Human lives are a tragic enclave of contrasts. All through our lives, we believe in one thing and yet, very often end up doing the other. That perhaps is a drawing from the facade of uncertainty on which we rest that teaches us to embark on the safe path over the desired one. We are fed half truths and we turn out to be leading lives that are partial lies as well. And one such very ‘profound’ half truth that we have grown up believing is that money does not matter as much as the world tends to make of it. With notions like how money and materialistic things rarely shape the worthiest experiences of life, we have been conditioned to believe that money really isn’t as important as some other things when it comes to living a happy life. But in coming to experience the world as it is where money reigns supreme as the utmost power to which everyone yields, we realise that we have been feeding on all through only one part of yet another ‘truth’ that changes its empirical nature as it traverses through time and space.
Come to think of it in exact terms and money indeed is more important than most other things in life, despite strong suppositions to the contrary. Forget a life of luxury, even when it comes to the most basic needs of existence viz food, shelter and clothing, it is only and only money that fetches us all these. Nowhere on earth could you feel entitled to the bare necessities just because you have a life. The world is as cruel as you can imagine and specially in the world of today where consumerism and capitalism rules large, money has to be singularly the most important thing of life.
Source: Knowledge For Men
Of course, money can never be the be all and end all of life. But so can no other thing. The human life is too complex a entity to be defined in terms of a singular identity and money is no exception. Yet, despite how we cannot live without money as much as the other things perceived to be of utmost importance to living, we very often undermine the importance of the bucks. We chide anyone who proclaims acquiring all riches as the motive in life. We scorn on materialistic people who hanker after things to be happy and hold ourselves in good stead by virtue of the emotions that we instead cherish. We believe we are better off than those who value money the utmost because unlike them we crave the riches of experience over some sheet of paper or we warm up to the hearty nature of emotions and not over a wad of crisp solid notes straight out of the ATM. As if those experiences that we proudly identify as our definer would have been possible without the comfort of money to lean against. Our residing in the arts and such other pursuits that feed the soul might be sheer talent but look at what the world does to talent that do not have the backing of means and money and you will instantly realise just how fortunate you are to have the money cushion support you all through. It’s easy to overlook the blessings when you have them all your entire life because then they become ‘basic’ to you. And money too, to the extent that it becomes basic, sometimes seeks to lose its importance in the sight of people who do not explicitly go so much for it.
There however are certain uses of money that lead us all to proclaim that it is important to some extent. For instance, we understand that those basic needs we mentioned would be a struggle to acquire without adequate money at our disposal. Or even life itself, to the extent that it helps in access to quality health care, would not have been as easy without some money to help us out. Travelling as well which is such an important part of live because it helps us evolve and relax as well would not be so easy as embarking on the trips had our bank account would have sustained itself in its zero balance freedom all through. To this point, we sure are grateful enough for the money we are worth. But there stems some really ridiculous concepts related to money and particularly to the futility of it all that has us shaking our heads in disbelief.
Bring to mind those hordes of influencers on social media who are all a dime a dozen travel bloggers and food connoisseurs, who urge us not to miss out on anything in life because #YOLO and encourage us instead to quit that 9 to 5 job and become our own boss if we truly want to live the life of our dreams, one that does not come with the constraints of the finances. In the haze of their paid partnerships and sponsored trips, people like them tend to believe that money cannot be an issue when it comes to enjoying life by travelling the world if that’s what you really want to do. Discounting the fact that you have a family to clothe and feed, yourself and your dependents to tide over the issues of health, education and goals to pursue and also that not all of us are competent or even interested to make our mark as entrepreneurs, deriving contentment instead in our mediocre lives dictated by a desk job that while might not be exciting but still is stable enough to not drive us insane, they make us feel guilty for making our lives revolve around the money we earn. For them money is important as a means to living the good life, which they do without much concern. For the common majority though, the money tends to be a matter of survival and therefore holds greater importance as a basic need itself.
Of course like all other things in life, even the importance of money is something that is relative to everyone. But for folks who have not been made to realise the worth of every penny of money because they have had it relatively less hard or because they can dwell in the experiences money bought them rather than counting the amount that they shelled out, the importance of money is often undermined. Money tends to be viewed as unimportant partly because it happens to be tangible and buys us tangible goods. If however the same money brings to us such intangible experiences that elevate our happiness and satisfaction in the same way things does, we tend to attribute that spectrum of contented existence as going beyond the purview of mere money. Whether you see it as hypocrisy or overrule it as something that is now ingrained in the human mind, one thing is certain- money is not acknowledged and appreciated the way it should be.
Why we say this is because people tend to believe that money cannot buy happiness. Or that such realisations of unconditional love and emotional relationships that drives healthy lives do not stem of money. While it might be true that such bliss of life isn’t a direct outcome of the riches we possess, it also is as true that money does elevate the experience a bit more. You are more likely to have a fulfilling life when you can gratify your beloved with not just love but also showers of special gifts. Similarly, many a discords in families and most issues between people are related someway or the other to the manifestations of money. Even in such considerations of health that itself is purported as wealth, a healthy you also would be augmented by a wealthy you since infirmities of the body require the means i.e. money to recover from it, if at all. There sure would be arguments like incurable diseases have the last laugh even behind the tremendous facade of huge money. But that again is only the partial truth. Illnesses would be as fatal without money but what money does is at least let us have another partial shot at life through purchase of treatment.
Source: Lib Quotes
Coming to less graver but equally pertinent issues are such pursuits as relates to the basics. Basic food might give you life but good food can sometimes be a reason to live. Pretty clothes can amp your quality of life by making you feel better about yourself. And buying such experiences as enjoying music festivals or jetting off on foreign trips can help you feel enriched when it comes to living in the true sense of the term. Money might not alleviate your mood when you are upset over a breakup. Or it might not help you to move on after the loss of a special someone. But nor does not having money either. With a considerable disposition of money, you can at least turn your interest to some place else when you fail in your ambition. In helping to pamper yourself and divert your mind, money can also be a way to showing yourself some greater love which ultimately is another basic but less worded requirement of a decent life. Not to overlook the greater independence that money brings to you, financial or otherwise. Even when it might sound whimsical, money does indeed bolster your self esteem and vice versa. Money also can be a means to realising potential that opens up the scope for scouring expanses hitherto unexplored. Be it scientific inventions or art exhibitions, and even business plans and the proverbial ‘starting from zero’ are rooted in the funding through money. Every single thing in life requires money, though in varying amounts, be it education to help you realise your goals or devoting yourself wholeheartedly to such causes that augment the welfare of all. Even some aspects of kindness and philanthropy stand rooted in the massive power of what money can do. In the face of such tremendous importance that money holds and harbours it is but a farce when we proceed to proclaim it as the lesser want, as something that is the root of all evil, that which pits humans against each other. In being the source of satisfying all desires as well as the stemming point of them all, money yields an importance few things in the history of civilised existence has. In giving you the all and in having you give some back to the world, money in fact is one of the supremely important necessities of life.
