Money as in cash or numbers in an account, has much function. As in Monetary Economics, money can be medium of exchange, a store of value, and unit of account.
In social life, money has broader function; to gain power, respects, buy law, dignity, and many other magical things.
Because of those ‘functions’:
People commited suicide because of money
People left home because of money
People divorce because of money
People lost opportunities because of money
It seems that money as in monetary form has deep influences in nowadays social life.
As for me, it’s not (really).
I realized what really money is when I had Econ101 class in my very first year in the university. I deeply remember when my Professor showed the class a tiny jar consists of ‘chopped money’ (banks notes that no longer used are chopped in the Central Bank to avoid miss-used of them) as a souvenir when she visited the Central Bank. At that time, I just had a flash of a week before the class there was a boy that commited suicide because he was ashamed being lack of those banks notes valued two thousands Rupiah to pay his biology experiment in school. How contrast and tragic!! I thought, the boy wouldn’t have killed himself if he knew what money really means.
Put it in economic logic, his value of life was less than ‘a paper’ written Rp 2.000.
Right that second, I hate monetary system, very much. I thought, how cruel of these people who created monetary system do. How it fools so much people to belive in those notes, which actually papers, to be something most important of their life.
Something to add, my Professor also told the class that when the US began to use cash/coins in general as medium of exchange, the government wrote “In God We Trusts” on it, to make people belive in the value of those papers and coins. What a technique, what a monetary engineering.
The next class meeting, my Professor taught the class how monetary system works, how financial and banking system could ‘create’ money supply as derivative of base money.
My hatred of monetary system grown deeper.
Right that second I thought, how people in banking system could create a lot of their ‘own money’ while millions of the rest struggle to earn some. So unfair.
As I have broader knowledge of the economic and monetary system, my logic thinking of monetary money has grown better. Then I could understand how economic system wont work unless there’s this monetary system. Chaotic, unhandled, and undistributed. (I dont want to give you all economic lecture because it’s not my intention to discuss).
Do everything for money
Million people commute to their office kilometers away from home to earn some money. People bribe other people to earn money. People working nonstop to earn money. People are in street to ask for money. People lied to earn money. And everything else to earn money as their time and energy are just for earning money.
To be able to eat more, dress better, and sleep better.
But,
How much food can a person eat?
How many dresses can a person wear?
How many cars can a person drive in one time?
How many residences can a person stay for a day?
Yes…Not much …. but why do people intend to earn as much money as they can? To buy all those things
I think because “we believe in” money so much. That money can do everything we want and beyond imagination. Put it economic logic, when all people believe in the same thing (that money could do everything), the business works. People do everything, legal or not, for money…money…and money… like nothing else matter.
I did think the same thing. I’m just another person.
Be Better than Money
Until my Dean speech in my graduation ceremony, he said “Kalian lulusan Fakultas Ekonomi Universitas Indonesia. Satu-satunya universitas negeri yang menyandang nama negara. Sudah seharusnya kalian bertanggung jawab atas masa depan negara dan tidak hanya ingin untuk sekedar menjadi kaya!!” translation (You are all Faculty of Economics University of Indonesia graduates. The one and only public university that bear the nation name. You all must be responsible for the nation’s future and not just want to be a rich person!!”)
Really a slap on my face….and become my motivation to do everything in my life.
At the end, when nothing left to support your life and no person wont take order for you anymore, you can’t eat money, you can’t drink diamonds, you can’t sleep on gold bars, and numbers on your bank account couldn’t do something for you; then what??
So be better than money!!
Work as if you help people, develop the world, and contribute to the society. Hoping no return for that. Think that you will earn money for your loved one, families, help to distribute it to unfortunates, not to richer yourself with no other lifetime goal. Then you’ll be happy and life seems so easy.
I’ve done that, and it’s true!
The feeling of become such a help.
The feeling of contributing something to society.
The feeling of developing my nation.
Make my life count!!
Make me count!!
You just have one life, so live it! for you and other people. not only just for bank notes, coins, amount in bank accounts, diamonds, golds, stocks, which actually do nothing for you when they’re not scarce anymore.
Cherio,
I.R
