2. On Money:Everyone should earn the same amount of money.

Without oxygen, humans die quickly. We breathe oxygen from the air without paying, yet if you go to a hospital to inhale oxygen, you must pay. Why does oxygen cost money in one place but not another?

Without water, humans die quickly. We drink natural mountain spring water without paying, yet tap water at home costs money. Why does water cost money in one place but not another?

Upon reflection, we realize that if no labor is applied to an item, it holds no value—regardless of its utility to humans. This explains why atmospheric oxygen and mountain springs are free: no labor is expended on them.

Conversely, an item that involves human labor generally holds value. This explains why hospital oxygen and home tap water incur fees—because labor is invested in producing them.

In short, anything of value (including information, goods, and services) necessarily involves human labor.

Why do some valuable things cost more than others? Price depends on the amount of labor applied to an item, because what truly holds value is human labor, not the item itself. The more labor required for an item, the higher its price.

The amount of labor depends on the duration of labor time; longer labor time should command higher prices. Both physical and mental labor are measured by the length of labor time.

Is the value of each person's labor per hour the same? Or is it different? Common sense tells us it is absolutely not the same. We all know that even for the same hour of work, different people receive unequal incomes, sometimes with a world of difference. This is precisely why some become immensely wealthy while others remain destitute. The gap between rich and poor thus becomes extremely polarized. In reality, the disparity in labor value stems from the social distribution system. This system artificially distorts labor value, resulting in some receiving higher compensation while others receive less, thereby fueling wealth inequality. We will explore this issue in our article "On Exploitation."

In fact, the value of each person's labor per hour is fundamentally the same. Regardless of social occupation or role, the value of each person's labor per hour is identical. In other words, the hourly value of labor is identical for everyone engaged in social labor—presidents, teachers, doctors, business owners, workers, engineers, scientists, and so forth. Yet the social distribution system results in actual incomes differing among individuals.

By upholding this perspective, we can readily grasp the root cause of social wealth disparity and understand that humanity can achieve equitable distribution through adjustments to the social distribution system. Yet equitable social distribution absolutely does not mean implementing social equalization. For a system of social equalization violates the principle of self-interest inherent in human nature.

Since the value of each person's labor per hour is identical, and each person has only 24 hours per day, in principle everyone should earn the same amount for the same amount of work. Therefore, whenever an individual's income exceeds the average income of social laborers, the excess portion is not earned through their own labor but obtained through exploitation via the social distribution system.

Fundamentally, there are only two ways for people to earn money: through their own labor or by exploiting others' labor. Regardless of the source of your income, it must inherently stem from one of these two methods. In society, some earn money purely through their own labor; some earn part through their own labor and part through exploiting others' labor; and some earn money purely by exploiting others' labor.

People obtain money through their labor, then use that money to acquire others' labor, thereby facilitating the exchange of labor.

The process of earning money is itself the process of providing labor to others. Therefore, those who strive to earn money deserve society's respect, for while earning, they contribute labor to society (here, labor refers to socially encouraged labor, not prohibited or eliminated labor).

The act of spending money is fundamentally others providing labor for us. If no one is willing to provide labor, money becomes utterly worthless. Therefore, we should respect and be grateful to those who choose to labor for us. The wealthier one is, the more they should respect and thank those who provide labor, for if everyone refuses to labor for the wealthy, their money becomes unusable—and unusable money is no different from scrap paper.

The essence of wealth lies in the ability to mobilize others to work for oneself. Greater wealth enables the mobilization of more labor, while its absence renders such mobilization impossible. This is the fundamental reason why all societal entities—individuals, businesses, governments, courts, military, and so forth—require money. Without it, no one will heed your commands, regardless of your status.

Summary: Money's essence lies in human labor, with longer labor hours equating to greater value. The intrinsic worth of each person's labor is fundamentally equal. Society can achieve equitable distribution through adjustments to its allocation systems, thereby eliminating wealth disparity. Society should respect every individual striving to earn money, for those who earn diligently are all contributing labor to society.