive of Man

Do you ever wonder why money is so powerful? People end lives because of money. Wars have been fought for money. People are displaced of their homes and innocent children become orphans. Under the influence of money, people marry others they don’t love. People even birth offspring they don’t care about, just because money influenced the decision. Many, if not all human endeavours are driven by money.

How did money come into being and how did it evolve to become so powerful? They say, money is blood. This aphorism denotes money to be equal to life and vice versa. So they ask, what is life without money? One prevailing narrative in modernity is that, the ultimate goal of life is to accumulate wealth, with money being its unit. Money makes the world as we know it now to go round. However, people who lived before us, when this earth was in its nascency, may not necessarily agree with this construct. My thoughts are that before money assumed omnipotence, it was just another item like say a smartphone or any other item that we can do without.

This essay presents a brief history of money, from the pre-trading era, through the trading or pre-money era, to the money era in which we live now. Then we delve a bit deeper into the current money climate and the structured system we find ourselves in, after which I offer thoughts on what we should aim for rather than money, and measures on how to do it. By the end, I will argue that there is more to life than just accumulating money. This picture of stripping money off its power in the modern world will be particularly hard to see because we’ve only seen money to be the driving force in today’s world. To be able to see clearly, it’s imperative to go back in time to days when people lived very well fulfilled lives without money or an alternative for money in existence.

When the human race were basically hunter-gatherers, all they did was to survive through the provision of basic physiological needs of food, water, rest and warmth, to ensure survival. Almost everything they did was to ensure that they survived. They set themselves out to gather fruits, nuts, etc. and hunt for animals which they could use for meat. They discovered that silicon stones could be carved into different shapes, humans also learnt how to put fire under control. Hence they used it for cooking meat, leading to high calorie intake. Not to forget, the earliest of humans were sharing territories with dangerous predators such as lions, leopards, etc.

Human’s ability to perform higher levels of cognition enabled him to survive these other animals they competed with. Over time, they learned to move in groups to minimize the risk an individual would have to face alone. Later, they studied the behaviour of their predators and preys and adapted their survival skills as such.

Our ancestors started migrating to the various parts of the earth. Although not emphatically stated, the underlining factor through early history is that the early humans lived with a unique purpose of which acquiring money wasn’t involved. They were hungry to discover more – more earth, more tools and technology that would make survival easier. They had deep curiosity for what was in the world around them. They woke up each day and lived for the love of life and humankind. They lived with a purpose powerful than money!

During the early migration periods, humans survived harsh weather conditions, started farming and finally gathered in Sumerian and Mesopotamian settlements. In the first cities of Sumeria, CROP WAS KING. This is because the functions and activities of life are impossible without food. At that point, people just wanted to exist, hence all the work they did was to ensure availability of food and water, construct shelter and manufacture clothing for warmth and rest. As already established, crop was the most essential commodity. To keep track of the crops, they developed the first writing; to protect them, the first armies; and to administer them, the beginning of politics. Things were quite peaceful then, and trading hadn’t started.

Then the Mesopotamian tribes developed the act of trading, specifically barter trading. The emergence of this system was necessary, because it led to gaining of needs and wants. For instance, if I had food in excess but I needed to build shelter for my family, and you had the essential materials for that, but you were also hungry and needed food, I would give you my excess food in exchange for the building materials. It was an indispensable human act.

To ease up trading, humans employed animals such as donkeys. The human mind never ceased to develop. At this point, there were no limitations to discovery, inasmuch as they were very much into trading. Pyramids were built in Africa, Stonehenge in ancient Britain, and temple mounts in Sumeria. Bitumen and gasoline were discovered, and chariots were made. At this time, trading overtook the prime motive of man. Everyone wanted something, and everyone needed something. Definitely, there would be misunderstandings, people would try to outsmart their fellow counterparts for property, because it had become power. If a city had a lot of items that others would direly need, they would be influential, significant and important, and that’s power. It is at the same time that religion spread, and wars started.

By this time, the purpose of man had switched from chase for survival, life and curiosity to pursuit for power, and that power lied in trading. Hence some humans would use nefarious measures to take commodities from vulnerable ones.

Barter trading became complicated. If you wanted to trade say wheat for silver, you had to find a person who would be in need of silver and readily had wheat to give. Even after transporting a long distance with the load, probably with the help of camels and donkeys, accompanied by sweat, thirst and hunger, and struggling to find a willing trader, it was hard to come to an agreement in terms of quantity and value of these goods. This shortfall of trading had to be solved. There was a sudden necessity for a single entity that is durable and represents value that is commonly accepted within empires, cities and nations. Hence the evolvement of a common currency, which would later become MONEY.

This means that the power which was associated with trade commodities would be transferred to money. Furthermore, it means if one has a lot of money, the person can afford and gain anything he/she wants. Money was the genie – it could grant wishes. It could buy food and water for survival, it could grant sexual pleasures, it could even buy other humans referred to as slaves. It could get you almost anything imaginable. Since humans want power, possessions, property and ownership in general, greed hit an all-time high. Therefore, the chase for money became the ultimate purpose of the new man.

Amidst that, a lot happened, from voyages, to revolutions, crisis, wars, science, and whatnots. Two things I want to drive our minds towards are industrial revolution and capitalism. At the time that trading had changed, empires and nations could trade with each other, the highest percentage of the human population were workers – of farmlands, clothing, mining and everything human had discovered as at then. However, the human muscle was the major tool used for all these activities. As humans, we have our shortfalls, we get tired easily, we need rest and food to keep moving. This was slow for the demands of the human race. So a bright technology change had to occur, and with research came the invention of internal combustion engine. This led the start of industrial revolution. It was injected into agriculture. Thence, less people were needed for farming, because technological farm machinery could do the work of a hundred people.

To control the industries, machines and technology, and other areas which weren’t industrialized yet, humans had to be in charge. These people constitute the working class. Notice the significant switch from working on farms to industries. In the beginning, the working class were given low wages, long working hours, and miserable working conditions. Employers sought after cheap working class, as such even children were sometimes asked to be part in labour. Various campaigns were launched to solve these problems. This resulted in a system where child labour became a crime, and children were supposed to school. Working hours were scheduled to be a bit suitable, this has resulted in the regular 9 to 5 shift that is popular now. The 28-day holiday shift also became a thing.

At this point, the people were mostly working for the state, since the state owned most of the industries and enterprises. Private entities ventured into these enterprises, and this launched the era of capitalism.

Capitalism is basically the production of goods and services for profit, in private hands. Their game plan is to invest money into production of a product, sell and make more money off it, in the quest to accumulate capital (money) to become powerful. The owners of companies are known as capitalists, who essentially feed off the money of consumers, who are the same working class they employ. For instance, if you work for Vodafone, and you want to buy groceries, you buy it from Shoprite, and vice versa. Vodafone and Shoprite are two capitalist companies, and the consumers are the employees of these companies. Capitalist activities are affected by crisis. From 1945 to 1973, there were no financial crisis. Unfortunately, in 1973, there was oil crisis, and profits of the companies went down, because the working class were spending much on expensive items and fuel. When oil prices go up, it affects the cost of production and transport of goods, hence causing increment in the price of almost every item.

To solve the problem of low profits, companies had to either go bankrupt, or cut costs by lowering salaries. Hence, people needed to get two or three jobs to ensure survival. This launched a dilemma for capitalists, because if all companies are successful in lowering the salaries of its working class, then who would buy who’s product? To cater to that, they brought in loans with low interest rates, because afterall capitalists are after the money. Once people have money in their pockets, whether they got it from loans, salaries or even from theft, capitalists make money.

Photo credit: Jason Jenkins

Despite the rise of capitalism, the state still maintained control and owned the sectors that ensure life and survival – food, water, health, education, energy, and a few others. Another strategy that the capitalists would use to make money is to venture into these areas, because when there is crisis, people wouldn’t really care about having a nice phone or video game, rather they’d crave for survival. If capitalists would be successful in penetrating or having control over these sectors, they’d be the most powerful. The bad news is they were successful.

Now let me paint the picture of the current world for you in a few words: We currently live in a world of capitalism. Yes, the government and democracy exist, but the power of the world now lies in the hands of capitalists. The ratio of capitalists to consumers is roughly 1:9. I’m not here to preach whether capitalism is a bad or good thing, but what one needs to know is that capitalism has no moral compass. The prime purpose of a capitalist is to make money, not to think about humanity. If they have to sacrifice health of its consumers to be able to get their money, they’d do it without blinking an eye. For instance, if a capitalist realises that production of quality and healthy food would cost so much that the average consumer can’t afford, they’d use less quality ingredients so they can sell cheaper and make money. Now in the end, the consumer gets food to eat at an affordable price, but at the detriment of his/her health. And it’s the same for every sector of life. Civilisation, under the influence of capitalism has led to a rise in certain diseases and ill-health conditions which rarely existed in the eras before us. These include obesity, type 2 diabetes, atherosclerosis, hypertension, osteoporosis, epithelial cell cancer and depression.

One feature that runs through the people that chase for power throughout this timeline is GREED, a human trait. From the early days when humans settled into cities, and started trading, the most powerful and successful traders had greed in them, that’s one reason why they started slavery and wars. In the money era, greed led to all forms of wickedness to gain more. In the era of capitalism, greed has led to holding on to money and oppressing the working class, so capitalists can always have a lot.

Capitalism has designed a structure for all of us, and this is the structure – you’re born, by the time you’re aware that you’re alive, you’d already be in school, and you have no choice. In school, you’re trained to become an employee, to join the working class. You’re kept so busy that you don’t have time to pause, take a look at the system and question it. With the little time you get as your leisure, you’re provided with all forms of entertainment and distraction, such as TV, social media, video games, sports, movies, etc. If you don’t keep up on updates on these things, you’re considered socially unintelligent, a weirdo. In the end, you have no time for yourself. In school, you’re barely thought about real life issues which will tickle your brain ventricle, and make you think deeply. Most importantly, you’re never taught about the most essential tool for survival in our age, money. Immediately you complete school, you’d be grown and you’d start to crave an innate longing which comes with adulthood, i.e. independence and freedom. To be able to do that you need a constant flow of capital, because everything is for sale. Even if you don’t want to do anything, but just stay at home, you need food and water, a bed and roof over your head for survival, and due to capitalism, that costs a lot. So your best bet is to become what you’ve been trained all your life to be; an employee. Hence you go job searching. This may most likely end you up in the corporate world. You work for the good part of your life, in which you’d most likely hate. Tight work schedules have been designed so that you have time for nothing else. You come home so tired that even if you’re motivated to take a step in reaching your ambition, you’d lack the physical capacity to do it. They bombard you with sayings like “hard work has never killed anyone,” forgetting that man sacrifices health to get wealth, then later in life, the same man sacrifices wealth to get health back. As a worker, by the time you’d start accumulating decent amount of savings, age catches up on you, societal pressure follows, majority enter into marriage and have kids. Being a responsible husband and father or mother and wife is a likely full-time job on its own. It leaves you little time to become unscripted. A lot of people give in to the system, and find a way be in a symbiotic relationship with it. So the most active parts of your life is spent working tirelessly, then you retire when you’re weak, and wait to die. The cycle repeats. And this is the life majority live. The new system is slavery, the only difference is we’re getting paid for it.

Photo credit: Nancy Rourke

But what did you work for all those years? In your mind, you needed to accumulate money to afford all the things you needed. But who said you needed all those things? – the people who have the power, the capitalists. Our minds have been systematically engineered to think that all we need is money, and have created all sorts of sayings about money. We are made to believe that we need the latest iPhone, a 16-inch flat screen TV, smart speakers, and whatnots to survive. If you don’t have these things, the system has been designed in a way that you’re deemed unfit to live in this world. If you realise your salary can’t make you afford all these “necessities” and cravings, you start to think of negative ways of to get money. This involves fraud, spiritual rituals, murder, and other examples I mentioned in the beginning of this article.

My dear brother and sister, I’m here to tell you that we’ve all been tricked into thinking that money is the most essential thing that we all need to chase. The people who have the power know that you’d never reach a point where you’d be comfortable with your earnings, because they decide how much to give you, and how you should use your money. Moreover, money is presented as values or numbers. Numbers are infinitive, so once you get a 1,000 cedis, you’d chase a 100,000, and once you get that you’d chase a million, and the chase never stops. It’s just like chasing the wind.

The powers that be know that when you’re enlightened to chase for meaningful things like genuine love, quality relationships, adding value to people’s lives, solving big problems, following bliss, autonomy, and gaining mastery, their power will begin to fade, hence they’ve created structures to completely blindfold you. You will therefore not going to read or listen to very powerful capitalist talking or writing about these more meaningful values. You’re likely going to read something like ‘how to get overcome poverty’ etc.

If you think life is all about money, I want you to re-evaluate it, and see the bigger picture of a world where money didn’t exist.

The problem now is, capitalism is here to stay, and it doesn’t look like it’s changing anytime soon. So the big question is, how do we beat the system, since they have the power, and we’re basically under their control? Personally, I don’t think we have enough strength to change the system now, but the earlier we realise it and pull ourselves out, the higher our chances of causing a revolution. Even if we’re not successful at a revolution, at least we can create a formidable alternative for the next generation. I don’t have it all figured out, but I can share a little knowledge with you which I believe can cause change in those who don’t want to follow this system, considering that there are people who don’t have any problem with the system, and/or they don’t have what it takes to escape it.

The first thing we can do is to acknowledge that there is a force, a control system which has designed a script for us to live by. Secondly, you need to understand that this script is not that right, it is not going to make you financially free, and unlikely to make you live a happy, successful and fulfilled life. This is based on facts. How many people do you know followed the script that have the above mentioned results?

Connect with yourself deeply, and find yourself. Get to know that genuine trait about you that makes you unique, something you’re exceptionally good at, something you can emphatically say is your life’s task. This is perhaps the most difficult part, but if you don’t complete this part you may sink into the system’s quicksand. I recommend reading Robert Greene’s “Mastery” for more information on how to accomplish it.

Invest in yourself so much that you become the best version of yourself and unbelievably excellent at what you do, beheading mediocre. The problem is if you’re doing it for money, anything goes, and you may sacrifice your dreams, aspirations, and life’s task for that. Let the reason why you do it be influenced by something spiritual, something deep within, like love for humanity. When it’s influenced by love, you don’t complete tasks haphazardly, nor do you omit consideration for human progression and love. You need to put in hours to move through the ranks from being an apprentice to a master, and that’s where the fruit of success is. You maintain strength and sanity through all this because it’s fuelled by love, and each step ahead is appreciated.

Photo credit: Leonardo DaVinci

Some may end up being in this same working class, others may become unscripted, venturing into entrepreneurship. Others may also become masters of a craft or skill. Whichever way, because you’re doing something you have a deep connection with, you end up happy and fulfilled. Definitely, the money would be an icing on the cake, because your product, skill or craft is of high value.

Note that formal education is as necessary as informal education, so learn both.  Educate yourself about finance.

The reality is you have to manoeuvre through the system, so you may be in the working class for some time, doing jobs you hate, to be able to sustain life. Whilst doing that, you may have your back against the wall, then you’d have to launch a death ground strategy. You have to plan and replan to find means to work on your life’s task also (find more details in ‘33 Strategies of War’ by Robert Greene).

Lastly, once you’re successful, ensure autonomy and freedom, because even from psychological research those are two major factors that guarantee happiness.

These steps outlined are not a one-size-fits-all solution. It may work for Kofi, but not Ama. But the truth shall set you free, and once you know the truth, you search for the meaning of life and purpose, and that’d surely lead to your destination.