by Luis Riveros

Created on: September 28, 2009

Is money the source of all evil?

Money is not the source of all evil. Human beings are the source of all evil. Human beings are the source of all that is good as well.

Human beings have virtues and vices. Those vices such as ego, attachment, lust, greed and anger are the real cause of all evil.

Money is just a by-product. A greedy human being uses money to cause suffering to others. A good Samaritan may use money to help.

It is silly to believe that a thing such money can be the source of evil. We need to look at the source.

Money has value only because we, humans have dictated that. A piece of colored paper with the picture of another human being has no value in itself. Money does not create inequality. Humans do. When a human being lacks character, values and a desire to help one another in an altruistic way, money could be used to damage others and to take advantage of situations. Having lots of those pieces of paper can even buy someone character or values, but that depends on every human being.

For instance if 'Mike' strongly believes in avoiding hurting others and not killing; naturally, Mike will become a vegetarian and he will not eat products containing 'dead bodies.' Even if someone offers Mike one million dollars to eat a big mac, if Mike has the character of a trust worthy individual, Mike will not eat meat. There is nothing money can do or better yet, there is no human being using the power of money who can influence Mike.

Ultimately, everything humans have created, including money; resides in our heads. The minute we decide that money does not have any purchasing power, that is the minute money dies, and it will become a collector's item, perhaps.

When humans become materialistic and vicious, then money exists as a source of power over others.

If you picture a world without money, a way to barter goods will need to be introduced. If two pounds of rice cannot buy a bicycle, then a quantity will need to be specified that will be the same in different locations. There is a problem when I want to buy a car, for instance. There is the portability and mobility issue of my means for bartering (how much rice?) Therefore, paper does a better work as long as everyone believes that it has value.

Money makes the monkey dance the saying says. For the sake of humanity, I hope that we are not monkeys. The problem of evil is not with money. It is with the dancing monkey.

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