Credit

Can we change how we use credit? I am thinking about the way we use credit to make money produce more money — by charging interest on what is lent. This way of working, combined with greed and laziness, does not really produce anything good. It is just money breeding money; it adds no real value to society.

What if we simply lent money with no interest requested? Yes, in the current monetary system you would lose out because of inflation. But is this a way of brotherhood? Does it meet the Golden Rule? Is it aligned with the purpose of loving, serving, and seeking truth?

I manage my money across different accounts, and sometimes I move money from one to another — from education to long-term savings, for instance. Sometimes I do not transfer it back, and sometimes I do. But I never charge myself interest. If needed, I could lend in the other direction — from long-term savings to education — and it is not necessarily the same amount or from the same account. This personal example of how I treat myself gives me the answer. We must be willing to lend money to our brothers and sisters as we do to ourselves.