Why attention is the Real currency of life
What is currency?
A currency is anything that is widely accepted as a medium of exchange, allowing people to trade goods and services without the need for direct barter. Whether it is coins, banknotes, or digital money, a currency derives its value not merely from the material it is made of but from the shared trust that others will accept it in exchange for something valuable. In essence, currency is a tool that enables the transfer of value within a society. If you have read my previous article on money, you may have noticed that the currency has only value as long as the people who use it belive that it is valuable. The moment trust is lost, even a bar of gold would be just a piece of shiny metal, can't eat, can't even drink.
What does currency can do for you?
If we stop being philosophical for a while, having a bar of gold inherited from your parents will make you rich. In todays world everyone agrees on its value. Hence you can buy a lot of things if you sell this bar of gold. Let's imagine you inherited 1kg worth bar of gold from your grandmother. If you sell it for spot value today will worth 130000 USD. What will you choose to buy from this? If you lack imagination choose from the following list.
• A family home
• A luxury sports car
• A university education
• A small business or franchise
• A sailboat or modest yacht
• A collection of rare artwork
• A round-the-world family holiday
• A year's salary for several employees
• Hundreds of premium smartphones or laptops
• Thousands of books for a personal library
• Farmland or agricultural property
• A large solar power system for a home
• High-end camera and filmmaking equipment
• A grand piano
• A collection of fine jewellery
• Medical treatment or surgery
• A lifetime supply of many everyday essentials
• A luxury watch collection
• A fleet of motorcycles
• A substantial investment portfolio
What you are actually buying?
If you take your time to think about it carefully what you're actually buying is an experience. Yes, you go to the university to get a degree. But university itself is an experience. The experience you gained there will help you to gain more currency for you to gain more experience. Infact, it works just like an investment.
Investment itself is postponing the experience, in hope of increasing your capital to gain more experience.
A grad piano, agricultural property, collection of books, a yacht. When I think about all of these I can see the value of every one of these comes through experience. Which gains access to my mind, through the sensory door. I can walk through the freshly bought meadows of the Texas farm 🚜 😌 and experience the freedom. And I cannot do that from my shabby room.
So the next natural contemplation Or conclusion is that if currency is buying me an experience, then what is valuable for human beings is an experience. The form of these experiences stored or generated in our brains is as thoughts. How we can formulate a thought is by paying attention. Can you see where I am going with this? This is why even at poverty some people are happy and even billioneires commit suicide.
Attention- the real currency of life
So the true currency of life is nothing but attention. And the thoughts generated by this process. Some people unfortunately never get exposed to this truth and chase material success their entire lives. Some, just forget to keep the quality of their thoughts in mint condition to feel the richness of life. I am not telling that we have a choice in the process of thought generation. But if we agree to the fact we are exisisting and living in a body, then there are means to paying attention to things that would generate quality thoughts anywhere on earth.
It could be a jungle, a town, a village, an empty room, a shabby hut or a boat, that you are living. Still there is plenty to look upto. So, what are you paying attention now?
Comments