Money can make or break. If money is the only thing that unites husband and wife, then when I whistle, my wife must jump. If one day, I run out of money. I do not expect her to stay by my side. This I can accept without too much fuss. The same goes for mercenaries. If you die, that is really an occupational liability. King and country doesn’t come into it at all – it is a quid quo pro transaction. But if I love a woman with all my heart and I even do things for her which I would never ever do unless I loved her more than even myself – that is a very different arrangement – here I have a right to ask, “why will you not stay and fight with me in my hour of need?” And if she is a real woman of substance, she would lower her head in shame and shed a tear. I think we should never confuse ourselves as to what money can and cannot do. Experience informs me confusing the idea of what money is supposed to do usually ends being a very unhappy enterprise – that is why the serious men of this world are ALWAYS very clear and brutal about using money either as a means to an end or just regarding it as an end. They are very clear, so clear as to suggest, if anyone is in doubt, you can always rely on them to spell out the rules of engagement.
