Terry wrote: <snip> I wrote: > > As for the "origins" of money. banking and control, that started in the > > Mediterranean basin when the Phoenicians invented money, and probably before > > that in China when they invented paper money. There is nothing new at all > > about any of this, one group rises and another falls as they are swept by > > the tides of events well beyond their control > > Maybe but not to the point of issuing credit.
If Terry is referring to monetary credit, that arose with money itself and probably existed in another form in barter societies. Credit is basic to commerce in any form; a promise to give value in the future in exchange for help in the present. There is no system of commerce, religion, or government which has not been corrupted in the past, is not corrupted in the present, or will not be corrupted in the future. All human mutual dependance is based on exchange, and the value of the exchange is continuously negotiated. Eternal vigilence is the price of liberty and mutual trust is the basis for useful exchange. Someone will always betray that trust sometime, somehow. Looking for conspiracies is useless, a misdirection from larger issues and the consequences of personal choices. But in every moment one can begin anew. In the end, altruism wins and the 'grab it first' person is isolated. The Golden Rule and mutual restraint are useful guides to peaceful coexistence and prosperity. Mike Carrell > > > >
