615 words
3 minutes
Trusting Life to Money: The Paper We Treat as Power
Guidance

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Opening: It started with a number#

Rico checked his banking app every morning, as if the digits on the screen could predict the weather of his life. When the balance was high, the day felt lighter; when it dipped, the air seemed heavier. He told himself it was just being “responsible,” but deep down, he knew the truth — his sense of safety, even his mood, rose and fell with those numbers.

One rainy afternoon, his phone died in the middle of a blackout. No internet, no electricity, no way to check the account. For the first time in years, Raka sat in the dark with nothing but the sound of rain — and the unsettling question of who he was without the comfort of that glowing balance.

We wake up, work, and plan our lives around something that doesn’t feed us, shelter us, or love us — but can buy the things that do. Money is the invisible thread running through our decisions, our ambitions, and often, our sense of security. For many, it becomes the ultimate safety net, the problem-solver, the thing to trust when all else feels uncertain.


Why We Put Our Lives in Money’s Hands#

  1. The Illusion of Control
    Money feels like a universal key — the more you have, the more doors you can open. It gives the impression that uncertainty can be managed, even if life itself is unpredictable.

  2. Social Conditioning
    From childhood, we’re taught that success is measured in earnings, possessions, and financial stability. This narrative is reinforced by media, education, and even family pride.

  3. Fear of Scarcity
    Our brains are wired to avoid loss. Money becomes a buffer against hunger, homelessness, and vulnerability — even if we already have enough.


The Strange Faith in Paper and Numbers#

At its core, money is a shared belief system.
A banknote is just printed paper. A bank balance is just a number on a screen. Yet we treat them as real, tangible power because society collectively agrees they are.

Historically, money was backed by gold or silver. Today, it’s backed by trust — trust in governments, banks, and the system itself. Without that trust, the paper is worthless.


Working Hard for Numbers#

We trade hours of our lives — our most finite resource — for digits that can be stored, transferred, and spent. The irony? Many people work so hard to earn money that they have little time left to enjoy what it can buy.


Who Really Benefits From the System?#

  • Financial Institutions — Banks profit from lending the money we deposit.
  • Corporations — The more we equate happiness with consumption, the more they sell.
  • Governments — Taxes on every transaction keep the system running.

The cycle is self-reinforcing: we work for money, spend it, and in doing so, keep the system alive.


The Risk of Overreliance#

When money becomes the sole measure of security, we risk:

  • Neglecting Non-Monetary Wealth — Relationships, health, skills, and experiences.
  • Perpetual Dissatisfaction — No amount ever feels “enough.”
  • Moral Compromise — The temptation to cut corners or harm others for financial gain.

A Moment of Self-Reflection#

Ask yourself:

  • If money lost its value tomorrow, what would you still have?
  • How much of your identity is tied to your income or possessions?
  • Are you working for money, or is money working for you?

Closing Thought#

“Money is a tool, not a master. But the more we trust it to solve everything, the more we risk becoming its servant.”

We can’t escape the system entirely — but we can choose how much of our life we hand over to it. True wealth might be less about the numbers in your account, and more about the things you’d still value if those numbers disappeared.
Money can never be exchanged to return something that has been disappeared, never.

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Trusting Life to Money: The Paper We Treat as Power
https://luminarysirx.my.id/posts/believe-money/
Author
Axel Kenshi
Published at
2025-09-02
License
CC BY-NC-SA 4.0