What is money? ——Uncovering the deepest structural mystery of modern civilization In the world we live in, money is everywhere. People work for money, fight for money, and worry about money; all seemingly free choices often cannot bypass the invisible boundaries of money. But what is money? Is it really a symbol of wealth? Or is it just a "game chip" set by civilization? Can it bring freedom, or does it create a deep bondage? This article attempts to peel off the truth of "money" layer by layer from the surface function to the structure of civilization. ⸻ 1. Money is not wealth, but "the right to wealth" Most people have been instilled with a concept since childhood: having money is equal to having wealth. But this is not the case. Money is more like a "ticket to enter the wealth system". It does not create value itself, but a structural right to carry the circulation of value. The reason why you can use it to buy food, houses, and services is because society gives it "tradable trust". In other words: money is not the value you have, but the value you are allowed to use. ⸻ 2. The essence of money: a consensus symbol "created by structure" Money does not exist naturally, but is a consensus structure created by humans. Ancient money came from scarce physical objects (such as shells and gold); modern money came from government credit (paper money, central bank); today's money is even just a string of on-chain data (cryptocurrency, digital RMB). The real support behind it is not gold or paper, but the social system that allows it to be "accepted". In other words, money is not a thing, money is a "trust program". And whoever has the "control" of this program dominates the flow of resources in civilization. ⸻ 3. The four functions of money: tool or shackle? 1. Value scale: Money is the unit we measure all labor, goods, and services; 2. Exchange medium: Money replaces barter, allowing human transaction radius to break through time and space; 3. Storage means: Money is easy to carry and store, allowing wealth to transcend time; 4. Payment means: Money fulfills contracts and settles debts, and is the core tool of modern contractual society. However, the problem lies here - it looks like a tool, but it is actually a rule. If you can't create money and can't control the rules, then no matter how hard you try, you may just be a "debtor" in the structure. ⸻ Fourth, the control of money determines the "distributive justice" of civilization In the traditional financial system, the "coinage right" is in the hands of the state and the central bank; In the business world, the "issuance right" is in the hands of big capital and platforms. Ordinary people are just "users" in this system and are not qualified to determine the "issuance logic" and "flow rules" of money. You can't decide "why a coin is created" or "who it flows to". Therefore, you are not the owner, but the user; not the coin maker, but the screened consumer. This is also the structural root of "the poor are getting poorer and the rich are getting richer". ⸻ V. Blockchain Revolution: The Possibility of "Decentralizing Power" for Money In the face of this unfair structure, the emergence of blockchain is not for "speculation and wealth", but an attempt to reconstruct the logic of money generation and distribution power. Blockchain tells us a possibility: Money is no longer printed by the state, nor is it issued by capital, but is automatically generated by "behavior + consensus + structure". This means that every participant has the potential to become a "value generator" rather than just a passive recipient. This is not inventing a new currency, but inventing a new civilization. ⸻ Six, Philosophical End Point: Money is the Mirror of Structured Civilization •Money allows us to see the true order of social operation; •Money reveals the structural relationship between people; •Money is not just a tool, but a distribution agreement for the entire civilization; •The essence of money is how we decide "who deserves to be rewarded and who must be deprived". Therefore, if you want to truly understand money, you must see through the structure, power and civilization consensus behind it. ⸻ Seven, Conclusion: What you have is not money, but the share of participation you are allowed to participate in In modern society, you work hard and pursue income, but what you really want is not that piece of paper or that string of numbers, but **"the right to participate in creation and distribution"**. If you cannot participate in defining "value" and cannot control the "distribution mechanism", then, no matter how much money you have in your hand, it is just a "fictitious freedom" that is temporarily allowed to have. The real change is not to issue new coins, but to redefine the production logic, circulation structure and participation mechanism of money. What is money? It is a mirror, a pass, and an invisible sovereignty system of civilization. Only when you see through it can you truly understand the rules of the game in this world.