Money, Sex, and Power — Evil Trifecta or Undeniable Survival Basics?

The instinct to survive overrides everything.

Modern finance is a baffling social science. Throughout human history, the way people agree to transact has evolved- massively. The average human in modern society is transfixed with “earning a living”.

Money has become the thing that drives our lives from day to day. Most people in civilized parts of the world are actively focused on earning, acquiring, spending, or saving more money.

A person in any given city is likely to evaluate successes or failures based on the monetary worth of the stuff a person has accumulated.

This “stuff” includes property, houses, vehicles, bank accounts, and jewelry. But it is even more fine-tuned than large assets like these. Not all people have the constant desire or ability to grow a surplus of money. So what is it that we all want?

A Higher Likelihood Of Survival Is Sexy

Even though we have technological supremacy over our ancestors, the results at the end of each day will tell the true story of how well a man or woman is doing. Real success and fortune could be measured in both ancient societies and in the modern world by the likelihood of survival from one day to the next.

It could also be argued that a man or woman with the skills needed to survive might be more attractive to the opposite sex, which means more babies, thus extending the survival of humanity.

So whether it was a sweet cave boasting the best shield from the dangers of ancient life or a comfortable home in a modern urban neighborhood, the ability to survive is the common factor. A person who has clothing to wear, food to make meals with, water to drink, and a home to rest in at night has achieved the success of daily survival- and that is truly remarkable- no matter which century you are living in.

I want to point out a cool read on this topic by the sharp and quirky Henry Corrigan in his post below.

Is It True That Money Is At The Root Of All Evil?

To understand whether or not there is truth to this ancient proclamation, it is important to analyze not only the motivation behind perceived evil acts but also to take a look at the root of money itself.

A quick peek at the origins of money

Currency appeared on the scene when old-fashioned bartering was not working out peacefully. People did not always want the goods offered in a trading or bartering system. Money acted as a medium of exchange so people could freely get the things they needed and wanted without (as many) disgruntled parties.

Money is present at the root of our transition from instinct-only creatures to a more civilized version of the same monsters.

Sure, the evils of the world might be affected by the motivation to get more money, but it is certainly not the root cause of any evil. The common denominator in the earliest uses of currency was the desire to survive a little longer.

The old saying “Money is at the root of all evil” is not accurate or complete. It would be more accurate to say money is at the root of our instinct to survive.

Perhaps it is our instincts that are “evil’, and maybe we are fighting the carnal beasts within- every time we use tools and language to interact with others in our modern way. We might be actively fighting our evil roots just by refraining from stealing each other’s food or worse.

Money seems to slow down the monstrous aspects, in this regard. While this is all still up for debate, from here, it starts to look as if our basic, human instinct is actually at the root of all evil and money is simply a tool on the road out of the savage past.

Cheers.

(First published on LinkedIn in my articles collection.)