I have been thinking about money and society recently. If asked, what is most important in your mind right now? Maybe you will answer: happiness, freedom, and dreams. There's nothing wrong with that, it's even good. But, in fact, for the vast majority of ordinary people on the planet, the most important thing at this stage is still money. Many people think that they can't have enough to eat because they don't have money, not because they live in a place where money is wild, so they can't attract the attention of investors and therefore lack employment opportunities? Some people also think that they always feel depressed because they don’t have enough money to live a decent life, buy a house, travel, and pursue their dreams. It’s not that they mistakenly put their true emotional experience in what they don’t have. On something? Therefore, people begin to flow, always from poor places to rich places, going to big cities or factory-intensive areas to find employment opportunities; or, people are always used to flattering, currying favor with rich people, hoping to get their hands on other people's pockets. Get a key to wealth and open the door to happiness? In short, in today's society, nothing seems to be more important than money. People rely on money to spend their days. Moreover, the entire world also runs on money.

When did the world begin to be "short of money"

1. The evolution of currency. In the ancient life long ago, people all over the world worked hard, and then took the things they produced and processed to the market to exchange for other people's things. Maybe the people on the seaside showed shells and pearls, and the people in the inland showed It was wheat and corn, and after constant negotiation, everyone got what they wanted, or not. Later, with the development of item exchange, currency appeared. Currency began to function as equivalent exchange, such as shells, barley, etc. Later, it was felt that these things were regional and inconvenient to popularize, so metal currencies, such as silver, were produced. Financial currency is easily lost, worn out, and difficult to carry during use. Finally, paper money was developed to replace currency in circulation. Of course, it was later discovered that stored currency could earn interest. At this time, currency changed from exchange value to circulation value, and began to have consumption value and investment value. As banknotes were transferred around various financial institutions, deposit and withdrawal procedures became cumbersome, and later online payments emerged. Banknotes began to be digitized and had both data value and credit value. From this point of view, the concept of money seems to come naturally and naturally. Is this really the case? When did the world become completely controlled by money?

2. The rise of colonization. We know that during the Middle Ages, although Europe experienced countless wars and the great Renaissance movement broke out, which greatly promoted the progress of art and science and gave birth to the seeds of capitalism, the European economy at that time was not strong enough. , and even its development is far less than that of Asia, let alone its impact on the world. When did Europe begin to "dominate" the world and develop a liberal capitalist economy? That is - the beginning of the Age of Navigation and the establishment of colonies. It was under the double attack of military occupation and economic plunder that Europe established its status as a colonizer: killing colonial natives, plundering raw materials, mining gold mines, selling black slaves, selling opium, etc. Carefully recall the so-called greatness The development path of free capitalism is actually a history of blood and tears in which mankind began to embark on the road of "enslavement", and gradually formed today's economic operation and social model.

In 1492, Columbus, on the orders of Spanish rulers Isabella and Ferdinand, sailed from Port Barros with 3 ships and 90 sailors, crossed the Atlantic Ocean, and reached the Bahamas, Cuba, Haiti and other places, and then three more westward voyages, arriving in Jamaica, Puerto Rico Islands and the coastal areas of Central and South America. Columbus mistakenly thought that the place he reached on his westward voyage was India, so he called the local residents "Indians". After discovering the New World of America, Spain did not stop and immediately launched exploration and conquest operations. It colonized the Caribbean Islands and eliminated the Aztec Empire. The Aztecs, Toltecs and Mayans soon In just ten years, they were brutally persecuted. In 1532, Spain wiped out the Inca Empire in South America.

Spain imposed excessive taxes on these colonies, mined gold and silver mines, forced the locals to work in mines and farms, and also grew sugar and tobacco. In less than twenty years, the indigenous people in the Caribbean were almost extinct, and the Spanish colonists had to start from Africa. Imported slaves.

In addition to Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom also joined the craze for sailing exploration and establishment of colonies. In 1768, Captain Cook set out from England to the South Pacific to launch an expedition. It’s quite interesting to say that Cook’s expedition was not to develop a colony, but as a captain to accompany a group of European scientists (accompanied by astronomers, botanists, and painters) to observe the transit of Venus to measure the relationship between the earth and the sun. distance between. The expedition fleet was provided by the British Royal Navy and was equipped with cannon, rifles and gunpowder. Cook and his party finally discovered eastern Australia and occupied the east coast in 1770. Cook claimed many of the islands he discovered for Britain and conquered Australia, Tasmania and New Zealand. Within a century after Cook's expedition, the most fertile lands in Australia and New Zealand were plundered and occupied by European immigrants. The number of local indigenous people dropped by 90%, directly causing the extinction of native culture.

It can be said that for 300 years, the Americas, Oceania, and the Atlantic Ocean were all completely dominated by Europeans. They established colonies around the world, and a global trade network gradually took shape. As a result, the Europeans accumulated a large amount of wealth and resources, but due to the uneven distribution of the spoils, internal strife broke out, and they also extended their claws to Asia. India became a British colony, and China also had an Opium War because of its opposition to opium. It was not until the outbreak of World War I that the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the Ottoman Empire discovered that something was wrong, but it was too late. Their positions were replaced by the new powers emerging in Europe. At the same time, for the colonial natives, they also felt puzzled and angry. They did not feel that the arrival of European immigrants brought them the dawn of a new civilization, free trade and capitalist ideas, and advanced medical care. and education, promoted the prosperity of the local economy, realized the integration of races in the world, and even popularized the concepts of justice and democracy, because they did not care about these at all. Seeing their homes being destroyed, these indigenous people must have regretted it. Why didn't they learn about the outside world earlier? It turns out that there are still a group of such barbaric "aliens" on the earth. However, what is the point of talking about these now? The development process of civilization is always mixed with chance and necessity.

3. The formation of the financial system. After Columbus discovered the New World of America, the King of Spain, Spanish bankers, and Spanish merchants made a lot of money. The same goes for Britain and the Netherlands, whose economies developed rapidly. The large amount of money required for Columbus's expedition was initially funded by the Spanish royal family. Later, with the establishment of the Spanish colony, a large amount of wealth was earned from local mining and other activities. As a result, subsequent expedition teams did not have to persuade the royal family to persuade the royal family to obtain local funds. Bankers and businessmen obtained credit funds, and even ordinary people joined the colonial wave and gave their money to businessmen for investment, hoping to get a piece of the colonial pie. Later, in order to reduce the risks on the adventure and personal investment risks, a special joint-stock company was responsible for the collection of funds, similar to crowdfunding. Over time, a financial system was formed.

Although Spain was very powerful at the time, the formation of a very complete financial system took place in the Netherlands. At that time, a financial system including banks, stock exchanges, credit, insurance, and limited liability companies emerged in the Netherlands. The famous ones were the Dutch East India Company and the West India Company. The East India Company sold shares to raise funds for shipbuilding, and then sent ships to Asia to bring back specialties and goods. The East India Company also participated in fighting competitors and pirates, hired mercenaries, and later provided funds to directly conquer Indonesia and make it a Dutch colony. The West India Company opened up a colony on an island at the mouth of the Hudson River in the United States, called New Amsterdam. It was later occupied by the British and renamed New York County, or New York for short. At that time, the West India Company built a wall in the colony to resist the British and Native Americans. The location of this wall is now called Wall Street.

At the end of the 17th century, after its glory days, the Netherlands, a small European country, was replaced by Britain as a financial empire due to complacency and high war costs.

After entering the 20th century, the world situation underwent earth-shaking changes, and Britain's financial status was replaced by the United States. It can be said that after colonial plunder and two world wars, the whole world has truly enjoyed the benefits brought by free trade and market economy in the past few decades. In just a few decades, the economies of various countries have developed rapidly, and finance has become the most popular sunrise industry. Listed companies have mushroomed, stocks and bonds are plentiful, and the tendency of "money worship" has become increasingly popular around the world.

The pursuit of profits leads to the generalization of commodities

1. Refinement of commodity categories. Although many animals and plants on the earth are on the verge of extinction, the daily necessities used in people's daily lives are becoming more and more abundant and replaced faster and faster. There are countless varieties of desserts, lights, and clothes. There are new models of mobile phones that are not yet familiar to us. As for beauty, not to mention, almost every organ has at least one corresponding product. To a certain extent, energy is conserved. The fur of endangered animals and plants may be converted into various products with other chemical components; these products decompose the chemical components during use. Or volatilize, penetrate into human fur and blood, and become part of the "new human being". In the entire industrial chain, human beings are like vampires. They always use their amazing creativity and consumption power to appropriate the natural resources that can be produced and processed around the world, and concoct market cakes one after another.

For example, a lipstick can have dozens of colors, which can be used to match different clothes. I don’t know if it is because humans have to waste resources in order to experience beauty, or to prove that some inventions and creations are just simulations and plagiarisms. . In fact, the color of lipstick a woman wears is not always determined by the color of her clothing. Her skin color is the key. In fact, most of us ordinary people cannot understand many fashions at all, but we believe that beauty must follow certain basic laws. Driven by interests, businessmen have raised this law from nature to the world of money. For example, the more expensive the product, the better the quality, and a sophisticated woman should have different lipsticks. For another example, today's drinks have various flavors, various functions, and added sugar and additives. Many people hate diabetes and tooth decay, but many still love to drink. In fact, all the human body needs is a glass of water, a glass of real water.

Facts have proved that many products are redundant. Their emergence and existence are only developed by businessmen to make money. Keep making the cake bigger so that everyone can eat it. But is it still cake? It will become a piece of meat. People who eat meat slowly turn into wolves. The emergence of wolf culture was imagined by carnivores in the money playground to eliminate cakes.

2. Commodities are transferred from things to people. In the era when serfdom was not abolished, many African slaves were captured in the woods and stuffed into dirty ships. They endured a bumpy journey. The survivors were transported to slave owners' estates around the world and sold at a clear price. They have been working ever since. Work without dignity, embarking on the inhumane path of slavery. I watched a movie called "Roots" when I was a kid, and it still leaves a deep impression on me. And those slave traders did not count the money and say: "Look, these black slaves have to thank us for taking them out of the barren African land and providing them with employment opportunities." These slave traders are not economists. Unable to summarize the benefits of free trade and the advantages of capitalism, they do whatever they can to make money. At that time, a black slave was a living commodity that could be sold, and sellers and buyers had no guilt at all. Of course, after people's long-term and unremitting struggle, slavery was finally abolished, but has the "slave" commodity really disappeared? Someone joked: "Slavery has not been abolished, it has just been changed to an 8-hour working day." Joking aside, we can't help but wonder whether the vast number of employees who have clearly marked wages are jumping from company to company. "Goods" for exchange? However, this time, people voluntarily joined the labor force, and in order to increase their worth, they invested a lot in education in the early stage. In addition to ordinary workers, Internet celebrities and actors with prices at different market levels, in addition to the attributes of natural persons, do they also have the attributes of commodities?

3. Industrial chain trap. Capital is used for production, production is for sales, profits are earned from sales, and profits are used for investment. Simply put, this production and operation process is the basic operating context of the economy and society.

When applied to models, it is the value chain, when applied to enterprises, it is the enterprise chain, when applied to commodities, it is the supply and demand chain, when considering countries and regions, it is the space chain, and when the value chain, enterprise chain, supply and demand chain and space chain are combined, it is the industrial chain. In short, no matter how capital is divided into categories or how profits are calculated, the economic account is nothing more than "receipts and expenditures." If your income exceeds your expenses, you will make money; otherwise, you will lose money. Everyone wants to make money, no one wants to lose money, and it is impossible to balance the income and expenditure. What should I do if I lose money? One is to produce new products and develop new markets. For example, mobile phones eliminated landline phones, and then cameras. The second is to borrow money from banks and private companies, which is a helpless move. The third is to subvert the original model. For example, the real economy is weakening, while the virtual economy is rejuvenated. The fourth is to declare bankruptcy and think about whether you can survive in the economic jungle. If this doesn't work and the cycle cannot be broken, the government might as well just print more money. Money is what everyone is after anyway. If printing money still doesn’t work, should humans think about what has brought society to where it is today?

The troubles money brings to the world

1. The gap between rich and poor. The wine and meat in Zhumen stinks, and there are frozen bones on the road. This is a poem describing ancient feudal society, which is still applicable today. Although human beings have made a big step forward in consciousness compared with before, and sympathy and compassion are values ??recognized by most people, but in the real world, some people live in debauchery, while others lie in the quagmire and struggle to survive. Although everyone has different life experiences and presents different results, when measuring the differences between people, I have to say that the most important thing at present is money.

2. Selfish and indifferent. Money seems to solve all problems. People only talk about money and rarely talk about feelings. For example, in terms of employment, companies often stipulate that female employees over the age of 30 who are married but not pregnant are not allowed to have children while on the job. For human rights activists, this is simply cold-blooded. But for companies, this is a helpless move to prevent female employees from free riding. Regardless of whether the devil is as high as the road, or vice versa, such companies and individuals only consider their own interests, and they live in a naked money track. Some people call the market economy a contract economy, or a credit society. They believe that as long as everyone acts according to the rules, the capable work more and the weak earn less, this society will not be chaotic and will be quite fair and just. People who say this should be regarded as "capable". They cannot understand the suffering of "weak". In advanced societies, people measure their every thought with love and kindness.

3. Credit bubble. For individuals, from the initial exchange of goods to the expansion of consumption, people always think that desires can be satisfied with money, and they can always earn the money, so they continue to upgrade their credit, so with credit cards Appear. For companies, from the initial pursuit of profits to robbing others' profits, companies always spare no effort to tell consumers that they are the most trustworthy platform, so there is the issuance of stocks and bonds. For the government, from the initial tax collection to participation in investment transactions, the government always relies on enterprises and must serve the people. Therefore, it constantly carries out macro-control. In other words, in order to prevent loopholes in all aspects of the economy and maintain this vicious cycle, the three parties often have to tear down the east wall to repair the west wall. This operating model itself is like a Ponzi scheme (Ponzi scheme: Charles Ponzi was an Italian speculator who lived in the 19th and 20th centuries. He immigrated to the United States in 1903. In 1919, he began to plan a conspiracy to invest in a company that was actually fictitious, promising that investors would After getting a 40% profit return within three months, the cunning Ponzi paid the new investors' money as quick profits to those who initially invested, to induce more people to be fooled due to the huge returns for those who invested earlier. , Ponzi successfully attracted 30,000 investors in seven months. This conspiracy lasted for a year before people who were dazzled by the benefits woke up. Later generations called it a "Ponzi scheme" .)

4. Cause war. The development of free capitalism once brought a glimmer of hope to the world, seemingly allowing ordinary people to live a life of dignity and prosperity.

But the world that runs on money is, after all, nothing more than an "economic contract." Once the contract expires, the economy begins to slump, and social conflicts intensify. At this time, "new forms" have to be adopted to sign a "new contract" and formulate a new world order. Otherwise, the "beating drums and spreading flowers" effect of money society is unsolvable. One day this "flower" will fall to the ground, it depends on whose hands the final "crisis" falls. Capitalism, which relies on profit-driven development (because it started through colonization and plunder), often has no good medicine to solve this dilemma. Whenever there is a great economic depression, war becomes a "prescription" to ease the pain. Throughout the two world wars, whether it was based on self-interest considerations or forced to join the team, at this time, the war was superficially a political and military appeal, but in essence it was a reset of the order of resource distribution. The local wars that have occurred in recent years are actually related to resource allocation.

The world run by money is a fire, and we only see a piece of smoke. After the smoke cleared, people's hearts were left in debt. Will that day come?