"Money isn't the important thing--as long as you have a bunch of it."
Of course, the thing about money is that it enables the acquisition of so many other things. After all, money evolves first as a solution to the problem of arranging complex barter arrangements.
Barter remains. It does not vanish completely.
Friendship, from an economic point of view, is kind of like barter. You don't pay your friends money to be your friends. But you exchange values, enjoyments, and kindnesses.
If you have a punning sort of mind,
you might call friendship "payment in kind".
Several interesting points here. To me, "the thing" about money is that it absolves you of the responsibility to do, and the important acquisition is of the freedom to do nothing, or do as you like. It's the difference between a hike in the woods and a hike carrying another man's bricks.
ReplyDeleteWill Rogers: "It's a great country, but you can't live in it for nothing."
Will Rogers, smart guy!
ReplyDeleteAs for the freedom to do nothing, I'm not there yet, but it sounds good, even though I would surely use that freedom to do something.