Money, always seeming so simple and straight forward to us is actually a very abstract concept. Money has always been seen as the bills we hold in our wallet or the coins in our pockets but we don’t actually hold on to that money for very long. Aside from what we carry on us, which is a minute portion of our entire wealth, all our money goes through banks and business transactions. The twenty-dollar bill we held in our hands yesterday is long gone.  That one bill will not be seen again after it is passed to the bank teller to be put into our account. Once it’s in the bank system it’s just a combination of numbers. This small transaction shows the fragility of our wealth and money.

Money is an object with a value of whatever our country says it is. Bills are fabric and coins are metal; if the government were to fall we would be left with worthless objects. While virtual money makes everyone’s lives easier we have lost touch with our physical concept of wealth. All we have are small plastic cards that we swipe at a whim without a second thought. Our society has associated money with an infinite source of income and has forgotten about the disastrous re precautions of their excessive spending. It isn’t until the numbers in our bank accounts start to dwindle away to nothing that we realize our follies. Money is powerful and without a constant physical representation of our wealth we lose sight of what we have.

In the story of the Island of Yap their currency was the fei, a large polished stone that grew in value as the size increased. As odd as this sounds the fact that these fei sometimes remained in the same place as ownership changed seems even stranger. While this system seems strange to us it is much more physical to them than how we store our money. The ability to always see our money gives a better sense of security then a number the bank tells us.

Money controls us and how we run our lives, but the currency itself is whatever we trust it is.  Whether it is huge stone fei or fabric bills, without an agreed upon system they are nothing. Money now is more abstract than ever making it fragile yet the people trust in our economy making it strong.