“Money” [Reflections On Charles H. Parkhurst (ed) Portraits And Principles of The World's Great Men And Women, N.Y. : Springfield:The King-Richardson Co. 1899 - #14A/100]

One’s money without people is not useful, I would say;
When others are engaged with you it lubricates the way
Community can function; it has several roles to play;
How easily we shift our gaze, and quickly lose our way.

The need from which the value of this tool was first derived
Is lost now in accumulating more here by our side;
Not sure just why that is – how many shovels must I buy
To dig the graves for when my friends and family all die?

For money, like a shovel, is a tool which I can use;
Accumulating piles of it – at some point no excuse
Exists, so why should I move heaven and earth to gain some more,
Then stick it in a mattress, taking pride in what I’ve stored?

While bankers and investors rank me one of A-B-C –
Based on what they can earn by storing money for a fee,
The A’s have hundred-K or more, the B’s are over six,
While C’s have less than 1K – they’re the folks no one can fix.

So their opinion has no value, it’s their source of cash;
It seems to me a better question is the one to ask –
What is that “Shovel” for, and does that use apply to me?
Like shovels in my garden, which I use for planting seeds?

Cash lubricates transactions, makes exchange an easy game –
“I give you this; you give me that; plus tokens” (makes the same
In value, so that “Half a cow” no slaughter then entails);
But at its base I’ve something to exchange – and if that fails –

No business then is possible, I have to do without;
So essence is what I contribute, what I am about;
For in some bi-gone day I did it all and made my stuff,
Until I was unable, then to life I said, “Enough!”

Community means we can split the tasks up as we will –
By preference, liking, time involved, or built-in special skills;
So practice gave proficiency, and growth of skill itself
Let traders grow, sub-specialties – far more than by myself.

Of course, exchange must then be part of how we all could live,
From simple to more complex lives, as we attention give
To what we do within our trade, or practice as our art;
It’s been that way a long time now, as each assumed some part.

Complexities of “Age” and “Health” are present to our view;
Communities address these needs, with fixes old and new;
More subtle issues also come – like glut of output made,
And no more need on local scene – so that gave rise to trade.

Efficiencies and better tools exacerbated then
These problems, with a need for more solutions here again;
As populations increase, ramping up the scope and scale
Of problems and solutions, I ask how we might prevail.

I think solutions are derived from need that’s reassessed;
For yesterday’s solutions won’t new problem now address;
So maybe ask if any need exists, and what it is;
And if our name’s not on it, it’s some other person’s biz.

Just like back in Keewatin when the Sunday school had crashed
We did that; then the “Live in” rose from questions that we asked;
For tweaking old solutions to a need no longer there,
Is foolish in extreme – find better ways to show one’s care.

Lord, this is very helpful, gives a better place to start –
Adoption of a process I found useful on our part;
Please help me to stand back and ask, “What needs now have appeared?”
Then help us to address them, once such new needs are made clear.

Thanks Lord for this.

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