Tower and Town, November 2017 (view the full edition)What Makes Us Human?Money makes the world go around, doesn't it? In the world we live in today, nothing would function as it does without one crucial element: money. Money gives humans this fundamental drive to work and earn. Without this drive, nothing would ever be accomplished. Cars, planes, boats, smart TVs, smart phones; none of this technology would have been manufactured if it weren't for money. Ironically, money itself is worthless; it only holds value when converted into something else. Give two different people £1000 each, one will see a holiday in the Bahamas, while the other will see central heating. What makes money so enticing is its ability to project onto anything we desire. However, many of the things we desire in life are not offered for purchase and are often hard to obtain. For instance: loyalty, wisdom, respect, talent, and, above all, happiness. When you stop and consider how little money will get you, it's a puzzle as to why we are so obsessed with the stuff. These paper notes we hold in our wallets play a big part in keeping order in society. When a person cannot buy what they want, he or she will take what they need by force. How will a mum of two feed her children when Tesco's suddenly refuse to accept the paper or plastic in her purse, in exchange for a chicken? When money doesn't work anymore, the population will become enraged at the abrupt worthlessness of a lifetime's worth of savings. Life will become a survival of the fittest. I previously stated that the things humans desire in life are not purchasable with money, and are difficult to obtain. For most people in the developing world, this would be a fault preventing them from moving up in life. However, even in the most poverty-stricken areas on the planet, small numbers of people manage to acquire happiness in the saddest times; they manage to acquire talent without a coach and loyalty without a master. They acquire these things without money. So, I guess in some respects, money doesn't really make the world go around. If you can obtain the most cherished ingredients of what makes us human, without money, then your life just took a stroll down the right path; if you can live a healthy, happy life and appreciate what you have, even if it's not much, without complaining about what you want or what you don't have, then good things will come your way, I promise you. To contradict myself again, money is a fundamental aspect of what makes us human. But let's face it, it's really not that important. Austin Wilson |