All money is seed money: Well planted, it grows good results and new money

Money Monster movie, International Poster.

The movie Money Monster is a cautionary tale on how not to view or pursue money — even if we’re insecure and have a greedy streak.

The analogy between money and seeds can steer us clear of five destructive and debilitating misconceptions, so we avoid the pitfalls of the Money Monster characters:

1. Money is a valuable commodity, worth having in its own right. Up to a point, sure. But a silo of seeds brings little benefit until we start planting. And unlike seeds, which may be edible, unused money just sits there, though it does foster security and a sense of possibility.
2. Money is power. Sort of. Actually, like seeds, money is potential power. We activate the magic of seeds only when we plant them. The dormant entities somehow generate living plants with edible parts (leaves, fruit, roots). Similarly, money well used activates myriad positive, productive actions of others. The real power of money springs to life only when we spend, invest, or otherwise deploy it.
3. Money spent is money gone. Yes, if we spend it unwisely. But remember that seeds, properly planted and tended, produce more than edible leaves, fruit, and roots. They also produce new seeds. This trick of nature brings endless possibilities for new growth and bounty. Astute spending and investing can generate similar repeating virtuous cycles, benefiting all of us. Seed capital investors know this and look for startups with high social value and solution-replication potential.
4. Money is neutral, neither good nor bad. Money does get sanitized as it changes hands. But every financial action — what we buy, who we buy it from, and what we invest in — has consequences. Seeds range from good to bad, yielding plants that nourish us, poison us, or do nothing for us. What technologies, companies and people should we support, realizing that our everyday decisions affect the planet in repeating, reinforcing cycles?
5. It’s necessary to make compromises now to get the money to do good things later. The most prolific plants are weeds, and it may be tempting to plant weed seeds if the particular weeds aren’t outright poisonous, especially if they look a lot like nutritious plants, or supply marginal nutrition. The power of the very best seeds, with their built-in re-seeding magic, should not be underestimated, however. Compromise may not be necessary.

There is much more to learn, say, and do about the parallel between seeds and money as we pursue a sustainable future. Stay tuned and contribute your intelligence.

Good article on seed capital investors:

The Top 13 Seed Stage Investors in Silicon Valley