Unlike the nineteenth-century practice of giving a detached piece of paper from a bond to signify an interest payment, today’s practice is to give a coupon with money to get something. The coupon serves as a money substitute, at least in the minds of the purchaser. The coupon has value, and, typically, the seller sets the value of the coupon. The purchaser, in turn, accepts the responsibility for the cost the coupon doesn’t cover.
What if coupons were available for all human interactions, not just economic ones? And what if the “purchaser” could set the value? Ah! Then we would know what kind of sacrifice the “purchaser” intends, what value the purchaser places on the “thing” to be acquired. We would also know what value the seller places on giving up the “thing.”
What would a love coupon be worth? Isn’t love the relationship in which the participants act as both purchasers AND sellers? Apparently, from the many divorce tales, abuse tales, and abandonment tales, such is not always the case. Some “love relationships” appear to place a value on the coupon used to make the purchase. Some friendships are apparently similar: Coupons obtain a value.
May you find many relationships where the coupon has no value for the purchaser and full value for the seller.
What if coupons were available for all human interactions, not just economic ones? And what if the “purchaser” could set the value? Ah! Then we would know what kind of sacrifice the “purchaser” intends, what value the purchaser places on the “thing” to be acquired. We would also know what value the seller places on giving up the “thing.”
What would a love coupon be worth? Isn’t love the relationship in which the participants act as both purchasers AND sellers? Apparently, from the many divorce tales, abuse tales, and abandonment tales, such is not always the case. Some “love relationships” appear to place a value on the coupon used to make the purchase. Some friendships are apparently similar: Coupons obtain a value.
May you find many relationships where the coupon has no value for the purchaser and full value for the seller.
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