Is
worthless. What if that was true? What if, all those millennia ago, those that
chose, chose differently?
Instead
of “precious” metals being gold, silver and platinum, and “precious” stones
such as diamonds, emeralds et al, how about they had gone with something else.
So we went with excrement, sand and hair for example. That humans hadn’t turned
out to be a race of greedy magpies, attracted to only the shiniest of items.
Giving them a value above any other items found on the ground or under it.
Deserts
wouldn’t be seen as the harsh environments they are. They would be a hive of
activity. All sorts of enterprises would spring up. Tourists would flock to see
the vast array of riches spread out in front of them. When going to the beach,
there wouldn’t be the constant moaning about sand getting everywhere. Yes, we
would still spit out the grains of sand that had found their way into our food
and drink, but it wouldn’t be in disgust. It would be in wonder at the value
the little grain would hold. Those few grains of sand would be worth something.
It could be exchanged for more sandwiches, or a drink, or a journey home, away
from the beach and its riches.
Water
companies would be paying us to take our waste away instead of charging us for
the privilege. Every time we went to the toilet it would make us richer, make
us useful, and there would be no inequalities in the supply. Polishing a turd
would be the normal.
Hairdressers
would pay you to cut your hair, and would be at the top of the food chain.
Their skill would be valued. No more looking down noses at them. People would
aspire to be hairdressers.
If
we were to go back to the start and do this would it have made a difference to
how we are now? Probably not. Even with such a change in what we consider
valuable, humans have the kind of dangerous nature that would overtake the
upside of anything. The big corporations would still arrive and take over.
Slavery would happen again. This time all of those not smart enough or quick
enough to escape capture would be put into cages and force fed to make the
harvests bigger. Humans would be harvested for their waste and hair so that
others could get rich off it.
All
the money would flow the same way as it does today. Only those not in control
would be even worse off, they would have the fate of battery chickens, or
intensively farmed cows. Only any use whilst they are producing. The bald would
be turfed out to die.
We
would end up in the same state, regardless of what was chosen to be valuable.
It’s just the natural way for the greedy human race.