Time is Money.
This saying is also reversible to:
Money is Time.
More properly, money is an abstraction of time used by societal groups to efficiently allocate the time of it's members. Wealth is created by making time available more efficiently to members of the group.
A simple example of how this evolves in the (fictional yet strangely progressive) Neolithic Uj tribe in the tiny Village of Kcodrats starting with no real monetary system, only barter.
Uj Tribe Members in The Village of Kcodrats
| Name |
Role |
Income |
Wealth Items From Other's Time |
| Ecniv |
Leader/Hunter |
Huts, Weeds, Minions |
3 |
| Oduesp |
Builder of Huts |
Meat, Weeds, Direction |
3 |
| Waryerg |
Farmer of Crappy Weeds |
Huts, Meat, Direction |
3 |
Now each member of our sad sausage-fest tribe could have decided to perform each role themselves and share nothing. Hunt their own food, build their own shelter, farm their own mud patch, and do whatever the hell they please any time they please. This is amazingly difficult in practice.
Just go out into the woods and try it sometime (with no modern implements). Simply hunting for food will take nearly every waking hour depending on your climate. In some climes it simply isn't possible for one individual to survive long-term due to the time needed to find a consistent amount of food.
Even these hairy-backed grunting chumps have figured out that it is better to divide the roles according to ability.
Ecniv is good at killing things and has discovered the important leadership ability of Intimidation; Oduesp's more thoughtful nature lends itself well to the task of building, maintaining, and improving huts for each man; Waryerg's natural indolence and desire to sit watching maize grow while sipping homebrewed maize fermentations makes him a better choice as a farmer.
They then share the fruits of their labor each day in a primitive barter system. This is a very primitive form of time exchange. It is far more efficient than having each member do all the tasks on their own in their own timespace but not as efficient as it might be.
Over time the Uj prosper and the village of Kcodrats becomes so attractive that they actually manage to dupe one hot chick, an average dame, and another "male" into living there:
Uj Tribe Members in The Village of Kcodrats
| Name |
Role |
Income |
Wealth Items From Other's Time |
| Ecniv |
Leader/Hunter |
Huts, Weeds, Minions, Rats, Tools, Vintage Furniture |
6 |
| Oduesp |
Builder of Huts |
Meat, Weeds, Direction, Rats, Tools, Shabby Chic Lamps |
6 |
| Waryerg |
Farmer of Crappy Weeds |
Huts, Meat, Direction, Rats, Tools, Floral Arrangements |
6 |
| Le |
Mate of Waryerg / Thumper of Rats |
Huts, Weeds, Meat, Tools, Direction, Hot & Potent Luvin, Collectible Baskets |
6 |
| Ytteb |
Mate of Oduesp / Chipper of Flint |
Huts, Weeds, Meat, Tools, Direction, Mediocre Sex, Rats, Handcrafted Mud Murals |
6 |
| Frank |
"Mate" of Ecniv / Interior Decorator |
Huts, Weeds, Meat, Tools, Direction, Rats, Sodomy |
6 |
Through the simple addition of skillsets and further specialized use of time and the barter system, each tribe member's wealth has effectively doubled.
At this point it would be virtually impossible for one member of the tribe to provide themselves with all these goods and services on their own.
The barter system has enabled the tribe to progress farther as a group than they ever could have as individuals.
If you were ever confused as to how wealth is created this is the basis of it. Efficient time use and allowance for specialization.
"Wow, so societies don't even need money! This is the proof of principle I always wanted for Socialism!" exclaims Gabkcuf the Village Idiot!
Not so fast there Gabkcuf. In the next installment of our primal saga we will explore why that doesn't actually turn out.
Tune in next time (which will be whenever I feel like it) for another "episode" of dubious edutainment value!
Alban Heruin - In modern Druidry, one of the 4 Alban Gates, the festival of the Summer solstice; the name is traditionally translated as "the Light of the Shore".
