The snake in the garden

I wonder if there was a time before money ? A time when wealth wasn't that important. I don't think that ever existed except perhaps in the garden of Eden. And even then the snake came along offering forbidden fruit, a form of wealth. Isn't that what money is for ? To obtain the things you want ? Need and want can be the same, but most times radically different. Food and shelter can be had for the taking. Well, I should say, could be had for the taking before there were fees to be paid for that privilege. You could build a shelter too. Now you need a permit and a lot of money.
Man has always searched for a way to elevate himself above his fellow man. Intelligence doesn't always work, brute force doesn't always work, lots of money does ! Given sufficient funds, whether they be hard cash or bartered items, a man can rule over the others that are less fortunate. The word fortunate itself eludes to just that, does it not ?
Money can't buy the things we desire the most though. Love, acceptance or intelligence. These items are not for sale. Yet man spends most of his time trying to acquire wealth. I think it is the need to be comfortable while you search for those things. It is also a lot easier to fool yourself into a feeling of security if you have lots of money. We spend a lifetime acquiring something we can't take with us. The funny thing is those with wealth are usually either admired or resented. Few are what you would call beloved, unless they are giving their wealth away.
It is a nice thought to live without the need for money. To be dependent upon nothing but your own abilities. The problem lies in the social aspect. Man is a social creature and requires that to survive. Man also wants to dominate. Ego enters the equation and with that greed and avarice. That is what the snake in the garden offered and that is what was taken.