Beholding the Beauty

Something I've noticed recently, even among Ron Paul supporters like myself, is that people seem to have forgotten that ALL money, whether gold, paper, electronic, or moon dust, is fiat. There is no such thing as "intrinsic value". (To those reading this who already know how money basically works, feel free to skip down a bit.  The important bits that this explanation supports are marked below.) Let's examine this from a purely economic perspective first. "Value" is entirely subjective. One can only speak of the value of one quantity of a thing in terms of a certain quantity of another thing. In a barter system, you have individuals delivering goods and/or services (hereinafter, simply: "resources") in trade for other resources. The "value" of each resource is determined by the parties engaged in the transaction, and can only be understood, therefore, in terms of the other resource. For example, Ghassan the shepherd and Shari...

I've noticed something. There are times when I am "in the groove", whether I'm working, or playing. Some After-Action Report observations on these moments, in no particular order. Your experiences may be different; I would love to hear about them! -- I am not aware of the "larger world": I am completely focused on what I'm doing. This is not to say that I forget about the "larger world", just that it is not important. What I do remember of it is brought to conscious thought only if it's relevant to what I'm doing, and only then for actual application. -- I am usually enjoying it. Either what I'm doing itself, or the conquering of it. -- I am usually completely fascinated by the beauty of whatever processes are involved, either physical, mental, or spiritual. (Usually, in fact, it is the unique combination of the three that is fascinating and beautiful.) I know it's hard to imagine that there is beauty in everythi...