I’ve always found it amusing when I heard “Money can’t buy happiness”, ever since I was a kid. Back then, I probably thought it was an incredibly silly saying when I was a poor, out of work, 9 year old child wanting to keep up with the latest fads back in primary school (who can forget the yo-yo, marble, trading card era). Yes, those were the days when I was led to believe, by my conservative parents, that $20 was a godly sum of wealth, something that an ankle biter could never obtain.
Even as a naive child, I can’t help but think I had the right opinion on that old saying. Because money does buy “happiness”. Of course, everyone has their own opinion of happiness, some people are generous, and they receive warm fuzzy feelings via philanthropic gifts, others may be more superficial and get a kick out of a new pair of jeans, or a 42″ widescreen 1080p LCD TV (drool? Sorry if I enjoy my home entertainment!).
Spending Wisely
Of course, there’s more you can do with money then just simply “spend” it. And this is where the “Money can’t buy happiness” comes in. People that blindly expend money trying to fill some cavity within themselves will never find happiness, regardless of their financial status. Hence, in my opinion, people that are content in believing the saying “Money can’t buy happiness”, simply haven’t learnt how to spend it properly.
It is, in my opinion, that this assertion is a bourgeois saying. An impoverished person, unable to financially satisfy basic human needs, such as food and shelter, would most likely never think to utter those words. Not to say you cannot be poor and happy, but if you stress and worry everyday about making ends meet, you cannot possibly be in an upbeat disposition. If you are poor and happy, then personally you must be satisfied with your current lifestyle. For some, this lifestyle could be worrying, but for others I can’t help but feel you may have settled for less than what life, in this day and age, has to offer.
As mentioned earlier the idea of happiness is very ambiguous, but only when you have satisfied all “needs” for yourself, and/or your family, can you truly even begin to consider whether or not money can buy that popularly sought after emotion. It’s when a person’s “wants” become predominant that money has a less significant value. If these wants, are easily met and in no way improve one’s quality of life, then they are surely far from being satisfied.
Happiness ∞ (Quality Life ∞ Money)
When money is spent in the “right” way, then your own quality of life, and those close to you will ideally be improved. A higher quality of life would lead to a proportional increase in the level of happiness, and satisfaction. But in saying this, yes money can’t buy it all.
It all comes back to the most basic of things. Reflecting on oneself. Contemplate. Find what it is that you feel is missing from your life. Think about the steps one needs to take to create the situation where you will be happy. Assuming you’re of sound mind (e.g. you’re not a bloodthirsty murderer), chances are, guess what? You’ll need money. Money introduces flexibility, it creates allowances, it provides freedom. And when you’re completely satisfied with who you are as a person, if you haven’t already, find that special someone to share your new found perspective on life, and seemingly endless flow of green stuff with (by the way, I’m a handsome and healthy single male for all you cashed up cougars out there ;)).
Highly Realistic and Probable Situations
Just think of the possibilities of infinite cash flow, if such a thing was too exist. Fed up with living with your housemates? BAM! Buy that new house or apartment on the other side of town = HAPPY. Had enough of your kids in their early 20s still living at home? BAM! Buy them a house, or at least buy them a panel van to sleep in = HAPPY. Finding it hard to pick up with thick nerdy glasses? BAM! Laser eye surgery is the answer = HAPPY (and hopefully LUCKY). It’s the holidays and your lonely.. BAM! Okay let’s just leave it there. Those were obviously immature and shallow examples, but surely you get the idea? No (If Yes, skip to line 743)? What’s common to all those situations (despite their bad attempts at humour)? They provide short to long term improvements in one’s quality of life, which in turn leads to happiness.
Wrapping It All Up
I would just like to say, money can’t buy happiness if it’s not spent properly, and money is in no way the solution to unhappiness (or any long-term mood disorder for that matter).
Reflect on life, and you’ll hopefully see that a reallocation of your funds can either directly or indirectly buy you long-term happiness, you just have to ask yourself: “What is missing from my life?” and then make a plan. Hopefully, the answer is not “Nothing”.!