the ultimate good

[Bob Gannaway <bgnway@xxxxxxxxxx>]

You are looking down on one of two worlds, an imaginary one and the real
one. You see this first one divided into countries. In any one of them, you
see people
doing lots of things but mainly working to produce various products which
appear to be
things that someone wants. They may keep some for themselves, but the
advantage of
specialization requires that they exchange products. So you see streams of
products
flowing within the countries and also between countries. Looking closely,
it appears that
the people at the receiving ends of these streams are pleased to get the
products, as if they need
and want them. Those at the sending end are not objecting to sending away
the products
they have produced, but it has been an effort to produce them and they are
not just trying
to get rid of them. However, they are also at the receiving end in the case
of different
products, which they appear to want, so they are rewarded for their
efforts. Everything
seems to be going well. New needs seem to result in action to satisfy those
needs. You can
imagine the dynamics of the streams as a kind of mild tension -- the
receiving end is pulling
rather gently and the sending end is dragging a bit, reflecting the effort
needed to supply
the stream, but there seems to be no conflict. (You guessed right ? this
world is the
imaginary one.)

Now, that other world. It looks pretty much the same at first glance.
However, a close
look at those streams of products indicates something strange. At the
receiving ends, it
seems as if there is a resistance to the arriving flow, as if someone were
objecting to having to accept the products, while at the sending ends there
seems to be a kind of pressure, as if
for some reason there were a desire to be rid of them.  There appears to be
a real conflict.
In fact you can see what appear to be actual barriers at the points where
the streams cross
boundaries between countries. Looking still more closely, you can see for
each stream of
products an opposing stream of, oh yes, it?s money in one form or another!
And the
money streams are obviously in tension; the receiving ends show a strong
desire to get the money and the
sending ends don?t want to let it go. It?s as if there were little or no
desire for products in
this world, only for money. The products seem to be accepted grudgingly and
only if the
need for them is inescapable, because it involves the loss of money.
Everyone acts as if
the only reason to produce anything is to get money.

Do you wonder why in this second (real) world the desire for money takes
the place of a
desire for things people need in order to live, and things that make life
more worth living?
What hidden purpose does money serve that would be a rational basis for
this orientation?
Very strange! Might there be a connection with the division of people into
two classes, the
moneyed and those who aren?t? Perhaps those with money see it as the basic
means of
maintaining their position, while the rest of us perceive money as the only
escape from our
troubles, so that everyone eventually concludes that money is the ultimate
good, the
?bottom line?.

Bob Gannaway