You may wonder where work originated. As soon as there were human beings on the earth, work was around. If prehistoric man decided to become a couch potato, he didnt really have that option as there were neither couches nor potatoes, let alone satellite TV. Since food and drink are necessary for survival, the caveman had to make sure he had plenty of both. Certainly one could survive without food for some time, but not without water. Nonetheless both were needed at that time to sustain good health just as they are today.

Perhaps the early caveman, whom we shall call Charlie, came home to his cave mate Millie with his new find from the woods. Out for a stroll he happened to stumble onto some blueberries and he tasted one. He was quite pleased with the taste so he picked a few more and indulged, and the remaining berries he brought home to Millie. When she tried them, she liked them too so he spent afternoons harvesting those little nuggets. After a time, he may not have been able to find anymore or even worse, Millie had a reaction to them.

Those blue things are good, but they really leave my digestive system in knots, Millie said to her friend.

Maybe I can find something in the field that wont cause us to run out of toilet paper, Charlie replied. Well, those werent his exact words but I think you get the point.

The master of his domain headed out in search of some other food and noticed these beautiful animals gliding across the landscape. He also saw small animals hopping in front of him in the meadow. Suddenly a thought occurred to him. These creatures could be a nice substitute for the blue stuff but somehow he would have to subdue them. His job (a definite reference towards work) was to come up with a scheme to bring home the bacon! Perhaps he figured he could entice the animal to eat some of that blue food, provided the creature liked it, but who wouldnt? While the deer was indulging, Charlie could smack him on the head with a rock or large stick and then bring him home for supper. He couldnt shoot him since he didnt have a gun. The NRA wasnt around then. Eventually he succeeded in overcoming this animal and brought him to the cave.

Of course there were still some slight difficulties, as the meat was inside a layer of skin and the deer had to be processed. When this was done and Millie and Charlie sat down at the dinner table, they may have been a bit disappointed.

Charlie, this tastes gamey and I dont like it, Millie offered.

Youre right dear; it needs something. Partaking of the raw flesh, which really hadnt aged, wasnt exactly their idea of good eating.

Perhaps we should barbecue it! Charlies better half suggested. Well, she really didnt offer that suggestion but perhaps putting the meat into or above the fire (assuming they had that luxury) could do something to improve the flavor. So let us assume that they did have a fire going close by. Millie took it upon herself to make this venison more edible by cooking it.

Thus Charlie worked at capturing game and harvesting food for the table while his partner was also working by preparing dinner. Since neither party minded doing his job, it may have been work but it certainly wasnt drudgery. Perhaps the person who had to do the dishes afterward did consider it an inconvenience and something to be avoided. You will note that neither got paid, as their reward was something to keep them going from day to day.

It couldnt have been too long before either or both of them got tired of deer and berries. Millie may have been outdoors one afternoon and tried some green leaves she found and it may not have been too long before they had salad on their table. At around the same time Charlie brought home pheasants and rabbits and their menu now became varied.

Charlie ran into another human being, whom we shall call Frank, and they exchanged business cards. Well, that really didnt happen but they got to be friends. They didnt kill each other off in a brutal and violent way because Tarantino and Craven werent yet on the scene to give them any ideas. Our hero was quite creative and had another brainstorm. He could have more time for leisure if he could get his neighbor to do his hunting for him. His idea was to somehow convince Frank to hunt and process the meat and Charlie in turn would then reward him with a portion of the spoils. Thus the agent was born.

You will notice that Frank never realized that he was getting the raw end (pun intended, get it?) of the deal since without Charlie he would have had the whole animal to himself and he was doing all the work. If Frank came to this realization and refused Charlies offer, the former may have come up with a counteroffer, namely that he would hunt the game, Charlie would process it and they would split the meat. Another possibility is that Frank might have offered to do the processing while Charlie did the hunting and trapping, with a split of the venison once again occurring as in Franks offer. Thus we have the first business deal as Charlie and Frank became incorporated.

Not long after this arrangement Charlie met a guy who had trinkets around his neck and was really impressed by them. He asked Tom, the owner, where he got this beautiful necklace and the response was that he made it by collecting different shells and stones as he wandered about the area.

If youd like, I can make you one just like it, Tom offered.

That would be great and in return you can have some of this processed deer meat, if that suits you, Charlie added.

What does it taste like? was Toms reply.

Come in and try some.

After Tom had a taste, he said, Youve got yourself a deal.

Thus the first barter took place, where goods were exchanged and money was not involved.