The world runs on contracts, in fact the universe runs on contracts. Math is the foundational contract of the universe. All physical reality obeys it, there is no need for enforcement, since it is never violated. The electrons, protons, quarks, etc all behave the same way, we can forecast what their behavior will be in the future, because of what we have been able to learn about their nature so far. Similarly, our biology is also based on contracts, between the various cells, organs, the roles they play to regulate all the sytems to keep us alive, fight off infections, repair ourselves, evolve themselves to survive and reproduce. Our body is a complex system of cells, tissues, bacteria, nerves, blood vessels, hormones, etc that all need to be physically, chemically and thermodynamically balanced constantly to keep it working. When there is an injury or an infection, a coordinated response is needed over a prolonged period of time with various cells, signalling and effort to get the body back to a balanced state. All of communication and language evolved to enable us to establish contracts.

Similarly, our families, societies also run on contracts. A contract may not seem like an obvious word to describe a family, but it is. There is a contract between a parent and child. A contract between members of a family, in a marriage. A religion is a contract. A nation is a contract. A company is a contract. Money is a contract between the people and the government that enforces it. Some contracts like money are explicit, where everything is spelled out to a very large extent and some contracts like family are implicit, there a lot of unwritten rules that not everyone is aware of or agrees or accepts. It is important to understand that the properties of a contract apply in all these contexts. A contract is between a group of people, two or more. A contract needs to be understood by all, it needs to be agreed to by signing it, even if you don't agree to all of the terms. Once a contract is signed, it provides clarity and perdictability for the members to trust and work with each other. Contracts need enforcement, they need recordkeeping (auditing), etc. If a contract spans across generations of people, it needs to be communicated by being written down, educated, imbibed from one generation to next.

When a contract scales up, either the number of people or the complexity of terms, it needs a goverment to manage it, to audit, enforce, etc. In a family or tribe, it is the elders who manage the contract. In a religion or nation, there is a scheme to elect the governance body that manages the contract. In a company, the investors select the government and set the contract terms. Money is managed by the govermnent and the central bank and they negotiate with other countries on trade and currency exchange. Contracts also need symbols or rituals to show your allegiance to the contract. It can be a passport for a country, a flag, an anthem to show your affiliation. It can be a ritual, a chant or way of dressing to show your affiliation to a culture. God, prayer is a symbol of the religious contract to indicate your allegiance to a religion. Being able to recite an anthem or a complicated prayer is evidence to validate your membership to the contract. Not unlike a membership card allows your access to a club or get past the gatkeepers. The takeaway I want to leave you with is that contracts are the foundations of the world and contracts can be re-negotiated, evolved to meet the needs of the people and the times, but it is up to the members of the contract to make the change happen.