I think a more concise way to explain money is that it functions as contract, with one side an asset and the other a debt, but we treat it as a commodity, to save and store, because we experience it as quantified hope.

Hence economics teaches that money is both medium of exchange and store of value. How does that work? For instance, in the body, blood is the medium and fat is the store. Or for cars, roads are the medium and parking lots are the store. So in order to store surplus money, we have to create the debt to back it. Which explains why government is compelled to borrow so much out of the economy, as it serves to store private wealth. Where would those trillions go otherwise? Derivatives? Apple stock?

Which is then spent in ways which don’t compete with the private sector for profits, such as the military or public assistance. Consequently we blow up other countries and school large parts of the population against any effort and self and communal sufficiency, as a way to create the illusion of saving money.

As its functionality is in its fungibility, we own money like we own the section of road we are using, or the water passing through our bodies.

Mostly we do save for the same basic reasons, raising children, housing, healthcare, retirement, etc. If these could be invested in, as community assets, than everyone trying to save for them individually, with their bank accounts as their financial umbilical cord, in this atomized society, then we would start to build more healthy communities and the environments they require.

As it is, we live in our little pods and the banks mediate most relationships. Is it any wonder they own the politicians?

While this might not fit any current agenda, the fact is that we are heading for a rather enormous reset and those who do work together have a better chance of survival, than those who think a few more chits from the government are going to save them.