“False Images About Money” by Dr. Joseph Bailey
When human-kind started c200,000 years ago the land/environment provided individuals, and then the family of each, with ‘Values‘-i.e. everything needed to live. Later, when communities formed, individuals and families began specializing in occupations-one family raising grain; another raising cattle; another grinding the grain-and, in turn, exchanging products. In this Barter system people in a certain area mutually agreed to recognize some particular articles as possessing a general standard of Values.
Though their mediums of exchange were material objects (“Value”), their focus was to satisfy basic needs (“Values”). But then things of “Value” (objects to which a ‘price tag’ can be placed) began being viewed for their ability to satisfy their confused ideas of “Worth” (beauty) inside “Values” (e.g. power, prestige, excellence in kinds of material things). Its Principle of Utility concerned the sovereign masters of ‘Pleasures’ being the way to avoid ‘Pain’ and provide happiness. Thus, Hedonism (the goal of all present life strivings) became an Imageless Icon concept, with Money as its Icon Image Symbol. To get an idea of how this plays out, let us imagine the West Coast of the USA to be Reality and getting to the East Coast of Unreality means traveling through seven cities.
In City I, the idea of acquiring Hedonistic objects for purposes of gaining happiness is fantasy. The reason is that the greatest things in life are ‘Free’ and embrace “Worth“-i.e. the Spiritual Elements of Unconditional Love, Truth, Reality, and the Natural. Pursuing ‘Hedonistic Worth‘ (having imageless desirability beyond mere usefulness) means putting boundaries on the boundless Spiritual Elements so as to give them a dollar “Value”-an oxymoron.
City II pertains to buyers or takers’ ego-centered entitlements to Hedonism by ‘any means necessary.’ In negotiations, he advocates a ‘fair price’ for the “Value” he offers while for the “Values” of her product she advocates a higher price. Neither are ‘right’ because of failing to accurately appraise the labor involved, the work’s expertise, the significance of the work product, or the time, effort, and inconvenience involved in getting the product of such high quality to the marketplace.
City III determines ways to reduce the many conflicts (as occurs in ‘value vs. worth’ or bartering or credit) by characterizing problematic buyer/seller self-interests into language messages for amicable business exchanges. This language is about Money “Values“-i.e. symbolic representations of acquisition usefulness + ‘security’ importance for its own sake + ‘Power’ image potential.
City IV are Signs implying what money is to stand for-e.g. flocks, herds, grain, furs, Slaves, silver, gold-so as to create it into an objective Image for negotiating.
City V-by making money an Icon Image, requires promotional Figures of Communication (FOC) in order to fashion gluttonous desires for more, newer, bigger, better, faster gadgets, machines, travel, appliances, and clothes. City VI is Receivers converting FOC messages of greed into an Imageless Icon-an Icon placing one inside a fantasy Supernatural World and stimulating emotions like: “I’m worth having the power enabling me to self-declare I am a ‘little god’; free to live above man-made rules; and exhibit arrogant pride.”
City VII is playing “The Game” of dishonorably pursuing “the Good Life” of excess and waste, Luxury, and Status by disregarding the “Values” of any ‘subhuman’ person or community. It aims to beat competitors; exercise power over people; and self-indulge in fascinating evil things for entertainment. Yet any gains are devoured by fire and ‘alligators.’ Self-hate prevents their goals, whatever they are, from ever being achieved.
In short, the Icon Image of Money is falsely promoted as capable of designing the greedy into “Larger than Life” and “Legends in their own minds.” Yet, Money worship itself-having no independent “Values” reality-is like eating the menu at a restaurant instead of the food. Worshippers also confuse Money with Wealth (an abundance of the Spiritual Elements).
‘Money Greed‘ is a substitute for lacking the ‘Happy Life’s” essential ingredients: safety, security, sureness/self-confidence, strength, and stability. These “5Ss” can never come from what “Selfish Money” can buy. A rich king dying of thirst would gladly give up his entire fortune for a drink of water. Though “ENOUGH” money is essential to living, obsessing over it propels one far, far away from the magnificent-as one will recognize on one’s Death Bed-a recognition not likely to be the facade of ‘Money’!
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