They say that money makes the world go ‘round, but I’d have to disagree. Although our current world economy thrives off of selling natural resources and other items for currency, if there were no such thing as money, my life would still exist and I would still hold most of the same values dear to my heart as I do now, although I would definitely be a busier person.
The way the world functions now, barter and hard work are limited to certain areas of the world, and have little or no effect on the global economy. If money did not exist at all, these systems were in place, I still think that there surely would be some form of exchange that would signify class distinctions, as people are naturally greedy. Something would replace money, be it land or livestock, or even people, as past generations have used.
Money is not necessarily a driving force in my life; rather, I strive for success. I believe that success cannot be fully measured by the amount of money that one makes. Success is being able to take care of oneself and family and being a valuable contributing part of ones community and society. I am a hard worker, and everything I get, I get on my own. I work for it. I am concerned about the welfare of my family, community, and world, and do my best to reduce my negative impact on anyone or anything in my environment.
Without money, I would still have the same values that I hold dear to my heart because my family has never been financially rich. We sometimes went without and have seen our share of hardship. I know that hard work and dedication and support of your family and community is more important than a wallet full of money. However, having no money also involves a lot of work and ingenuity.
Without money, I would have to dedicate more of my time to taking care of my family by working the land, raising animals, and providing essentials such as heat. Without money, this is time consuming and extremely hard work. I would not be able to enjoy some of the things I currently enjoy, unless we were living in a perfect world where everything was free. Knowing that this world does not exist, I would gladly trade all the money in the world to spend time with my grandmother and hear her stories of her life or listen to my mother sing or read or watch the joy in cousin’s eyes as they learn something new.
There is nothing like humanity. Not even money. But we do live in a world of money, and I try hard not to be tainted by the temptations of greed. I know that in our world, it takes money to survive, and I can make what I need to survive through hard work. I will never be dishonest to get money, and I will always remember that without it, I’d still have what I hold dear; my family and my values.
