Hail to the King!

[alt_title: Mo’ money problems, Hallelujah]

Money, despite my adoration for its philosophical foundations, is living proof that the most powerful force on earth is ‘human faith’ - second only to Fortuna perhaps. And just as the Christians and Muslims always preached, faith is far more powerful than our pithy logic.

Our relationship with money has turned religious. Beyond even the basic modicum of controlling society as religion once did. But this zealous faith in the ‘something greater’ of what money (maybe currency is a more etymologically correct term for this diatribe) can do for us leads us to no less noble means and ends than even the most devilish of religions once did.

Currency fits the bill as the ‘global conspiracy’ for our most maddening modern delusions as we worship it, defends its irredeemable acts of violence, and protect its sanctity to no bounds much in the same way that priests defend their God when under attack by atheistic rationlists. But given the veneer of rationality and ‘fairness’ that is associated with money, it has been compensated with much more power than the church could ever afford.

Money too, I argue is no less religious in nature. Instead of the ‘will of God’, it is ‘market forces’, or ‘supply & demand’ that bestowes the same strict guardrails on a life lived ‘according to God’s will’ as one that is economically viable, and by extention socially acceptable. Else you’ll be ostracised in the same manner as the ‘witches’ or ‘demons’ once were, the damned are now unemployed;poor. We prayed for them then, we sneer at them now. Bum, lazy, stupid: Are these insults cast at those worshipping demons or by those who lack money? Fiscal responsibility masks our modern atrocities in a colder, sicker way that the will of the Lord works through disease, famine or slavery. Atrocities of history or at present; no less justified through collective human faith. Victims and victors both deserving in their divine gifts… of poverty or prosperity.

Ancient religions stumbled upon their morals through stories and teachings containing irrational good faith components. While money finds it’s morals in its fungibilty, the percieved fairness of one of anyone’s dollar is the same as any other dollar. The Christian Christ, while supposedly defined by supreme humilty and sacrifice, defaulted to forgiveness, care for others above one’s own, and vague mutual fraternity - even though these are hard to extrapolate given the extent of others’ blood on Christ’s hands, shed by his faithful. Nevertheless, currency as a idol of faith has no soul; cold, hard cash of logic that rules supremely across the macro and micro of all relationships. Defaulting to self-interest, ‘healthy’ competition, and an interest for fighting for ‘fair’, over fighting for ‘good’. Helping a neighbor, with no intention of reciprocity (i.e. A good deed done is one forgotton) is not ‘fair’, economically. But is wholly ‘good’.

I say money poisons the soul. Worship for it, or even just outright participation in its affairs causes one to lose the innate, inner interest of good in exchange for fairness. Even then, financieers will tell you: Life isn’t fair. So then, fighting for fairness implies we aren’t really fighting for life, perhaps sometimes even fight against it - as would be most fair. But what of good? “Good has it’s place in contemporary man, but only as it is fair”, says Money. Unfair but good deeds, unfair forgiveness, unfair beliefs might be ‘good’ - but will never be on the side with Money as what is good to the Lord Money is only what is fair in it’s own eyes.

“All is fair in love and war, but most importantly: money.”