Understanding money as a mechanism of control does not mean outright rejecting the idea of free markets or market-based money.
Instead, it demands situational awareness—the ability to recognize and navigate the structures that shape financial systems, rather than blindly accepting them as immutable truths.
Free markets and commodity-based money may indeed be ideal, but reality tells a different story—one where monetary systems are largely centralized, manipulated, and designed to maintain power structures.
Acknowledging this reality is not about conceding defeat; it is about understanding the game you are playing so that you can engage with it on your own terms rather than being a passive participant in a system that was never built for your benefit.
The nature of money is inherently dualistic.
Sometimes, it is a market-chosen commodity, emerging organically from the free exchange of goods and services.
Other times, it is a state-imposed token, demanded by sovereign powers as the exclusive means to settle obligations like taxes.
And, in many instances, it is both at the same time—a hybrid of state control and market-driven value, existing within a framework that few ever stop to question.
None of this is meant to disparage free markets or the enduring role of gold.
On the contrary, history has shown time and time again that gold and sound money principles provide a more stable, trustworthy foundation for trade and wealth preservation.
If given the choice, most would prefer a system where markets, rather than governments, determine what functions as money.
But that is not the world we live in today.
To ignore this fact is to remain blind to the forces that shape global finance, leaving oneself vulnerable to the shifting tides of monetary policy, economic intervention, and centralized control.
Now more than ever, dogmatic beliefs about what money should be must not cloud our understanding of what money actually is.
In the years ahead, the ability to think critically, adapt, and remain aware of evolving financial realities will not just be valuable—it will likely be essential for financial survival.
Rather than clinging to an ideological framework that no longer aligns with reality, we must cultivate a mindset that allows us to see the world as it is, not as we wish it to be.
And situational awareness is the ultimate superpower in volatile markets—one that, if mastered, can not only help you survive, but to also thrive in the years to come.
It depends upon where you are in your education about money; how you will take this article. You are in the Matrix no matter what you think, but which Matrix are you in? There is a lot of information about money and the different understandings of money from the Mises’ view to MMT and other ideas about money. Many of them boil down to the idea that money is only control, whether you like it or not. The article even looks into pre-history and what was used for accounting, exchange and store of value before there was money. Of course, if you are like me, you do not trust whatever has been written as history because it is always written by the victors and court clowns. This article is a strong review of the idea of money, the matrix and control.