Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Money

Back after a long time...the last one by Sunny gave a glimpse of the transition from the carefree college world to the dog eat dog industrial world.

And heres something I chose to write on....one thing that makes the world go around....

MONEY

The first thing that comes to anyones mind is the most common phrase "Money is the root of all evil"

Have we ever really thought about what is the root of all the money that exchanges hands all over the world every single moment???? The obvious answer wud be all the people working all day long to earn money so that we can live a happy life....and to put it more precisely I quote some lines from Atlas Shrugged.

"Wealth is the product of man's capacity to think. Then is money made by the man who invents a motor at the expense of those who did not invent it? Is money made by the intelligent at the expense of the fools? By the able at the expense of the incompetent? By the ambitious at the expense of the lazy? Money is made--before it can be looted or mooched--made by the effort of every honest man, each to the extent of his ability. An honest man is one who knows that he can't consume more than he has produced."

All thru the years when I gained enuf sense to form opinions about money and life and other concepts of life, I have never believed money is the root of all evil, on the contrary I started believing that money is definitely THE source of happiness. Of course what gives a man happiness is solely a reflection of his mind, his soul. Although in the last few months I found enuf reasons to think over the issue money being THE source of happiness all over again

I have always been crunched to spend money all thru my life, another way to put it wud be I never had money to afford luxuries in life. Basic necessities are all that I could always afford. Which again is a relative concept in itself. What is luxury for me wud be a necessity for others. But I wud define necessity as smthng I cant stay happy without(example: Ice cream) and luxury as smthng u can enjoy and feel good about but can live happily without it(example: Vodka). All thru those years when money was not an abundant resource we had, I always thght it will give me all the happiness that I look for in life.

It will give me the ability to do all the things I love. Finally I will see ppl around me happy at least from the money point of view in life. But sadly I was hit by a unprecedented reality check as soon as I started earning. And that was now that u have money which u never had in all the past years, u start saving it rather than spending it. And the Q is why?????. The answer really simple....what if those years come back again....or is it that difficult for us to move ahead and accept change in life????

And all this just leaves me with a faint smile...definitely taking back my own words....money IS THE source of happiness...I must say it can be...but it is not THE source of content and happiness.


U can have the best meal in ur life eating at a roadside stall or at a five star restaur. What matters is the experience and the memory. Baskin Robbins back then was not anything great cause I was the only one appreciating good Ice Cream. But now when u have a great company to share it with(I hope u get I am talking abt u) it taste like never before. In our college days we had the best times with not more than 50 bucks in our wallet every day. And today when I have the liberty to carry 500 in my wallet, I dont have my friends to live those great moments again. Of course after reading this I am sure they will come flocking to me this weekend for a party

To put the above whole idea in a better(philosophical) way here's Atlas shrugged again

Money will not purchase happiness for the man who has no concept of what he wants: money will not give him a code of values, if he's evaded the knowledge of what to value, and it will not provide him with a purpose, if he's evaded the choice of what to seek. Money will not buy intelligence for the fool, or admiration for the coward, or respect for the incompetent. Money will not give you the unearned, neither in matter nor in spirit.

And if u think this post can end without the Floydian view of money...sorry

Pink Floyd - Money

Money, get away.
Get a good job with good pay and you're okay.
Money, it's a gas.
Grab that cash with both hands and make a stash.
New car, caviar, four star daydream,
Think I'll buy me a football team.

Money, get back.
I'm all right Jack keep your hands off of my stack.
Money, it's a hit.
Don't give me that do goody good bullshit.
I'm in the high-fidelity first class traveling set
And I think I need a Lear jet.

Money, it's a crime.
Share it fairly but don't take a slice of my pie.
Money, so they say
Is the root of all evil today.
But if you ask for a raise it's no surprise that they're
giving none away.