Money Has Muddled Us
How have we taken something that we created as a STAND-IN for value... and forged a reality where ITS value is far more than anything else?
The way we relate to money is seriously mucked up. We spend it on things that don’t matter. We hate it. We crave it. We fear it. We choose it again and again before the most important things. We let it loom SO LARGE in our lives… when it is only supposed to be a tool that we use to do what we need to do in order to survive… and hopefully even thrive.
We’re just starting a conversation about this today — a conversation that will likely unfold much more over time.
Let’s get into it, shall we?
For You: Today’s Main Course
Money is our Frankenstein.
We created it because, presumably, we were tired of having to haul around whole cows or baskets of eggs to trade and barter, value for value, with each other.
To make trading a bit easier, we created paper bills and metal coins to stand in for value — with a certain amount of them equaling what we approximated that cow or that basket of eggs should be worth.
And then, we had the ability to trade those bills and those coins for totally different things that we also valued.
By now, this thing we call “money” has largely become a series of ones and zeros creating images on a screen.
But it’s still only a stand-in for value. There is no actual value in money.
We can’t eat money.
Money can’t hydrate us.
We can’t shelter ourselves with money.
Money certainly can’t love us.
In essence, all of our most foundational needs as human beings — food to nourish and power our bodies; water to hydrate those bodies (at a rate of almost 70% of their content); homes to shelter us; love — cannot be satiated by money.
Now, money can help us trade for those things (except for love, of course, as hard as we might try). But money itself cannot give us those things. Do you see the distinction? Money is a means to an end — not an end in itself.
And yet…
… you certainly couldn’t tell that, by the way we relate to money.
At this very moment in our world:
Minnesota needs an influx of at least $20 Million right now, to help neighbors stay housed when they haven’t been able to work because of Operation Metro Surge. That number would be a drop in the bucket for any of our country’s too-many billionaires. Or the federal government. Or foundations. Or even the many multi-billion-dollar corporations headquartered here. Or even a collective pooling effort by all of the above. But capital is not moving at that scale here. The only people who seem to be responding to the serious and emergent need are those who can only give small amounts here and there that barely put a dent in the total… and those of us in the trenches can sense those sources starting to tire… while individuals and organizations just sit on billions of dollars.
Speaking of foundations, they call themselves “philanthropy” — which, true to what we’re about here, literally means “love of humanity.” And yet… their business model is to sit on 95% of the monetary corpus they have… while giving only 5% to the communities they claim to serve. And that 5% also includes the money they use to operate the foundation itself (staff salaries; mortgage/rent; other operational costs; etc.). So in essence, nearly 100% of the money just sits there, in the corpus. And not only does it just sit there, but it actively functions as investments in the very economy that has extracted as much value as it can from every single human within it and is loathe to return any of it back to them. In other words, the money dedicated to “philanthropy”… is actually fueling the syphoning of value away from all the members of our community… and not returning any of that value back to them… while those community members struggle to remain housed, put food on the table, and stay healthy. Make it make sense.
I know many small business owners who are struggling to stay afloat right now… while it seems like so many people in our world are sending their money to massive corporations that don’t give a lick about any of us… or to fly-by-night operations that are just trying to make a quick buck while churning out junk. We buy things we don’t need… from people who don’t care about us or our communities… and then we let those things we buy mostly sit and gather dust.
I could go on, but I won’t — lest this get too depressing.
You know that this is all real… and could probably come up with many more examples of ways that we have our values all mixed up, seeming to value money itself far more than we value the actual valuables in our human lives.
I’m pointing out the problem here.
I’m not solving it.
We do that together.
So… what do you say?
How do you see us re-setting our collective relationship to money?
How do you think your own relationship to money needs to heal?
Is money something you’re more likely to cling to… or to easily let go? What are your fears around money? How do you think those fears affect how you relate to money?
These questions are a start.
I have a feeling we’ll be talking a lot more about this massive topic.
Wanna show up for residents of Minnesota who have now been feeling under siege for SO many weeks? Be the wind beneath our wings!
Go to this website: Stand With Minnesota.
There you’ll find opportunities to support mutual aid… crowdfunding campaigns… nonprofits working on the ground… and even real-life testimonies about what has been happening here.
You’ll find love. And you’ll find courage.
Because those two things are what have been powering us all through this most difficult time in our shared life together.
Also, I’m calling out a specific campaign raising emergency rental assistance for families who 1) have a kid in early childhood special education; and 2) haven’t been able to work because of the occupation of our city. These families are at risk for eviction if we cannot help them pay their rent ASAP and, according to my organizing buds, this particular group seems to have fallen through all the other cracks (i.e. they are not connected to other sources of support):
Conversation: Your Response
Got more to say? Visit the comments section!
Now is the time to reach out and connect with others. Life doesn’t have to be so hard. Your community is waiting for you! Advice when you need it. Been-there, done-thats. Commiseration. Support. A place to vent. Guidance and mentoring. All of this, and more, is what I anticipate happening at Community-Weaving for Fundraisers.
Just community-based fundraisers. Gathering for (virtual) lunch together. Twice a month. Year-round. Chatting and supporting each other via WhatsApp in between lunches. Being there for each other.
All you need to do is show up, be present… while I guide, facilitate, organize, and create the container.
Practice: Make It Yours
I have a few questions for you to ponder here.
I suggest you journal with them… and/or meditate… and/or go for a nice long walk in the woods… and really contemplate your answers.
For you to consider:
How do you think your own relationship to money needs to heal?
Is money something you’re more likely to cling to… or to easily let go?
What are your fears around money?
How do you think those fears affect how you relate to money?
Writing down the answers that come to you will be helpful, because it’ll likely help you clarify your thinking… and it’ll also give you a baseline to return to, after you’ve made some significant progress on this journey… of healing your relationship to money.
Inspiration: Wisdom to Mull Over
If we have no peace, it’s because we’ve forgotten that we belong to each other.
— Mother Teresa
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Your article last week did compel me to make a small donation to a group in Mpls helping those who were facing evictions. So thank you for raising the issue. As you state, we live in bizarre times: we see individuals and neighbors stepping up in amazing ways, while the larger corporate and philanthropic groups seem to be on the sidelines. There's so much chaos and fear right now, and it seems to bring a sense of disconnection and inability to be bold or to stand proudly on what we once touted as our values in America. This shows up in our money choices. sigh.