Money is the best tool we have come up with so far to help with the distribution and allocation of resources, and it is a wonderfully effective tool, when, like any tool, it is learned to be used properly. However, it is a terrible habit; it is not hard to find examples of profits being placed before people. And it makes for a terrible master – ask anyone in debt over their head. It has the ability to become all-consuming, driving us further towards neurotic tendencies and behaviours. In a social context lacking other clear stores of values, virtues or meaning, it becomes all too easy to make it a surrogate marker for value. It is interesting that on the one hand it is a clear store of value, yet on the other hand it is ultimately worthless, in that you could have all the money in the world, but if that is all you have, you ultimately have nothing.
A Resource for Mindful Living