Philosophy of Money
How does money and potentially greed influence nature, beauty, sweetness, intoxication, etc.?
We are told when we are young children that money makes the world go around. Our society has fully and whole-heartedly accepted this notion and to the dismay of some, it is true. But does it have to be? When discussing issues of nature in terms of sweetness and beauty, does money influence what grows and prospers in the ground? Would plants be able to grow and flourish if human manipulation was not present? These are all examples of the sway of currency.
I see how societies and cultures rely on money to survive. I also see how a vast majority of things people have are not necessities. Theoretically our species could exist without money and we could still experience nature in the forms of beauty, sweetness and intoxication among others. Apples grew before humans learned how to graft. They may not have been as sweet or tasty as they are today, but they were still present. That sweetness is something that is often looked over due to the abilities we have in science and technology to create sweeter and better products. Same goes for beauty in nature. An argument can be made that everything is beautiful because beauty lies in the eye of the beholder. To some grass, moss, fungi could be beautiful where as others see more beauty in the tulip or rose. Money and human innovation has had an influence on beauty. We can now make things “more beautiful” and “less ugly” by imposing what we can on nature. This does not stop at just what grows in the ground, however. People make themselves more beautiful via surgery, etc. We are a materialistic culture so cars, clothes and gadgets are seen as sexy, beautiful and appealing.
Along with money naturally comes greed. We see that we can improve objects, societies, people, etc. and never appear to be satisfied. It seems as though there is always something more that can be done. Where does money play into the human relationship with nature and philosophy?
It is absolutely true that our society believes that money is what makes the world go around and that is the problem. This piece of paper has completely taken the human race captive. We are under the control of this piece of paper.This piece of paper can make people extremely happy or depressed, it can cause arguments and divorces, and can even lead people to take their lives. But why? People place so much emphasis on money because it gives us what we need and what we desire.
ReplyDeleteWe have become a society that is obsessed with high numbers. Not all students but most could care less about learning just as long as they get the high number grade. Why? Maybe because mommy and daddy will be mad or for some because they want to do well and get that job they wanted. Once again,not all but most of the kids I interacted with in college just want to make a lot of money. They want the job that produces the highest number rather than what makes them happy. What most people do not see is that money is not real. We are stuck in the fantasy of what money can give us. No one is ever satisfied with this fantasy so we want more and more. Money takes away from nature, beauty, sweetness, etc. Because in REALITY, some asshole sometime back decided money was a good idea and we have to pay for the things on the earth that we inhabit. And now we all look at our world through the lens of greed and money. Not a lot of people give a shit about what is truly beautiful or sweet or their view of what is beautiful or sweet has been so distorted by greed and money that they cannot even recognize it. Yeah i know beauty is in the eye of the beholder and thats all fun and games but at one time there was a common understanding of what was beautiful or sweet. People gave praises to nature and even made parts of nature their gods (sun god). There was a common understanding because the beauty in the world and the sweetness in the world was what and who they had. Money just increases the possibilities but always wants us asking for more. We need to feed the monkey so we lose touch with what is real and live life blinded by this lens of greed. If a person cannot live or be happy without money than they do not know what it is to LIVE. If someone cannot find beauty and sweetness outside of money than life is fleeting from them. True Happiness will never be acquired through this distored society we live in unless the individual focuses on and finds what is truly beautiful, sweet, etc. to them.
Though these ideals are very nobel, they are fantasies. Money is what keeps order in our society. Money is simply an intermediary in the bargaining of our societal trade routes. Through money - humanity became a society. Money has the ability to be relevant in local communities as well as a connection to the entire world. Money has become the object to have in our society but what is the problem with that? There are good and bad things to almost everything in our world. Though money's power might be taken as capitalistic, our democratic world strives on the pecking order of society with money has created. In a society without money, the percentage of people who will work will be significantly less because there will be no reason to work. If there is no reason to work, then most people will not continue their education and the influx of new ideas and technology would significantly decrease. Also, If the amount of a thing a person wants is not limited by the amount of money they have, what will keep many people will take extravagant quantities of things? Food, and everything that nature creates would become scarce by our already abundant population and wouldn't most of the things we see as beautiful and revered in nature start to become threatened? Without money, rules are hard to enforce and much more chaos in the world will ensure. While the thought of a moneyless society is a nice dream, it is ultimately a reality that will never happen, or if it did, could be mayhem.
ReplyDeleteI'm one of those people who finds beauty in the most untouched nature, i.e. grass, moss...I'm also apparently quite fit to live in a fantasy world where money means close to nothing. I've spent enough of my life worrying about what having no money means for my life; I'm very much looking forward to graduating and going out on my own for a while, making little money, but enjoying what is naturally awarded to me. It seems, at least in my experience, that money clouds one's vision of life's possibilities. Sweetness, beauty, transcendence all become less vibrant, less intoxicating when your mind is wrapped around where to find money to pay the next bill or buy next week's food. I would be willing to sacrifice a lot to live in a world where natural bounties could be appreciated without being undermined by greed and worry. I personally would also be very willing to work simply for the pleasure of accomplishment; it's essentially where I'm at now, working at a minimum wage job but doing something every day that interests me completely and leaves me feeling successful and happy. These are my own personal forms of sweetness and beauty, lacking in money, yet abundant in fulfillment.
ReplyDeleteI think that the money issue brings in the argument of beauty vs pretty that we talked about. The things money can buy can add to one's interpretation of prettiness but can not alter their beauty. This made me think of Dove's "Real Beauty" advertising campaign. And also, the saying "the best things in life are free".
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