One of the purposes of commerce is to build strength. Gaining wealth gives us power, which is the ability to influence others. There are three main types of power: first, power gained through coercion or threats; second, power obtained through payment or inducement; and third, power gained through attraction. The power obtained through coercion, threats, payment, or inducement—that is, force or tactics—is called ‘hard power,’ while the power gained through ‘attraction’ without using force is called ‘soft power.’ Additionally, the ability to effectively achieve your goals using coercion, payment, and attraction is known as ‘smart power.’ Depending on the situation, we may need all three types; however, soft power is something that everyone admires. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”
Value in Kind (VIK). Refers to the spot value . We pay money to buy the goods we need, which represents an exchange of goods for currency. However, since money is also a kind of good, it has a relative value that constantly changes. That’s the price. When the price of goods rises, it indicates that the value of money in relation to goods declines. This phenomenon is called INFLATION . If other goods exchanged for goods experience a greater value increase than currency, the seller finds it more advantageous to transact using those other goods rather than currency. We prefer to exchange currency in transactions because it is a government-guaranteed compulsory means of exchange . The right to exchange anything constitutes compulsory circulation power . However, this is the only value of money. If the price of gold is rising significantly, and you can exchange gold for goods, it becomes a better option for producers of goods to trade in gold instead of money. Originally, the pre-currency...