Money as a performance enhancement drug

Money is a type of performance enhancement drug. When two persons compete, the one who uses drug usually wins and takes away trophies. But things don’t stop here. More and more people will use drugs, with larger and larger doses. In the end, the situations often turn fatal to individuals and the societies.

Similarly, two persons compete, the one who uses money usually wins and takes away trophies. But things don’t stop here. More and more people will use money, with larger and larger amount. In the end, the situations often turn fatal to individuals and the societies. Highly monetized societies usually collapse spectacularly. 

Religions are developed as a tool to counter the lure of money. In bible, it is said the love of money is the root of all evil. In islam, money lending is prohibited. The suppression of money is the secret of long term success of religions. But the success of a religion will ultimately bring back large amount of money and wealth to that society.

How to deal with money? We may reflect on the life cycle of plants.  In spring time, flowers flourish to attract mating opportunities. After mating, plants shed expensive flowers to concentrate on fruits, the next generation. 

In Chinese language, many idioms are about the relationship between flowers and fruits. One is spring flower, autumn fruit (春華秋實). This is nature’s way. Another is flowering but not fruiting (華而不實). This is against the nature. 

But today’s society is very much against the nature. When one is young, one is heavily burdened by low incomes, taxes, pension deductions, student loans. The youth can’t flourish. Many people can’t form families. But when people reach their fifties, sixties, seventies and even eighties, their incomes and old age benefits enable them to live opulent lives. Many of them flaunt their expensive houses, expensive cars and expensive tastes to attract new mates and new admirers. 

Why old people, who are physically and mentally weaker than youth, are socially dominant? It is the prevalence of money. In a highly monetized society, the distribution of resources inevitably becomes highly inefficient. Over time, a highly monetized society is being destroyed by simpler societies, as we are witnessing now.