In a capitalist system, value is subjective – something is “worth” what people are willing to pay for it. If someone wants to buy a $75 candle that says “smells like my vagina,” the system says: fair game. No one’s being forced. It’s a “choice.” Gwyneth Paltrow offers, someone buys – supply and demand.

But here’s where it’s not so clear:

The era of exchange

In early human societies, people lived in small communities or tribes. Exchange was based on barter – “I have grain, you have meat, let’s trade.” The focus wasn’t on profit but on mutual need and survival. It was a human-scale economy – relationships mattered, and fairness was usually implied because you knew who you were dealing with.

The invention of money

Money came in when barter got clunky – it’s hard to trade a live chicken for a clay pot if the pot-maker doesn’t want chicken. So money was created to standardize value, making trade easier and more flexible.
At this point, money was a tool – a medium of exchange, not a goal in itself.

From exchange to profit

Over time, especially as societies got larger and more impersonal, people started trading not for mutual satisfaction but for gain.
Now you weren’t just trying to get what you needed – you were trying to get more than you gave. That’s the seed of profit. And once trade becomes disconnected from relationships, exploitation becomes possible – and even normalized.

• The shift intensified with market economies, especially after the Industrial Revolution, when production could be scaled and profit could be multiplied. 
• Eventually, profit wasn’t just a side-effect – it became the main motive. 

Today’s world

Now, profit is not just a motive –  it’s a measure of success.
People, time, natural resources – all are seen in terms of how much profit they can generate.
It’s no longer “How can we meet each other’s needs?”
It’s “How can I gain from your need?”

The original idea behind money – to make life easier – has been flipped. Now we serve money. We sacrifice relationships, health, the planet, even time — in the name of profit.

Somewhere along the way, trust-based exchange turned into transactional exploitation.
What was once human and mutual became mechanical and competitive.

It’s not that money is evil. It’s that we’ve forgotten what it was for.

What would it take to live in a world where value is something you live?

Where we don’t price things for maximum gain, but offer what’s honest, useful, and beautiful – without needing to inflate, exploit, or sell a fantasy.