In the ancient times of the 20th century, in a world recovering from great conflicts, a world in which the populace sought to reconnect and trade with each other, where merchandise was transferred and knowledge was shared, a great problem arose, as the weight of coins bent the backs of men. Wise and ever-watchful bankers saw the struggle of mortals and sought to create a new means of trade – one free of weight and worry. However, the challenge was great and the task would take years and many great minds to see to fruition.
First came the Bankers of Delawere; a relatively modern tribe and, yet so imaginative. They were the first to ask themselves the question. “What if trade could flow without the burden of metal?” Seeing the plight of their fellow men, and their unbearable struggles, they began their thankless work. And so, after many months spent in endless thoughts, they wove their magic and knowledge into a single creation. A thin tablet of celestial material, made neither from gold nor paper. An invention so powerful that it could summon the wealth of the holder from afar without the need to carry a single coin. This gift, however, would become underappreciated, as other tribes were fearful of this unknown invention, terrified of change. Some accepted it, and in time, more would follow suit, but despite its power, its usage was limited, as it yet only worked in its place of origin. Delawerians were predecessors of the great evolution and so, for some time, were stuck in the future.
In the following years, as travellers would migrate from lands afar, along came the information of the glorious invention. Many banking tribes would seek to replicate it, and in no time at all, its usage would be commonplace amongst the American people. As the world began regrowing, and cultures began reconnecting with their neighbours, a necessity arose to make the card universal across the lands a soul may travel to. And so, a system was established, a set of rules, to make the card interconnected, safe and secure, for all those willing to uphold to its laws and sacred oaths, only to be given to those who would honour this system of trust. In this way both the artifact and the owner would be bound in contract. The card would only answer to its rightful wielder, so no one would take that, which is not theirs, only drawing upon the wealth that was truly and honestly earned. Security would be added through four personal information numbers, given along with the individual cards and machines would be created and spread along the lands, for those who still upheld to the archaic form of commerce or for those who wanted to embrace the new.
In just a half-century, the magical origins of the debit cards would become lost and replaced with the idea of technological development. And with the evolution od said “technology” the card took upon many different forms and names depending on their function. Whatever one may believe, and however one may call it, debit cards have become an inseparable part of human existence, and as long as civilisation remains in the form as we know it, so will they.
by Hubert Klepczyński
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