Am vazut ca bancul acela (Adevarul despre munca intr-o banca), ce face o paralela intra munca in banca si cea mai veche meserie din lume, a captat interesul cititorilor nostri . Evident, a si starnit unele controverse. Ei bine, indiferent daca v-a placut sau nu, sa stiti ca, la origini, exista o legatura mult mai stransa intre cele doua meserii. Asta pentru ca scopul in care a fost creat obiectului muncii bancherilor, banul adica, l-a reprezentat plata prostitutiei. Sacre, ce-i drept, putin mai diferita de ceea cunoastem noi acum. Cititi mai jos:

„The oldest coin currency that we know is a Sumerian bronze piece dating from before 3000 BC. On one side of the coin is a representation of a sheaf of wheat, and on the other, Ishtar, the goddess of fertility. The Sumerians called it the “Shekel” where “She” meant wheat, “Kel” was a measurement similar to a bushel, hence this coin was a symbol of a value of one bushel of wheat. (The word “shekel” survives in modern Hebrew as Israel’s monetary unit.) The original shekel had as its purpose payment for sacred prostitution at the temple of Ishtar, which was the temple of life and death. The temple, as well as being a ritual center, was the storage place for the reserves of wheat that supported the priesthood, and also the community in lean times. So farmers fulfilled their religious and social obligations by bringing their contributions of wheat to the temple, and receiving in exchange a shekel coin, entitling them to a visit with the temple prostitutes at the festival time. All this also must be understood in its cultural context: The sacred prostitutes were representatives of the goddess, and intercourse with them was intercourse with the goddess of fertility herself, nothing to take lightly. At that time fertility was truly a matter of life and death. If the crops failed, there was no alternative, and everyone starved or at least went hungry until next year. And, of course, completing the magic ritual properly insured the fertility in crops, animals and children that was necessary for future prosperity.”

Textul provine din cartea „Beyond greed an scarcity toward a sustainable capitalism”, scrisa de Bernard Lietaer, economist, specialist pe probleme monetare si autor.