They say money isn’t everything and life is full of free and fantastic experiences that are worth more than what money can ever buy. I guess I can see where those people are coming from, it’s true, money isn’t everything. Let’s be realistic though, money matters! For every pound you spend or earn there is a whole range of emotions that you get to experience. Excitement after getting that first pay check, happiness when you buy those expensive pair of shoes you’ve wanted, the thrill of affording to travel and see the world and the absolute pride you feel when you are not only able to provide for yourself but for a whole family.
Let’s talk money. Many people don’t like to talk about money and have even seen friendships and relationships break apart because of it. What if you didn’t have money? Would you have been able to live these experiences? Would they feel the same if you did? What would change? Why does money have so much power in our lives? I had to break down the various aspects of money in order to understand why we all care about it so much.
Money gives you access to places and cliques that others could never dream of. We spend hundreds and even thousands of pounds on party tickets, alcohol and outfits; all to feel important and special. We end up in a room filled with similar minded people who do more effort showing off what they got than enjoying the party. For some it’s for the mere enjoyment while others have a more complicated plan to socially climb ladders, seal deals or even get on the radar of a hot girl. Just as the designer labels we wear, we as people are defined by labels too. Business man, Socialite, heiress and the list goes on. All of which represent status, a status of wealth and power.
Money is power. We all know it, the more money a person has generally means more power. Are we talking bribes and multi-million underground deals? No, not necessarily. It simply allows you to do a lot of things. Start a family at the age of 22 without worrying about the future, taking a risk and starting your own business, donating to a charitable cause and changing the world. It’s like your life will always be in a constant state of change; because you can afford it. Money also brings happiness. Many would beg to differ on this and how we can be happy from the simpler things in life. Well that is an illusion. Yeah you can enjoy the simple things but you can also enjoy a penthouse by the Nile or the limited edition Porsche. In any normal case where you don’t use money to fill a void, it is generally used to enjoy everything life has to offer. Being able to buy the things you want, travel and explore the world or to get your kids in the best schools. Who can say that these things won’t raise your happy bar a notch or even ten?
Security; probably one of the most important aspects of money, feeling secure and having something to fall back on if something were to happen. Sickness, economic disasters, losing a job, having an extra baby or two… all these situations can deal a much lighter blow if you can afford to take it easily. It opens up many opportunities and allows freedom of experience! Investing in a new company that could take off one day, traveling the world and exploring different cultures, helping out people and finally not finding any chains to prevent you from experiencing what life has to offer.
Another important aspect of money is that it buys you time. If it weren’t for those trust funds our parents kept building up for us since the day we were born, we probably won’t be able to be where we are today on our own. We would spend years and years trying to save up money and at the end it goes to your children and you will find that you missed out on enjoying life because you were too busy saving up for an unforeseeable future. It’s probably one of the greatest gifts a parent can provide for their children.
On the other hand, one aspect where I didn’t find that money makes a difference is a person’s value. Whether dressed from head to toe in Armani or in a 100 LE outfit, how people value or see you is totally up to who you are and how you deal with them. There are those who try as hard as they can to cover themselves in the most extravagant of items to raise their value, to get people to notice them and forego the fact that they are completely devoid of personality or substance.
Times are in a constant state of change and at the risk of sounding like a grandpa, I recall a time when 50 LE would be enough for a movie ticket, lunch and cab fare. I would even go home with some change! Now it seems that the more we grow the more money we end up paying on the same things that once cost a lot less. Being able to cope with the inflation and not worry much about what everything costs now compared to what it used to cost is a luxury only few get to enjoy.
We are living in a material world. A time when diamond encrusted credit cards give more value to a person than his/her accomplishments or life experiences. No matter how much or how little money and possessions you have, always remember that there are people who live an entire lifetime not knowing what a cupcake is. You might not be in the top 1% of the world’s richest, but you at least rank in the top 15% of the entire world population. That really counts for something! Just Google “how rich am I” and you will be surprised. I did for this article and I have only one thing to say:
Who are we kidding? Money MATTERS!
