From the Archives: Wealth and Poverty of Culture
I really like this one as a concept, it was rather formative!
There is an important idea that I don't think has been properly explored, which is what is the nature of wealth. In my view misunderstanding this idea has lead us down the path we are on in the modern world. I was listening to the Rebel Wisdom @JordanPeterson interview during which he talks about how he doesn't like Maslow's Hierarchy of needs because implicit in the structure of the idea is the implication that the wealthy are morally superior to the poor. I've been thinking along somewhat similar lines and worked out a different perspective.
I think that the misunderstanding of wealth comes from using money instead of barter and trade. Not that money is some all consuming evil, but that we've lost the sense of value as a personal process instead of value being the exclusive domain of the evaluating market. Lets begin by defining wealth. I would describe wealth as having what is valuable. But the secret we've forgotten is that the market does trade in what is valuable.
Let me explain what this means. What is worth having? To me it seems obvious that anyone would trade a fortune to have the chance to be with the one they love. Craftmanship is a more complex expansion on this idea. Creating something with your hands, either for yourself or as a gift has a kind of deep power to it, adding immense value to the thing you create. Creation is a process of love, love gives great value, even spiritual significance to the object of love. A piece of yourself, your spirit, goes into the creations of love, be it through craft or through a relationship.
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