money ... root of evil?.. Atlas Shrugged

I read it a long time ago but recently returned to light. Good lesson for the young and or the unlearned.

From the book "Atlas Shrugged" written over fifty years ago:

"So you think that money is the root of all evil?" said Francisco d'Aconia. "Have you ever asked what is the root of money? Money is a tool of exchange, which can't exist unless there are goods produced and men able to produce them. Money is the material shape of the principle that men who wish to deal with one another must deal by trade and give value for value. Money is not the tool of the moochers, who claim your product by tears, or of the looters, who take it from you by force. Money is made possible only by the men who produce. Is this what you consider evil?

"When you accept money in payment for your effort, you do so only on the conviction that you will exchange it for the product of the effort of others. It is not the moochers or the looters who give value to money. Not an ocean of tears nor all the guns in the world can transform those pieces of paper in your wallet into the bread you will need to survive tomorrow. Those pieces of paper, which should have been gold, are a token of honor – your claim upon the energy of the men who produce. Your wallet is your statement of hope that somewhere in the world around you there are men who will not default on that moral principle which is the root of money. Is this what you consider evil?

"Have you ever looked for the root of production? Take a look at an electric generator and dare tell yourself that it was created by the muscular effort of unthinking brutes. Try to grow a seed of wheat without the knowledge left to you by men who had to discover it for the first time. Try to obtain your food by means of nothing but physical motions – and you'll learn that man's mind is the root of all the goods produced and of all the wealth that has ever existed on earth.

"But you say that money is made by the strong at the expense of the weak? What strength do you mean? It is not the strength of guns or muscles. Wealth is the product of man's capacity to think. Then is money made by the man who invents a motor at the expense of those who did not invent it? Is money made by the intelligent at the expense of the fools? By the able at the expense of the incompetent? By the ambitious at the expense of the lazy? Money is made – before it can be looted or mooched – made by the effort of every honest man, each to the extent of his ability. An honest man is one who knows that he can't consume more than he has produced.

"To trade by means of money is the code of the men of good will. Money rests on the axiom that every man is the owner of his mind and his effort. Money allows no power to prescribe the value of your effort except by the voluntary choice of the man who is willing to trade you his effort in return. Money permits you to obtain for your goods and your labor that which they are worth to the men who buy them, but no more. Money permits no deals except those to mutual benefit by the unforced judgment of the traders. Money demands of you the recognition that men must work for their own benefit, not for their own injury, for their gain, not their loss – the recognition that they are not beasts of burden, born to carry the weight of your misery – that you must offer them values, not wounds – that the common bond among men is not the exchange of suffering, but the exchange of goods. Money demands that you sell, not your weakness to men's stupidity, but your talent to their reason; it demands that you buy, not the shoddiest they offer, but the best your money can find. And when men live by trade – with reason, not force, as their final arbiter – it is the best product that wins, the best performance, then man of best judgment and highest ability – and the degree of a man's productiveness is the degree of his reward. This is the code of existence whose tool and symbol is money. Is this what you consider evil?

ATLAS SHRUGGED - Ayn Rand (1957)

ISBN-13: 978-0452011878

http://www.amazon.com/Atlas-Shrugged-Ayn-Rand/dp/0452011876/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1310938418&sr=8-1

Money isn't the problem.

Greed is.

Greed is not the problem.

Overreaching, intrusive government is.

Atlas Shrugged is my favorite book; the first time I read it was like having someone peer into my thoughts. America needs a return to true capitalism to save our economy. The greatest period of wealth creation (to include openings of universities, hospitals, and museums) this country ever saw was prior to the creation of income tax!

BTW IndigoWolf I'm a NH native and currently living in CT. I'm going to try to swing the Runs With Wolves poker run in August (cousin has a b-day party that afternoon). Hopefully see you there.

Shawn

IndigoWolf wrote:

I read it a long time ago but recently returned to light. Good lesson for the young and or the unlearned.

From the book "Atlas Shrugged" written over fifty years ago:

"So you think that money is the root of all evil?"

The correct quote should be: For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil: which some reaching after have been led astray from the faith, and have pierced themselves through with many sorrows.


I think a better lesson is learned here.

Captain Midnight wrote:

The correct quote should be: For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil: which some reaching after have been led astray from the faith, and have pierced themselves through with many sorrows.


I think a better lesson is learned here.

Yes, Greed has caused many to rise and fall under its power. To ignore the well being of your brother, sister, neighbor, or even be it your enemy is against the teachings of old. Charity, "sharing what you have" knowledge, substance, strength, love, and yes money, makes a world of difference in peoples lives.

Money just being an energy of conveyance of an agreed upon value in trade is what we give and receive during our day to day lives.

I recently heard someone describing addictions. And how human beings are programmed to be addicted to things in general.
People who prosper and succeed, being addicted to that which promotes that. People that struggle to prosper, are addicted to something else. But both experiencing addiction just the same. Though behaviour is part of the description...we are all programmed to accept addictions...and will behave accordingly.
I would suggest from that...you should try to addict yourself with the good stuff in life....if you can.
Being addicted to money could be good or bad...depending on how you behave and act.

We have discovered that human genes are not fixed, but can be turned on and off by our envirernment and culture, or social behaviour. You are correct that thoughts can alter our DNA and change our character. The Bible says:
Jos 1:8 This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth, but thou shalt meditate thereon day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.
Jesus loves us and wants the best for us. He came to show us how to live.