Carolin Pan Week 12 Money
Carolin Pan
Week 12
Money
“Money can’t buy happiness” is a phrase that we hear quite often but is it true? People say that money is not the most powerful nor is it the most important thing in life, but a life without money is arduous and worthless as it will be difficult to attain even the necessities. However, those with an abundance of money but have no direction in life also seem quite miserable. To be honest this is one of those topics that can really be argued both ways.
“Money is a universal medium of exchange” (Rakoczy). Many people tend to profess that they do not care for money as society has deemed the love for money as the root of all evil. A rich individual may be morally corrupt and selfish, using underhanded ways to gain more wealth, but society, blinded by wealth, will still deem them admirable and worthy of praise. Conversely, homeless people are often looked down upon as people are unable to look past their lack of money. Money not only determines an individual’s quality of life, but unfortunately also their social status.
Although money may seem like the solution to all problems, “materialistic people can let an obsession with money drive them to do bad things” (Rakoczy). Wealth can lead to an increase in status and power, which has the ability to corrupt anyone. Wealthy people often feel the need to gain more as they are never satisfied with what they have; however, people with less money may experience extreme happiness from the most trivial things. I believe that although money is powerful, I am content with what I have right now, but can money buy happiness?
Source: https://lendedu.com/blog/why-money-is-important/#:~:text=for%20the%20Future-,Why%20Do%20We%20Need%20Money%3F,bills%2C%20and%20a%20good%20education.
I believe the whole world has an addiction to money. When we do not have it we are constantly thinking about it, and when we have it, we want more. If this was social media or a drug we would just go on a "cleanse" or get rehabilitation for our addiction, but it does not seem like we will be able to rid ourselves of the struggle of constantly being absorbed with how much money we have anytime soon especially with the capitalist society we live in.
ReplyDeleteHi Carolin, I believe that money can make help someone live a stable life and enjoy their time more. Money for one gives independence such as being able to travel or buy things. Most of us are privileged in this school to not have to worry about having enough to pay for water or electricity, but money can keep you warm and make sure you have running water. Not having to worry about these things enables people to seek enjoyment with the money they earned. Thus, I believe that money may not be able to buy someone’s happiness, but certainly lessons the worry about the consequences of not having enough.
ReplyDeleteHey Carolin, I definitely agree that money is usually a very crucial part of attaining happiness. Being financially stable ensures that a person doesnt feel as much of the mind numbing stress of finding a way to put food on the table, pay medical bills, buying a home, and unemployment. It is definitely harder to be happy if you dont have money and you are exposed to that kind of trouble. However, I don’t think that money is a guarantee of happiness and I definitely think there is a point at which one can gain too much money and they’ll often become less happy. People with an extravagant amount of money can often lose perspective on the important things of life, including morals that help them keep their sanity. While money is not ever a definite indicator of happiness, I do think that theres a solid range of financial stability in which people have the opportunity to be and typicaly are happier.
ReplyDeleteHonestly, does money really buy happiness? I've constantly heard that phrase, over and over again in one conversation and another. Frankly, money can buy us a lot, but I disagree that happiness is one. Money can give someone opportunities, and help them provide for themselves and their loved ones to not have to live in worry. But, even with money, is any individual frankly happy just with money? It might be able to pay for items that give you pleasure like wifi, phones, electronics, netflix etc, but that's not the only thing that makes someone happy even if they fail to realize it.
ReplyDeleteHi Carolin, this post reminds me of a quote where someone mentioned that money does not equal happiness, but no money equals misery. Without money, you cannot wash your clothes, have shelter, get food, or get healthcare. However, money qualifies some basic human needs like food, shelter, and healthcare. There is a point where the amount of happiness you get from money flatlines as the amount of money you have grows, and that is where personal relationships and passions fill the gap. Even the most rich people are unhappy and the most poor people very happy.
ReplyDeleteHi Carolin,
ReplyDeleteI try not to confuse money with value. I believe value can buy happiness, while money cannot. Money is a delusion of value that we trust without security. As gas prices skyrocket, money seems to have lost value, because from an individual's perspective, the value of gasoline has not changed. If I would trade my car for a storage shed, there is an exchange in value. If the price of the car begins to exceed the price of the storage shed even though the product remains the same, then the value of that car to me has remained the same. I would still exchange the storage shed for that car. Either way, I am happy because I am getting the shed that I personally valued more than the car. The person who traded the shed is also happy as they receive a car, they deem more valuable than the shed. The moment I interchange money with value, wealth becomes unpredictable and more powerful. It can consume one's purpose in life and potentially distort one's view of themselves and reality.
Hello Carolin. I definitely agree that money isn't everything. Even so, having financial stability is definitely significant in the quality of life. My parents and I have been having more conversations lately about choosing a realistic career path. Being broke and in debt certainly isn't ideal, but being excessively rich probably doesn't always bring true fulfillment (as we've seen with Gatsby). I think there should be a happy medium between stability and more materialistic but unnecessary desires.
ReplyDeleteHey Carolin! Firstly, I really liked your blog, and it was written very well! Next, I agree with your stance on money. Money is hugely powerful, and not entirely always for the good. To answer your question, I do think that money can buy happiness, but not directly. Those in poverty cannot enjoy the recreation and luxuries that the fortunate wealthy population can. This actually reminds me of my POAS person, Walt Disney. When he moved to Kansas City, he saw a park with amusement rides and people laughing. However, due to his family's lack of money, he could not afford it. In this case, he continued living a stressful life (being a newsboy for his father) rather than enjoying in an amusement park. Although money can not buy happiness, it can provide you or surround you with opportunities or items that could lead to a higher chance of achieving happiness.
ReplyDeleteHi Carolin, I think for most people, even people who are not overly materialistic, money does make life easier and less worrisome. I agree. People who are obsessed with money can end up corrupt and immoral, doing anything and everything to increase their wealth. I think this type of dissatisfaction is really unhealthy and I feel sorry for such people because they might be missing out on the more important things in life, like family, friends, good food, good health, community service, nature, pets, etc. Plus, there is inevitably always someone wealthier or more powerful or with more status so this cycle of monetary competition is never ending.
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