Monetization of assets is a tool of diasporas. If you don't have to carry your assets on a bag you don't need to have assets monetized.
Not just diaspora but trade.
The earliest money, by which I do NOT mean gold, appears to be clay tablets, basically saying, "Hey, old friend, the guy carrying this piece of clay is my nephew. Ask him the questions and if he passes, give him the stuff we talked about, and he'll carry it to me. Be nice to him, he's my wife's sister's son, OK? And we'll settle up the next time we meet."
Based on trust, in other words. And the need to conduct exchange at long distances, passing through places where gold would not be able to pass but clay could pass. The people who would kill the nephew for gold couldn't read, anyway.
And even if they could read, they couldn't answer the questions correctly.
Humans have a great capacity to maximize our well being. We are not stupid.
But by "money" you probably mean a piece of clay or a piece of paper where you don't have to be the nephew or know the answer to the questions in order to use the thing to buy what you want. Now that does require a greater, deeper, broader, more reliable structure of accountability and trust.
This isn't a Bad Thing. It's a Very Good Thing.
Jay thinks I am evil because I believe in trust, more than shiny objects. In fact, I believe very much in trust.
Trust, but verify. Shake hands, and count the spoons. |
