I say again, money is a symbol for Promises.
And promises are social phenomena.
Promises are about Relationships, Negotiation, and Commitments.
Power.
The power to keep one’s promises.
The power to enforce others’ promises.
A person with enough power does not even need to rely on the symbol of Money. Services, products, and information (the basic commodities of life) will simply be given to them wherever they go.
Actual currency is a crutch for those with less access to direct power. It symbolizes the power that they lack.
A lion does not need to carry a knife. It has 18 knives at the ends of its paws.
The truly socially powerful would not need money.
Those of us who are not lions prudently invest in the best blades that we can acquire.
But whether with claws or with knives, the ‘grounds’ we traverse and the ‘encounters’ with which we contend, are about the exchange of Commodity. Experiences, objects, services, information, and access. These are the commodities. And we wish to have the power to command those things from others.
Whether we use money or whether we use honeyed words; whether we use intimidation or even whether we use altruistic sharing; the inevitable foundation with which we must deal is the expression and the satisfaction of Our Needs and Our Wants and Preference. This is the foundation of the whole thing. It will always be a part of life.