It was only this week that I found out about the DSB debacle. “Where have you lived!” a friend asked me. I hardly ever watch television, and I am reading a great book that withdrew my attention from looking through the newspapers. After a quick Google-search I consumed the news around the bankruptcy of DSB Bank and Beheer, and as dessert I threated myself on some articles on Afab.
What is going wrong? Nothing! Everything works out as expected. Who is guilty? Everybody is. Why? Because we all let money loose its validity.
Money became an object of desire, rather than a tool. To gain a quick win, organisations like DSB and Afab used the stupidity of people who think that money is desirable. And of people who lack competence of making enough money themselves. People with no power to create, with no understanding of the root of money. They were able to get large sums of it. How were they ever able to return it? They weren’t. They don’t have the skills, the talents and the energy to produce. Face it: You can’t just take money, you have to make it! And if you can’t, then lower your desires. You can’t consume more than you produce. Let that be clear once and for all.
Money was gold once. A noble metal that is created by nature and extracted by men, who used their energy to gain it. Money should go back to its original meaning, to its root, being the equivalent of energy. In the old days money was rare, nowadays it has become a commodity itself.
And to be honest, is this collecting of money what we live for? Does a new kitchen, made possible by Lenen.nl (Borrowing.nl), really make you happy? Does your girlfriend really likes you more when you buy that new car on tick (She does? You’d better scratch your head.) My answer is No!
People should have the desire to MAKE money, not to own it. In a world where we are focused on consumption, the whole idea of production – thus making – has moved to the background. It is only the true entrepreneurs that understand the concept of production. They use their skills, their talents, their energy to produce something that adds value.
Our capacity to think, and realize what we think with our talents, is what justifies making use of money. Without that capacity there is nothing to trade and no solid ground for spending money. People that only see themselves consuming, instead of producing first, are the ones that break down a society.
Money means trade. It makes you see what other people think of what your effort is worth. And money isn’t respected enough. It is put in bad quality table wear, in services that add nothing to existence, in clothing that has no story. If money was respected it would be spent on the best products available. The source behind that product would use the money to enhance even more. That, dear readers, is innovation.
Since I started to use the animal kingdom as analogy for my Considered Thoughts here on Klatergoud.com, I continue to do so here. Money is like poison. It can harm those who underestimate its value. But it is not poison for all. Not for those who, like peafowls, turn ‘poison’ into something great. Peafowls can eat poisonous insects and snakes. While other birds would be killed by eating the same insects, it will give the peafowls even brighter, shinier and more colorful feathers.
It is despise that I can feel seeing all those clerical workers that just sit behind their desks, getting their salary every month, not using their ability to think. Being available from 9 to 5 is what is being paid for by so many organisations, instead of high quality deliverables. Just look at our civil service. But because our Dutch society lacks vision, it might take a while before this inefficient rewarding will be seen. Hopefully it won’t be too late by then.
What did you do for making your money?
Living her dreams and inhabited the characteristics of her favourite animal, the butterfly, Maureen contributes to the world by creating, connecting and expressing good nature. She graduated in Communication Studies from the University of Amsterdam and perceives herself as the eternal student. Finding her peace in listening to birds and philosophizing with friends. She is co-founder of Artistieke krachten and Rightside and founder of Fiero Creations. She works on projects in which people are to use her knowledge. Maureen travels to SFO and BCN, listens to Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater and Jenna Attison, wears Kookai and Anti-flirt, eats salads and Asian cuisine, reads Aristotle and Vanity Fair, rides horse and bicycle and refuses to be subject of destructive emotions.