Invisible Chains by Momir Bulatovic — A Book About Money, Control and Modern Illusions

Money is the most important thing in the world to some people. For everyone else, it is still extremely important. But what if money is not real at all? What if it is nothing more than a carefully constructed illusion that shapes our lives more than we realize?

This question lies at the heart of what Invisible Chains represents — not simply as a book title, but as an idea. An idea that challenges our understanding of money, power and personal freedom. Because whether we like it or not, we all live inside a monetary system. And almost none of us were ever taught how it actually works.

Who Was Momir Bulatović?

Momir Bulatović (21 September 1956 – 30 June 2019) was the first President of the Republic of Montenegro and later Prime Minister of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. A trained economist and long-time political figure, Bulatović spent years inside the political and institutional systems that shape societies from the top down.

He passed away in 2019 at the age of 63.

While he is publicly known as a political leader rather than a monetary philosopher, using his name in connection with this topic carries symbolic weight. A critique of money written by a former head of state — someone who witnessed the machinery of power from the inside — changes the tone of the question entirely.

This is not a rebel shouting from the sidelines.
This is someone who hypothetically stood inside the system and looked outward.

For the purpose of this article, Invisible Chains should be understood as a philosophical and socio-economic essay inspired by real-world mechanisms — not as a historically verified publication.

Why This Topic Matters to Everyone

Every human being is born directly into a monetary reality. From the moment we grow up, we are taught that:

Work equals survival.
Money equals success.
Debt equals adulthood.
Wealth equals value.

And yet, almost no one can answer the simplest question:

What is money, really?

Not what it buys.
Not how much we want.
But what it actually is.

What Is Money?

Money did not arrive fully formed. It evolved.

In early societies, barter systems ruled. People exchanged goods directly. But barter was inefficient, limited and fragile. Over time, societies adopted shared representations of value: seashells, metal coins, gold, silver — not because they were magical, but because people believed in them.

Eventually, paper replaced metal. And later, digital numbers replaced paper.

The essential truth:

Money is not a natural substance.
Money is a social agreement.

It is accepted not because it exists physically, but because people believe it represents something valuable.

Money exists only in the same way that borders, laws and promises exist — by collective belief.

How Banks Actually Create Money

One of the most disturbing realities of modern finance is this:

Banks do not mainly store money.
They create it.

When a bank issues a loan, it does not always transfer existing funds from another person. In most cases, it creates new money on its balance sheet. A number appears in your account — and a matching debt appears beside it.

New money is born.

This is known as credit creation.

Money today is not primarily cash. It is digital debt.

The majority of the world’s money supply exists as database entries inside financial institutions.

This is not a metaphor.
This is the structure.

Leverage and the Bank Multiplier

Modern banking systems operate using leverage.

In simple terms:

A bank is allowed to lend out far more money than it actually possesses in reserves.

If a bank holds only a fraction of deposits as reserve, it can loan the rest, which then becomes deposits in another account, which may again be loaned out, and so on.

This multiplication effect allows a relatively small base of physical money to create a massive cloud of financial claims.

This is not illegal.
This is not hidden.
This is the foundation of modern banking.

And yet, almost no one is taught this in school.

Who Controls the Supply?

If banks create money, and central banks regulate it, then the power is not located where people think it is.

It is not located in salaries.

It is not located in savings accounts.

It is located in:

Interest rates
Credit expansion
Liquidity rules
Financial confidence
Institutional trust
Political decisions
Monetary policy

This means money is not neutral.
It is a tool of influence.

And anyone who controls liquidity controls destiny.

The Meaning of “Invisible Chains”

The title Invisible Chains does not refer to physical control.

It refers to psychological conditioning:

Work until exhaustion
Fear debt, worship income
Equate worth with productivity
Measure life in money
Trade time for survivability
Accept permanent obligation as adulthood

These are not laws.
They are belief systems.

And belief systems are harder to break than prisons.

A Passage in the Spirit of the Book

“The strongest prison ever built does not have walls.
It is made from habits, debts and unexamined beliefs.
People do not live inside systems — they become them.”

This is not a quote from an archive.
It is a reflection of reality.

Why Most People Feel Trapped Without Knowing Why

Anxiety. Burnout. Constant pressure.
The sensation of running without moving.

This is not accidental.

If money enters the world through debt, then life becomes structured around obligation. Mortgage. Education loans. Credit cards. Interest. Inflation. Uncertainty. Employment dependency.

Freedom becomes conditional.

And yet, no one explains this dynamic.

People are told to:

Work harder
Save more
Invest smarter
Buy later

But rarely:

Understand the system.

This Book Is Not About Escaping

It offers no fantasy of abandoning society.

It does not call for chaos.

It calls for awareness.

To see that money is constructed.
To understand power as structural.
To realize freedom begins with knowledge.

The goal is not rebellion.

It is consciousness.

Final Thought

Whether Invisible Chains exists as a published book or as an idea does not change the truth it points toward:

Money is not reality.
Money is a system inside reality.

And systems built by humans can be questioned.

Most people never do.

Those who do — never see the world the same again.

Because sometimes, the most dangerous chains dissolve the moment you realize they were never physical.

They were mental.