Money, we’re told, is the root of all evil, meaning all wrongdoings can be traced back to the excessive attachment of money. But what is excessive? Is wanting enough money, and more, to live a comfortable life excessive? What level of comfort are we talking? I wouldn’t want a mansion to be honest, but something with a bigger garden and kitchen would be nice.

The popular song by the Flying Lizards states ‘what it don’t get, I can’t use.’ Whilst love is good, it doesn’t pay the bills and there’s not a whole lot you can get without money coming into the equation at some point.

We’re also advised that money can’t buy you happiness. That may be true, however it can buy you ‘stuff’ that might make you happy. What money would buy me would be my own home; believe me, that would make me happy! Money buys you security. The freedom to do what you want. The freedom to say no to the things you don’t want to do. The freedom to not have to work just to make ends meet.

If the whole monetary system were to collapse, how would we cope? We’d have to go back to bartering things and bartering services. What could I offer? Well, I could do your accounts if they’re simple, and without money, they probably would be simple. I can cook, and clean. Could gut and fillet a fish for those of a more squeamish nature. I could joint (and have done – a half) a carcass though whether I could kill anything other than a fish would depend on how dire circumstances were. I could grow fruit and veg and herbs. Would these things be enough to stave off starvation?

Two of my former colleagues used to talk, at length, about how they’d cope if the zombie apocalypse were to take place. Whilst I rarely joined in the conversation, it was fun to listen to them. Personally, I think people becoming zombies after some sort of plague is highly unlikely. Living in a dense urban area as we do now, we’d be well and truly stuffed. Only those in rural areas with secure properties and food supplies would survive. Would you want to?

There was a drama series on TV about the collapse of the system, and how people coped after a massive EM pulse (electromagnetic pulse – destructive or damaging to electronic equipment) wiped out all mechanical systems. It could have been good, however I found it rather dull and unimaginative. There are so few good screen writers around today, and most things are either a remake, or a rehash of an earlier idea.

The reason for my musings? I’ve been watching ‘Lost’ again. For those that never watched it, a plane crashes onto a mysterious, tropical island. There are survivors, and the series details how they cope with their search for food and water and shelter, and how they deal with the violent survivalists who inhabit the island. It’s gripping if a little convoluted in places and I’m well and truly hooked. Though some do get off the island back to so-called civilisation, some remain, and I’d definitely choose to remain there despite the hostiles. Seriously, a choice between lush, tropical vegetation and simply surviving, and living, or the rat race of civilisation, constantly penny pinching and trying to make ends meet? Maybe I’d change my mind if I actually had copious amounts of money, but somehow, I doubt it…