Episode 2: Zero point Two Percent of Human Population on Earth (3)

“That’s what happened in that small town. Well, that’s what’s happening in the world today. Exactly the same. The world crisis due to housing credit. The problem is, in the real world, the accumulated value of money hundreds of years since it was discovered, amounts to trillions of dollars, which is inconceivable. You know, Julia, what’s the total debt of our country? Only one hundred and twenty billion dollars, very small compared to the accumulation of millions of times the world’s money, only 0.00. This money belongs only to 0.2% of the earth’s population who continue to greedily devour the resources. That money needs shelter. They already have cars, houses, diamonds, private planes, and private islands. They have also purchased millions of hectares of forest in Africa, Asia, and South America. Therefore, they created various financial products to accommodate it. Not satisfied with getting five percent of the bank’s interest, they rushed into bonds and stocks. Unsatisfied with that as well, they invaded the increasingly complex commodity and derivative transactions. Money is like a queen bee that gives birth every day, continues to grow, greedy. That money needs a place to reproduce, just as a genetic mutation gets out of hand–“

“Still, we forgot, everything is just paper, isn’t it? In real terms, the wealth of the world has not changed since money was first discovered. The number of gold reserves that guarantee the money is just that. What were you asking? Julia, I don’t care about poverty, don’t give a damn about it because the damage was just the same- edema, hunger, malnutrition. But wealth, its damage is horrible. Even the bountiful money makes people indifferent to plague, famine, destruction of nature, and other human tragedies–“

“You’ve studied economics, haven’t you?” I paused for a moment, staring at the face of the girl in front of me whose eyes were round, still chewing on my words. 

“I had, fifteen years ago. One of my lecturers is a professor who received the Nobel Prize in Economics. You can imagine what model student I was in class. I once talked to him about the stupid hypothesis, if the world had continued to use bartering, if this world had never known money and interest, the world would have been much more just and prosperous. My professor laughed. ‘Thomas, to brokers, mutual fund managers, top executives, smart people, for all of you the students of the world’s best business schools, you will surely be more grateful that money and interest have been found.’ We argued, pointlessly. The professor lightly waved his hand, ‘You forget the wise advice of the father of modern economics, the market has a ‘god’s hand’, Thomas? He will always strike a balance, even if He has to strike the balance beforehand. So don’t ever write weird things on the exam paper, or you don’t pass my class.’ Good advice. Then on, I didn’t care about the poverty nonsense, Julia.”

“Are you a socialist?” She finally commented after being silent for a moment.

“Do I look like a socialist, Julia?” I laughed, pointing to the shiny shoes I was wearing.

The girl did not shake her head, much less nod. She stared back at me flatly. “So what do you care about the evil of wealth? Don’t you live off those people yourself? The high-paid financial consultant? Or perhaps you are a typical highly educated, smart, rich, influential person, but also paradoxical and have multiple personalities?”

I looked into her black eyes. Now, this girl’s self-confidence and self-esteem were perfect again. She seemed ready to argue on anything beyond the list of questions. Unfortunately, I was not in the mood to, I had to rest for a while on this big plane before landing. The schedule of my important battle was waiting. I relaxed my body and waved. “If you’re interested, we’ll discuss it another time, Julia, perhaps at a nice dinner. But let’s see what this interview will look like in your magazine. Hopefully, your writing skills are as fine as you look now. Good evening. “

The girl couldn’t help but scowl, irritated. Perhaps if I were not in the executive class of an international airline, with the pilot still busy greeting passengers, she would slap my cheek.