It’s the little things that matter, originally uploaded by Thorsten Becker.

Every now and then a commonly used word suddenly stands out in my mind, often for no apparent reason; it just kind of begs for attention and lingers in the forefront until I take a moment to research it further. So it was with the word ‘salary’ not too long ago.

If you are employed in any form or manner and receive a regular payment you are a salaried worker. But how does earning money relate to the actual term salary? Here is a definition of salary according to Merriam-Webster’s dictionary:

Main Entry:
sal·a·ry
Pronunciation: \ˈsal-rē, ˈsa-lə-\
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural sal·a·ries
Etymology: Middle English salarie, from Anglo-French, from Latin salarium pension, salary, from neuter of salarius of salt, from sal salt — more at salt
Date: 13th century
: fixed compensation paid regularly for services

Salary hence is derived from the Latin salarium which is rooted in the word for salt. Wikipedia offers the following explanation:

“By the time of the Hebrew Book of Ezra (550 BC to 450 BC), accepting salt from a person was synonymous with drawing sustenance, taking pay, or being in that person’s service. At that time salt production was strictly controlled by the monarchy or ruling elite. Depending on the translation of Ezra 4:14, the servants of King Artaxerxes I of Persia explain their loyalty variously as “because we are salted with the salt of the palace” or “because we have maintenance from the king” or “because we are responsible to the king.”
…
Similarly, the Roman word salarium linked employment, salt and soldiers, but the exact link is unclear.”

Considering the importance of salt it is easy to see why ancient cultures highly regarded it up to the point of payment (Wikipedia):

“Chloride and sodium ions, the two major components of salt, are necessary for the survival of all known living creatures, including humans. Salt is involved in regulating the water content (fluid balance) of the body.”

Nowadays the focus is more on salt (sodium) low nutrition as it is relatively easy to attain and we tend to overuse it hence it has lost its former value and status. But regardless of that it is and will always be essential for our well being. It is one of those many little things we usually don’t pay much attention to unless it affects us negatively. We wouldn’t necessarily sit around and contemplate the importance of salt, how it was used as payment in times past, how maybe nowadays many people suffer from low salt intake as it may still be a rare or precious commodity in their country. The fact remains that something so small had and continues to have a major importance in our life.

Researching all this made me think once again how valuable it is to consider the little things in life. We could have all the food we’d want, if we had no salt with some meals we’d eventually die. So what about all the other little things that touch us personally – a kind word, a tender touch, a smile, someone showing appreciation for us, the nature that surrounds us – or the lack of some or many of these? If we tend to focus too much on the big things in life – the things we want to do down the road, the things we want to achieve, purchase, do once we have this or that – we will miss many opportunities and rob us of our joy of everyday life. As westerners we live in societies that foster big picture thinking, big item purchases, big reward achievements. But much of it requires tremendous efforts, efforts that not always pay off and might throw us into depression and frustration. Consider the following albeit a bit vain example (in line with the financial turmoil of these days): Imagine a generous person offering you one million dollars/pounds/euros for telling them right now, right here, what you are thinking about – anything. Now consider another person offering you the proverbial penny for your thoughts, telling you he will double it each day for the next thirty days if you keep sharing your thoughts. Which offer would you pick?

If you said “the one million” you’ve just lost out on a much higher payoff. How so? I don’t want to turn this into a mathematics exercise so I just tell you that doubling a penny for 30 days each day will lead to 1,073,741,824 pennies (2³⁰) or over 10 million dollars/pounds/euros. The million upfront sounded like so much more than the pennies a day, didn’t it? But with some time to think and compare each offer, with just a little bit of effort and the willingness to set aside our own big picture thinking we can make a much better decision. This applies to all aspects of our life, especially things beyond money such a relationships, friendships and personal happiness. It’s the little things that matter just like our daily dose of salt that in fact keeps us alive.

Note: my one penny a day example was derived from the story “The King’s Chessboard” by David Birch.