Money really does make the world go round

There would be no government, since taxes wouldn’t be paid, there would be no food in the shops and effectively life would simply be a free for all, with those unable to forage or steal, being left to wither and die.

So whatever form of currency we use, it is actually the staple that holds Society together and unlike religion or politics, it is universal and without a doubt, the one thing that dominates all our lives: since without some hard currency in our pockets, we simply cannot survive.

For centuries now, money issues have been an integral part of the human condition and playing cards have even been used to denote currency, as well as shells, animal skins and gold or silver. Since the beginning of civilisation there has been some sort of currency system, which has helped bring order and some stability to Society.

So whilst we may think that we have evolved and are nothing like our pre-historic ancestors, we share many things in common with them and currency is one of them.

All round the world, different forms of currencies are traded, stockpiled, converted and then sold again. People have made their millions and lost the shirt off their back trading currency and as the credit crunch hits, currency converting and trading become ever more important, since the stakes are ever higher and people have less flexibility in terms of losses.

Converting currency is also a gigantic market, since although we live in a ‘global village’ there are something like 150 currencies that are in circulation and whilst the US dollar or euro may be utilised in many different countries, you will still need to convert currency when you travel: after all, would you like your local shops to accept Russian rubles (if you don’t live in Russia) as standard currency? No, it is important for each country or union of countries to have some kind of national identity, symbolised in the currency, as something that unites and binds people together, so when you visit another country, you need to use the money that they do. And for this you need to convert your own currency into another: and that can take some getting used to, since many countries have very ‘different’ currencies from the ones that we are used to!

Most currencies are decimal which means that they are divided into 100, but in Mauritania and Madagascar, they don’t use a decimal system! So that means you can’t just sub-divide things into 10! Notes all look very different and coins can often be shaped in different ways, although the vast majority are round.

So the next time you see a little old penny or cent, don’t just dismiss it. It is not a little worthless coin, but actually the very foundation of the currency system that makes the world actually function!