Attention; the currency of life

To work with money, it helps to see it for what it really is.

Today I met Doug. He is very cool to talk to. For a while the topic turned to learning how to invest. He pointed out that a good investment is better if you invest in something that you really want anyway.

Later we got to talking about how money is just a substitute for the real currency… attention. We give somebody our attention and they give us a token (money). We give our token to someone else for their attention, or a product of their attention.

Money takes our basic currency (attention) and abstracts it, allowing us to save and trade conveniently.
Money is also convenient for governments and corporations to snatch a piece off the top.
: It is easy to tax (income tax, sales tax, inheritance tax, etc)
: It is easy to add fees (markups, interest, service fees, handling, etc.)

Money makes precise accounting possible; allowing us to obsess about just exactly how much is controlled by whom. That obsessing has us spending a great deal of our resources on accounting and legal services to help keep things straight.

Easy credit is another thing that turns the convenience of money into a tool for predators to enslave people. Like good predators, they study the habits of their prey (you), set out bait that you really want, and make it easy for you to enter their trap.

Every time you handle a piece of money, I estimate that you lose at least 60% for the reasons listed above. You focus on money because money is convenient and it is easy to quantify what you “own”.

Now, consider the advantages of shortening the loop. Don’t deal primarily in the tokens. Invest in the primary currency; attention. Build wealth by investing your time and talents in your neighbors (however you define neighbors). It is fun and satisfying, giving you immediate dividends. You can afford to NOT account for your investment because you can afford lots of losses and still be better off than dealing in just money. This frees up your soul and makes you more productive (and more fun).

Invest in everybody around you (some are better investments than others). Your wealth will not be easily measured, or taxed, or stolen or depleted. This kind of wealth is not portable or convenient to spend, but it is efficient and satisfying, and very real.