If money is, at its root, a promise that other people will do things for you, a love of money is like a hunger for promises from people. Granted, it isn't good for man to be alone; we need to be in relationship with other people. But why is there often no limit to this hunger for promises from people? Because you discount them, and need more promises to account for the discount? Because you can always imagine problems greater than the promises will meet? And as your wealth grows, losing some becomes another and greater risk. Because it's the wrong treatment for your fears and doesn't work?
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Following that reasoning, perhaps because it is a replacement for forming the community that would sustain you and those around you? Money in that case would be a shortcut to a virtue, a way of claiming from others what could have been voluntary. I dunno, it does sound precarious not to have it, doesn't it? At the mercy of these idiots around me?
Makes sense. An imitation of virtue, certainly--look at all the people who honor me with promises! I must be especially good...
I think it also is subtly related to prosperity gospel teaching, that God wants you to do this thing that He directly told He didn't want.
A cut song from the Lorax movie actually cut to the heart of the matter (From an early draft that gave the Once-ler more moral agency).
"But...no, you can't really blame greed
"No, that's stupid.
"You see, it's gotta worm inside.
"Yeah, that's right.
"It's one that always needs to feed,
"And it's never satisfied.
"You get it?
"And the more you try to find it,
"The more it likes to hide. Okay?
"Now listen--that is NASTY little worm.
"And I like to call it 'pride.'"
You commented at my site about the review of The Dawn of Everything, and the reviewer's "gossip theory" of how society works, by social pressure. That would of course be a reason not to rely on one's community, as it might prove poisonous, or "toxic" as we say these days. If not depending on money, then - for surely God could have anticipated poisonous societies - what are our choices? Where else do we go?
I suppose it's a matter of "You broke it, and yourselves. Here's a crutch." Clothes are useful, but loving them gets to be an expensive problem.
Pacifism or self-defense--where do our relative responsibilities take us? Into evil, one way or another. I remember one discussion in which the pacifist offered the position that, in order to reduce the sin of the one trying to kill you, you should assist him. (In retrospect I wonder if he actually believed that or was just trying the argument on for size.)
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