Barter Trade

He was a small man, and his eccentricity was often laughed at by the masses, but he lived in a world of his own, mainly because he had the opportunity of acquiring much enlightenment that the masses hadn't and that set him apart. Being set apart however is a lonely thing indeed.

I, sadly, was very much with the masses during my early years, and have not until now appreciated the little Nigel Jamieson. I would often snigger or laugh when he makes a blunder, and I would often find myself lost in thought in the middle of Jamieson's legal history lectures because I was not quite at the level of intelligence to understand his rants. So I often tried very hard to capture the gist of what he is saying as he paced up and down the front of the lecture theatre going on about speluncean explorers and such.

There is something about being eccentric like that, because rumours so far fetched such as "he drafted the russian constitution" can go around and still be believed. After a couple of years at law school I have come to unconsciously aspire to be Jamieson myself. But alas I am not quite as eccentric. All I had was my Asianess, and so I went around as that Asian girl who never said a word at tutorials, and yet still passes.

Jamieson popped to mind today though funny enough in the light of the principle of competition. While hashing out in my mind what the implications of a merger between MAS and Air Asia would be, while troubled over the niggling question of how to make my business plan slightly more commercially viable one of his lectures, yes the man's obscure's lectures, came to mind. You see Jamieson adored the principle of barter, and being a legal history professor I guess he would adore any principle ancient, but the little elfish man seemed to think that the creation of money somewhat took out the magic out of commerce.

I often think I was born in the wrong century, but the skills which I have to offer crossed my mind. Would my skill be, how should I say, barter-able? What do I have to give that would ensure I will not starve to death? Will I be writing stories to the rich in exchange for board, or I could write in exchange for some land, which I could then use to barter for my groceries, I mean how much can a girl eat, right? But of course then there would be days I would be frustrated, you know during bad times where reading is only for those with the luxury of time, and then what?

May I be so inclined to display the weakness of a woman then, and be oh so Austen-ian. After all, I have something else to barter, my child-bearing abilities as a woman, no? Or my beauty, if any would appreciate? Or my qualities as the noble woman, as a wife and mother. And then maybe I would be so inclined to travel out towards the suburbs where Mr.Farmer lives and just bat my eyelashes at his dashing son in whom lies the promises of days without starvation. Of course unless there is drought. Then woe to me.

Rest assured, that was just a thought, the modernist in me is appalled at that idea. But what is the difference really between then and now. With dollars or not, it is really about offering something that might appeal, no? Of course nowadays we have marketeers, beings that find themselves with the job of telling you what is desirable to you. Roll your eyes, yes.

Try this for a while, in the tune of Lennon's song, sing this to yourself, imagine there are no dollars. No money. No money. Let your thoughts run wild a little and fantasise what it is like, despite your busyness, if we were all still trading in the barter system. What is it of yours that I would find desirable enough to trade something of mine with. Who then would be the poor men? Not the farmers definitely.