In my view, equivalent exchange is the fundamental basis for how society operates. Of course, beyond this foundation, there's also a superstructure that includes things like family bonds, friendships, filial piety, charity, and so on. However, this time I only want to discuss the foundation, not the superstructure.

Money is just a universal equivalent, one form of explicit resource. Many things can actually be seen as resources and used for equivalent exchange. Let's take emotional intelligence (EQ) as an example: if your EQ is high enough, and you flatter someone effectively, they'll be willing to spend money on you or offer you a higher position. If there's no profit to be gained from flattering you, I believe no one would be shameless enough to flatter you constantly. From this, I believe that even something as intangible as EQ is a form of equivalent exchange. Therefore, it's very important to know what "equivalents" you possess.