The Currency of Life

He who jumps into the void, owes no explanation to those who stand and watch – Jean Luc Godard

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There are times in our lives when we are rich, and times when we are poor. There are times when we are somewhere in between, and content to be so. There is always someone who is richer than we are, and always someone who is poorer. We are never on, true, equal footing with anyone else in this regard.

We define our lives and ourselves in these terms. By what we do, and how much we make – How much money we make. There is upper class, lower class, and middle class. There is First World, Second World, and of course Third World.

We, as human beings, tend to only describe ourselves, and others within the boundaries and limitations of money. There is always the question of value. How much something is worth. Even, how much a person is worth. Though money is a renewable resource – When you run out, you can always get more; there is a limited amount of it, It is not easy to come by, and it is very easy to loose. Still, even at our lowest financial points, we find hope… We tell ourselves that things will get better. The tide will turn, and put us back in the game.

I believe that that ability to “get back in the game” takes us out of the game all together. The Game of Life, that is. Our lives are built on the pursuit of the mighty dollar. There are things we have to buy, and money is the legal tender for everything… Well… Not everything.

What price should we tender for a full, rich, splendid, exciting, dare I say priceless – Life. You can’t buy a life filled with wonder, with money. As the clichés go, “Money can’t buy you love, or happiness”. And even if it could, what form of currency would, or should, we use to buy this blissful state of utopia. US Dollars, the Euro, the Yen, Produce, Animals, even other People… There are so many different things that people use to purchase other things. It’s actually kind of weird, isn’t it, that we use physical things to buy etherial things. Happiness, love, joy, hate, misery, emotions in general are etherial. They are not of this world. They are a state of being, and that can not be bought with material things.

But there is a form of currency that can actually buy you the most desired of things… The Adventure of Life. The Life experience is expensive, and what we spend on it is much harder to come by than money, and even easier to loose. The problem is, that it, unlike other forms of legal tender, is not renewable. It is also not bankable – You can’t save it up for a rainy day. You spend it as fast as it comes in. Most of us just throw it away. Most of us never realize, until it’s too late, how much we have, or don’t have.

This form of currency is Time, and it is quite possibly the most valuable commodity in the world. And though, in terms of Time itself, it is infinite; in terms of human life it is very finite. It is the only thing necessary to experience all the wonders that life has to offer. You don’t need money, or things. All you need is Time. And with Time, every single person in the world is on equal footing. It’s not how long you live, or how soon you’re taken form this world; it’s how you “spend” your Time. We are always looking for new ways to spend our money. You get your paycheck, or your bonus, or just a gift; and it immediately starts burning that proverbial hole in your pocket. If we put half as much energy into figuring out how to spend our Time, as we do trying to figure out how to spend our money, we’d all be wealthy beyond our wildest dreams. The truly beautiful thing is, that everyone has the same amount at any given moment. No one’s pockets are any fuller than anyone else’s pockets. We reach inside, and we all come out with the same amount. It is, perhaps, the common thread. That thing that truly binds us all. It is certainly the only thing, within the grasp of our limited understanding of things, that is equal in all things.

Time is the currency of Life. It is always there for the taking. Just reach out and grab it. And remember to always…

…Spend it wisely.