Money = Happiness?

According to a friend of mine, there cannot be happiness without money. He states that he is not a hypocrite to say that he can be happy without money and in his opinion spending money without having to worry about it is freedom.

I can understand where he is coming from, for he comes from a wealthy family. However, he does not have a family of his own, let alone a wife or girlfriend for that matter and he also has very few friends because no one can really keep up with his life style. I respect his opinion, but I question how happy someone can be with money and no one real close to share it with.

He is not alone in his opinion. I was at a café the other day and eavesdropping into the conversation at the table next to mine. Actually, it is something that I often do while sipping a freshly brewed cup of coffee. Perhaps to some, my action is wrong, but then again it is not something you can just turn off. Anyhow there were three men, I’d say in the late 50’s, drinking coffee and chatting about money. They were talking about money and happiness.

One of them mentioned that when he was younger he had a lot of money, traveled all the time, went out with different women, ate at the finest restaurants, bought whatever he wanted without having to worry about his bank account, however, he had no friends, no family and felt awfully lonely. Due to some mistakes in his life, which he did not mention, he lost all his money and had to start all over again. I figure his business foreclosed. He said that these days he felt happy although he had no money, well, not that he had no money, he just had to keep tabs on his income. He mentioned that he did, however, have a wife and two small children now whom he loved besides their being supportive and fun to be with. Nonetheless, he also mentioned that he did miss having all that money, but in all, he seemed to be more fulfilled in life now and the loneliness had gone despite wanting to provide more trips and things for his family that can only be bought with money.

The other two men said that he was crazy and that they would rather be able to travel, enjoy life and not have to worry about paying bills instead of living the lives they were living. They solemnly believed that their problems would disappear if they were wealthy.

Unlike the first man, these two never had tons of money. It made me think about the two different statements. The first man had been in both situations and he knew what it was like to live with a lot of money and alone versus having less money but a lovely family. Therefore, in my opinion, his thoughts should be taken into consideration. Clearly he is happier nowadays. After all you can’t have the best of the two worlds.

The other two men, on the other hand, live in a fantasy world of how happier or better their lives would be if they had tons of money. Taking this into consideration, it is clear to see that these two gentlemen are not enjoying their lives to the fullest, worrying about what to buy or not or instead of taking advantage of what they have, they are just wishing and living in frustration which brings sadness.

People nowadays tend to link happiness to consuming. They are happy when they buy a new car, a new technological gadget, a new pair of shoes, a piece of chocolate cake etc. It seems like we have forgotten what makes us truly happy. However, thank God, there are those, like me, who are happy when they listen to a kind word, witness an act of kindness, watch the sun set or rise, talk with a dear friend, make a new friend, receive a lick from their pet, are smiled at, listen to some one play a musical instrument on a street corner, all of which has nothing to do with money. So, ok, we do need money to survive but just because you do not fall into the category of being a millionaire does not mean that you cannot be happy.

Google Images

(Written January 24, 2013)
copyright ©2013 - Todos os direitos reservados a Meire Marion.