Money as a body of water

I find it easier sometimes to think of money as something that I can never own but as a river that I am following. Lately, I've been doing a lot of dragging my raft along through shallow waters. I also think of myself sometimes as a beaver trying to damn up the water in order to exist more comfortably. Its imposible to stop it all but if you can collect enough you can make your own currents, eddys, and tributaries. Im not sure if anyone else has ever shared these thoughts, I'd like to hear other folks thoughts on money, what it is and what it does to people, and why we chase it so ravenously.

 

To some money is a way to keep score. For example when I try to determine if I am doing thing right in my business, I compare current results to past results in monetary terms - if I am making less, something is wrong. When I go to Las Vegas my routine is to convert $100 into chips, find the cheapest blackjack table, and play until I am up about $50 or down about $50 and feel like a winner or a loser - but then spend $100 or more on a show and not think twice about it. When I monitor my investment or retirement account, I want to beat the indexes, Dow S&P, and the Nasdaq - and I feel good or bad about it regardless of the returns. It is almost like it is all a game, and money is how to determine winning or loosing.