Fitness And Knowledge As Currency

 

Fitness And Knowledge As Currency
by Rob Cottignies

Look at an American $1 bill.

Now look at an American $50 bill.

Similar layouts, sizes, and inks used on the same material. The only real difference is numbers and letters.

So why is the 50 "worth" more than the 1?

Well, simply, it is not.

Humans made the whole thing up.

No country's currency in any denomination is actually worth anything. It is merely paper and ink. (And metal; but seriously, can we get rid of coins already?)

So why do people worship and base their lives around something which has no value in itself?

…

Believe it or else, money used to not exist.

The barter system had people exchanging goods and services directly to each other. A baker would give a loaf of bread to a butcher, who would return the gesture with meat. Then a cobbler would give them both new shoes and go home with bread and meat. And everybody was happy! (Presumably. I would be happy with any two of those three things.)

Disagreements came about when certain services and goods did not seem like an even exchange or a person wanted something but had nothing of interest to offer in return.

Instead of continuing to help each other, people invented money. A person had to collect enough value-less objects to exchange for things of practical use.

Metal currency was first produced about 7,000 years ago and it took around 6,000 from then for paper money to make an appearance.

Currency is the physical representation of the idea of money.

…

What has happened since money came onto the scene?

Greed, fraud, murder, robbery, embezzlement, laundering, and a society in which people work long hours to make money so other people can make more money so they can all afford things that are actually worthless!

Certainly not all but many crimes are related to money. People turn to behaviors they probably find disgusting because of financial desperation and may even grow to enjoy them, making society that much worse.

Would eliminating money get rid of crime? Of course not.

Property would still be stolen and murders committed, but for practical reasons, which would not excuse the acts yet at least there would be some kind of rational motive.

…

This no-value philosophy also goes for gemstones and mineral rocks.

Is a diamond more valuable than a ruby, or coal worth more than limestone? No!

They are all just rocks made by Nature. Their “value” has been decided along humanity's journey to dominate everything and most people accept them as true. (Same for me. I am not claiming to be an exception.)

When a jewelry store goes out of business, there is often a liquidation sale which heavily discounts the merchandise, indirectly proving the rocks can easily change in “value” because the whole system is made up. Services such as polishing and setting the stones should be compensated but the objects themselves have no actual worth.

And I mean 'worth' in the physiological sense. People pay much more for diamonds than water, but if you were trapped in a cave for an unknown amount of time, would you prefer diamonds in the walls or a pool of drinkable water? (Also, how did you get into that cave?)

Then there is the whole idea that “you can’t take it with you”. Many cultures throughout history have buried or entombed dead bodies (mostly royalty) with money, jewels, and other “valuable” objects to honor the person and support them in the afterlife.

Regardless of what happens after death, the goods in question simply sat there until grave-robbers came along to take the items, making them practical once more. The body was not affected (as far as we can tell) and the burglars sold the goods to get money for their efforts.

Or they died trying to obtain them, since large tombs like pyramids were often booby-trapped.

Was it worth the effort? Nope.

…

My alternative proposal is to replace currency with fitness and knowledge.

The idea of doing push-ups or naming national capitals for a cup of coffee seems ridiculous but is much more beneficial than exchanging paper for it.

I would greatly enjoy fleshing this idea out if the opportunity ever comes along but the first step would likely involve replacing the Treasury with a committee in charge of finding ‘values’ for everything.

‘Here’s your food order. That will cost 20 sit-ups.’
‘Before you download this album, what is the largest city in Nigeria?’

Of course, this method would be a pain if you are drunk and want to get fast food at 2am, but every great plan has its flaws. (Since hypothetical solutions are easy to propose, why not just get rid of fast food?)

Similarly to saving money for large things (bigger houses, new cars), you would have to train or gradually accumulate points toward them.

If you are physically unable to exercise, you can study for and take a general knowledge test instead, which should be incorporated into the exercise plan anyway.

Also, learn some practical things, such as plumbing and auto mechanics.

A knowledgeable, healthy society sounds a lot better to me than folks constantly seeking the most paper-and-ink possible.

People would not be required to run marathons or learn enough to appear on Jeopardy. An average dose of physical and mental health should earn most products and services.

And what about dispensing those products and services?

In this society, everybody would be given jobs and weekly tasks to complete. They would be beneficial and any that prove otherwise would be eliminated. (For example, 95% of the fashion industry.)

How nice would it be to look at a job posting and see the number of people you would help during a shift rather than an amount of money you likely think is not enough?

People might actually want to go to work and be productive instead of simply earning a paycheck.

Is this possible? Certainly not with the way things are. And if this idea somehow caught mass attention, I would probably be “questioned” by people in dark sunglasses and never heard from again.

But wishing is fine, as I hope this article has made you do in some way.

…

If money must exist, a worldwide currency would be excellent. Certain regions of the world do a form of this idea but it is not nearly big enough to be effective by my standards, which are obviously flawless and realistic.

Get rid of money, do some push-ups, learn things, and perhaps the world could have less greed and stress in general.

Thanks for reading. Pass it along.

(Also, please take note that I am not an economist and admittedly do not fully appreciate the benefits of having different currencies.)

 

 

WEBSITES I USED FOR RESEARCH:
google.com, thoughtco.com, theconversation.com, investopedia.com