Monday, September 05, 2016

Connection reality stabilizes objectively

In my opinion you earn money when strangers return the favor for some legally provided product or service on a contract basis. Which I repeat a lot in various ways as is a point of view that has helped me, as for instance, think you can sing? Is one thing if friends and family tell you, and even if you get applause from a crowd, but there is an objective evaluation if strangers are buying your songs.

The contract is there for lots of reasons, and can be an unstated social contract, though people will do transactions often with written contracts without even noticing there is one. But for instance can cover things like returns.

However, outside of contracts regarding products or services, or expectation of a return on a favor, even to strangers, there is a VAST amount of human activity, which I tend to see as community oriented. For instance open source software is a global community activity, where money is not part of the contract, even though there are open source licenses.

And of course people do lots for each other at many levels and our species is a lot about connecting and having that support which can be such a great thing.

To me is comforting as money is such an easy objective measure that people can think it tells more than it does. If you DO earn money, where yeah I think if family or friends are paying you is not as certain, then you have in my opinion an objective measure that something you can provide is worth that to someone else. However, you can also do a lot of good for others, which is greatly appreciated, without money in return, and most of what human beings do for each other am sure is without expectation of monetary return.

The pendulum swung in a direction however that emphasized money as it greatly helps advance society. Splitting young people away from families and local communities in what can be a healthy way became part of growing up, as earning money can give an independence, and working involves at least initially usually working for strangers who can expand points of view.

Needing to earn money pushes people outside of their learned boundaries often, can give great opportunity, and give people an incentive to expand the boundaries of human experience in positive ways, though also yeah, can go negative as well.

Thanks to money human beings are pushed to think of strangers not just as some potentially dangerous other, but often as partners in transactions on the basis of contracts that allow for limited social trust with an expectation of monetary return in exchange for a legally provided product or service.

Or could say, needing to earn money often pushes people to get to know more people.

Ours is a connection reality, which pushes people to find connections outside of family, and outside of local community, which can be trying in many ways. But overall is why human civilization is as successful as it is.

Without monetary incentive people can be more insular. Communities can be more closed. Children can remain dependent on family even as they grow into adulthood with little option to escape that dependency.

Money frees far more than it entangles. It gives opportunity more than it takes it. And it can help so many to go so many places they otherwise would never go.

So yeah I write these things also for myself. And I read and re-read and ponder, as I shift my perspective and work harder to do better in my own life. Is hard, but am getting there am sure. Writing out such things helps me understand them.

James Harris
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