“I can’t help but keep thinking,” Jean offered, “about what Harlan said this afternoon about what had happened in his home county. Do you think that could happen here?”
“Hard to say,” Titus responded. “After talking to Harlan’s father, I got a little of the picture on how it went down there. Chaos might be the word to describe it. Not random violence and looting necessarily; just a lack of organization and feeling of community. Everyone lit out in different directions; just looked out for themselves. There’s a much different feeling here. Look how you’ve banded together on this farm and other people have on your neighbor’s farm up the road. I run into farms like that everywhere I travel. At my place we’re blessed by the way our neighbors, despite our spiritual and cultural differences, just bonded for the common good. Then there’s something else that might be to our advantage around here, though it’s awkward for me to talk about.”
“What’s that?” Dad asked.
“You’re armed,” Titus said, “and so are our neighbors that have joined up with us. I overheard them talking about being prepared to defend our ‘town’. Some of the leaders even came to me and said directly that they would provide protection for our families.”
“See,” Jake interjected, “the founding fathers knew what they were doing when they passed the second amendment.”
“Perhaps,” said Barry, “but I always figured it was to protect ourselves from a foreign invasion, not each other.”
“Maybe for now,” Josh said. “In the future, a foreign enemy might invade. And we’ll be ready for them!”
“Spoken just like a young whipper-snapper,” Dad said. “You’ve a lot to learn.”
“Religious beliefs aside,” Joe added. “This country probably has the highest percentage of the populace armed than any other country in the world. And although we’d love to settle all our differences without violence, in this case I don’t see that happening. But I’ll give you and your brothers credit, Titus. I know you won’t contribute to a violent solution. I wish everyone else in the world had the same convictions.”
“So do I,” Titus said.
“I was curious about something else,” Jeremiah said. “How did the idea of using coins as a medium of exchange catch on?”
“Money is only good if the users have faith in it,” Titus said. “I understand the dollar failed because China switched it’s debt over to Euros or something like that; I’m not exactly sure. Euros are paper money, too, but people still have faith in it, so they work as an accepted medium of exchange. If not in this country, at least around the rest of the world. For decades the dollar was backed by gold or silver, so the holders of dollars knew they could exchange dollars for something with a known, universal value. Ever since the US government abandoned the gold standard, that faith has been waning. On the other hand, for centuries coins have been used in exchange for goods. They had an intrinsic value. The metals in them were worth something even if the government that issued them went sour. Several of our brothers are in the wrecking/reclamation business. Last year when copper prices skyrocketed, they became aware that pennies have a value of their own, well above one cent, which is all any bank would give you for them. We all started saving them. Then last year the feds pointed out that it was illegal to melt down coins. So what? We were only saving them. Around Christmas I read that a penny was only 5% copper and the rest mostly zinc; burst that theory. But a nickel was 75% copper. So we started saving them, too. In fact, it was revealed that the government was spending 1.2 cents to make every penny and 7.9 cents to make a nickel. But they sold them for only one cent and five cents respectively. Boy was that bad business. Bottom line is, we have faith in the value of the metals in coins, even if the government issuing them is bankrupt. Metal is metal, coins are coins. We have faith in them, so we honor them. Seems to be working so far.”
“But how did you come up with the low prices for everything?” Lois asked.
“Accidentally, I guess,” Titus responded.
“Maybe not,” said Aaron, “coinage has an absolute value. But what do you base it on? Because it takes so many pennies to buy a Euro, a barrel of oil, or an ounce of gold? What does that matter to us? The value that our coins have is relative. How many pennies it takes to buy a ton of hay, a bushel of corn, a flashlight, or a watermelon?”
“I know that one,” I declared, “five.”
“Yes, you’re right little cousin,” Aaron continued. “Think how people that had tens of thousands of dollars in the bank, now have some metal half dollars and quarters in their pockets. And those who had a few hundred dollars, now have about the same.”
“The collapse was an equalizer,” Dad said. “Like Harvey said earlier today: ‘everyone’s in the same boat’.”
“Isn’t that funny,” Josh remarked. “What the Communists in other countries and Socialists in this country were trying to do for years – make us all equal – was accomplished by our own federal government’s poor fiscal policy.”
“At least when it comes to financial resources,” Aaron said. “There’s a lot of ways we are not equal. Some of us have food or resources to produce food, others don’t. Some have fuel, others don’t. And we all have different skills. But that wasn’t my point. Back to the relative value of our coins. You see there was once hundreds of billions of dollars, if not a few trillion of make-believe dollars in this country’s economy. A large portion of it was just numbers written with ink on paper. Worthless. Now there are a several million, maybe a billion dollars worth of coins belonging to the same group – us. And there is still a supply of food, building materials, tools, crops, clothing, medical supplies, some fuel, metals and other raw materials out there in the same economy. Not quite as much as before the collapse, now mind you, but a fair percentage still exists. Prior to the collapse, those goods’ value was determined by the amount of money that was out there. Goods divided by dollars out there. Now it’s divided by millions instead of trillions, therefore every unit of goods is worth fewer dollars. That’s what gives our coins their relative value; it’s in relation to the amount of goods in the economy. So what Titus’s clan is doing makes economic sense. At least that’s my theory.”
“Not too bad a theory, either,” Dad commented. “Bottom line – it works. Just like some of the other things we do or try around here – if it works: do it. You know people sure have to change.”
“How’s that?” Titus asked.
“Well, we spend our whole life accumulating things. When we’re young: toys, baseball cards, ice skates, or a bicycle. Later it’s a car, stylish clothing, video equipment, or tools. We start saving: for college, to pay for a wedding, for a house, furniture. Always we want more – things. Soon we have to have another hunting rifle, season tickets, that big screen TV, the cable, cell phones, DVD player, a four wheel drive pickup; it goes on and on. Build up your estate, buy another farm. No offense to Harvey and Titus intended – they need farms to grow food for people – that’s honorable. We’re also told to buy life insurance, for the future; IRA’s, for the future; stock portfolios, for the future. Now is the future; what good did it do us? Always more things. And what does it get you? Nothing. In the end you’re back in the ground where you came from. It’s like chasing after the wind. In Ecclesiastes Solomon says ‘everything is meaningless’. He includes wisdom, toil, advancement, pleasures and folly – all meaningless. In fact, what this desire to accumulate things really leads to is stress, frustration, and arguments over more things, like money. And what does it earn you? A hole in the ground. It’s that attitude that people have to change. Do you know what I mean?”
I really didn’t, and from the looks around the room, maybe no one else did either. Or at least they didn’t know what to say. Finally, Titus spoke up. “I think I know what you mean. And it’s something I struggled with my whole life, too. In Matthew chapter six Jesus told us: ‘Do not store up for yourselves treasures on Earth,’ yet my father accumulated things, including farms, to provide for his children. And I’ve done the same, providing for my children, just like Jesus told us later in the same chapter, verse 33 that ‘all these things will be given you as well’ by our heavenly father. So sometimes I wondered if I put too much emphasis on materialism. Did I love money more than God? The answer lies in the beginning of that same verse when Jesus said, ‘But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness.’ That’s our comfort. Jesus knows what’s in our heart. It reveals what we really feel about things. So I do know what you mean, people do have to change. Change their heart from one that loves things to one that loves God. Jesus showed us how to do that - by loving others. And also in Ecclesiastes, Solomon tells you a couple ways you can remove some of the meaninglessness and stress of life and bring a little more peace into it. He said ‘A man can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his work’. And on top of that trust and obey God. If you keep those thoughts in your head and heart, you can’t go wrong,” Titus concluded.
There was silence again, just like after Dad had finished his expose`. Joe had a half a smile on his face as he squeezed his lower lip with his hand. He looked at Dad, and then at Titus and said, “When did you two get a chance to rehearse that?”
Dad and Titus looked at each other, shrugged their shoulders slightly, and then Dad said, “Didn’t. I just felt I had to say what was on my heart.”
Titus added, “Me neither. He was on a roll. Just thought I’d try and answer his question and explain why people should change. Did I?”
“I suppose you did,” Grandmom said. “Gave me something to think about. And pray about. But now, I think it’s time we hit the sack. Tomorrow’s another day.”
It was agreed. As I lay in bed, I pondered Dad and Titus’ remarks. Next morning, I hurried out to check on Titus and Harlan, wondering if any more revelations would be forthcoming. I guess they were anxious to get an early start for home, for the wagon load of hay, their horses, Harlan and Titus Weaver were gone.
To be continued….. Mort
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