Were Numbers Invented For Counting Money?

WERE NUMBERS INVENTED FOR COUNTING MONEY?
Everything was easy when numbers were not invented. There was no need to know how many zeros are in one million or billion or trillion. Now everything is in numbers-money, flats, cars, suits, shoes, purses, necklace and even friends.


I somehow believe that numbers were invented to count money or what money could buy. In the beginning, they did not need to do any counting because they had in any case not many of anything and so there was no need counting also. As it is numbers were invented much after and that too up to 4, 6 or maximum 9. In my village the older generation particularly women did not know beyond 20. A 63 year old woman would say ‘I am three twenties and three years old’. Besides, they did barter. There must have been some way of knowing 'how many' after Adam and Eve met but certainly it was not for counting money. Some say it was animals- cows, goats, sheep-used for barter, 1 cow or 10 goats for one standard bag or measure of rice. Again one measure of rice equals two measures of wheat.

Again no one can say for sure when barter system was replaced by coins. For establishing their authority, the kings introduced coins made of gold, silver, and cheap metals as legal tender for transactions. As the story goes, Badshah Humayun was once saved by a Bhisti (a low caste man, one who carries water in a leather sack on his back for cleaning streets and watering plants) from drowning in river Yamuna. The Badshah rewarded him with one wish. The Bhisti wished to be made Badshah for a day. His wish was granted. He introduced leather coins, as legal tender for that day. I think people realized the need for learning counting to count the huge collection of coins they accumulated. Subsequently, these coins were replaced by paper currency. But the purpose of numbers remained the same - counting money.

Since then we have come a long way. Today numbers denote money.

If I say I own a flat, I mean I have spent X amount of money on owning that flat.
If I say I have X numbers of suits, shirts, shoes, ties, or whatever I have, in short, I am saying I am worth this in money terms. This is about material possessions.
Then, come to human relations. If I say I have an army of friends, I want to say I have so much money to maintain that army. Friends do not come cheap. Some may have X numbers of keeps. There is no exception to wife or children, relatives- the more of them, the more is the need for money and numbers to count that money. Thus 10 hundreds one thousand, ten thousand one lakh and so one, depending upon how much you have.

Even spirituality is a number game of money. Gurus, particularly Baba type gurus do not come cheap. Think of Babas and you will be reminded of Rampal, Asharam, and now Dr. Gurumeet Ram Rahim Singh Insaan of Dera Sachcha Sauda, Sirsa, India. They count their followers in uncountable numbers.


Maybe, in the beginning, knowing to count up to a hundred or thousand was okay. Based on needs and prevailing costs, the numbers had to go up and millions, billions, trillions were added later.


What do you say?

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