What is Money?

Yesterday, when I logged on to Chase Online Plus, the enhanced electronic banking service from JPMorgan Chase Bank that aggregates all of my financial information (credit, checking, saving, etc.), I saw that my networth plunged 106% and actually became negative. It scared the shit out of me!! According to Chase I have lost all the money in my checking and savings account because it couldn't access that account. Fortunately, I was able to use the regular online access method to verify that I still had money in the account.

This little snafu got me thinking about how abstract money seems nowadays. I don't even deal with cash that much nowadays. My salary is direct-deposited into my bank account every two weeks. Every day In the cafeteria, I swipe my ID card, into which I deposit money once a week, to purchase lunch. I use credit cards for all my online shopping, most of my offline purchases and bills. When I can't use a credit card, I write checks. The only times I actually take cash out of my wallet is when I have to buy milk and groceries at the small neighborhood grocers or to pay subway performers. Occasionally I use real, hard cash to buy movie tickets when I forget to buy them online.

For me, money doesn't even feel like something that's real and concrete anymore, and I even feel somwhat detached from it. To me, It's just a bunch of ever-changing digits that fluctuate from time to time on my computer screen. When that number decreases, it means I just bought some clothes online or I just paid my cable bill. It doesn't seem to have that much meaning to me. Maybe it's because I am fortunate enough to not have to toil and work to death just to make a little more money and survive? Maybe for all my whining and bitching, my life is too easy for me to be able to appreciate the true significance of money.