Imagine that you found a $100 bill in your pocket. That would be nice, right?
Now imagine that you were shipwrecked on a deserted island. What good would that money do you? Not much—you couldn’t buy food or clothes or books. So, why do we consider a $100 bill useful?
Because money is a symbol. It is used to trade for goods that have a value people agree on. But when people no longer agree it has value, or if there’s no one else around, then—poof!—the value of money disappears.
Money is coins and paper, right? Not always. In the past, many kinds of things have been used as money. As long as everyone agrees, “money” can be anything. It can be dried tea, or salt, cloth, shells, grain, or whatever works.
Money makes modern civilization possible. Keep reading, and you’ll find out how.
