What Is Money? Is It Immoral?

What is money? Is it immoral?   

First of all there must be a clear distinction between currency vs. money. Currency is something that is portable, durable, divisible, fungible, medium of exchange, and a unit of account. Historically many things have been used as currency such as cows, sea shells, beads, exotic bird feathers, spices, sugar, salt, copper, cigarettes, lumber, nails, stamps, candy etc. They have all come and gone for various reasons such as lack of coincidence of wants, lack of common measure of value, lack of standard of deferred payment, difficulty in storing wealth, and indivisibility of goods. This is an extended topic in itself.    

Money contains all these characteristics plus being a store of value over a long period of time. This singularly significant attribute is what catapults money light years ahead of currency. Over thousands of years of voluntary consensual trade, gold and silver have emerged as superbly suited. They have been chosen through the natural selection of the market as the preferred commodity to facilitate trade. This function has been served splendidly until agents the State took control of it, thereby subverting these most enviable characteristics and perverting them to fulfill the wicked desires of those in power.    

Second of all a clear distinction must be made between forced vs. natural currency. Forced currency is that which occurs by State decree or legislative mandate. It is the most horrid of all forms of currency as it exists only to serve its master, the State. Natural currency is chosen by free people to trade in but which is eventually abandoned due to its inability to satisfy all the needs of a successful currency.    

Money is simply a tool to facilitate trade. It easily transfers value from one party to another for the purposes of a transaction. It is one of the most useful and beneficial of all human inventions. It's existence should be celebrated not maligned.    

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

My name is Danilo Cuellar. Follow me at Peaceful Anarchism. I also run the Peaceful Anarchism Facebook page and produce many YouTube videos. You can support and donate to my work through Patreon or PayPal. I’m a practitioner of Eastern Healing arts with degrees in Acupuncture and Chinese medicinal herbs, I have always questioned the status quo, a path which led me to peaceful anarchism. Through my journey, I have worn many hats, that of a classical pianist, avid chess player, philosopher, comedian, and now father of two little anarchists. My wife brands me as a Cultural Critic, but I am simply following my thirst for knowledge and passion for writing.