Understanding Money’s Role In Happiness

There is a famous Hindi film song that says “The whole thing is that ki bhaiya Sabse Bada Rupaiya”. We all have experienced how money can make people change their moods and colours in a jiffy. Haven’t we? It can close the eyes and seal the mouth and deafen the ears wherever needed. We have seen it in many scenes of movies how witnesses of crime turn a blind eye and a deaf ear and maintain a stony silence even though they know the truth. Similarly in the world of business, money is the prime force behind the movers and shakers of mega deals, mergers and break-ups. Whether it’s sports, entertainment or any other business, money can make cut-throat competitors get into co-operative mode in mutual interest. Money can match the mismatched, miss targets and change roles. At present it is observed that money has a considerable clout even in matters of faith. Like, it can gain you easy access to the holy citadels of godmen who may anoint you as their ardent follower. With money you can also have a quick darshan of your favourite lord at the temple without having to wait in long queues (which most of the people have to). The list is unending. In short money can buy anything and everything under the sun that can be bought.

Though money creates this illusion that we are living in paradise yet money cannot do any of the following for us. Like, money can buy us a beautiful house but not a happy home; it can buy us delicious food and expensive healthcare but not good health; it can provide us with high security but it cannot guarantee even minimum safety; it can buy us countless things for entertainment but not cheer and joy; it can buy us a comfortable bed but not sound sleep; it can buy name and fame but not real respect; it can buy the best contacts and relations but not true & honest love ; it can buy crowns and thrones but not real power ; it can buy good education but not intelligence and wisdom & lastly it can bail us out from the worst crimes but it cannot help us escape divine justice & buy us liberation from our sins and sufferings. So, no matter if money does make the world go round, but at the end of all the going round we reach nowhere and get nothing substantial and real & end up being more impoverished than ever.

Since ages, our scriptures and sages have spoken about the vices and virtues. Of all the vices like lust,anger,attachment,greed,ego, the most dangerous and subtle in nature is “Greed”. It is said that greed is such a kind of hunger that’s never satisfied. Our desire for food ends when our hunger is appeased, our anger also subsides when its purpose is achieved, but!! greed is such a tendency of mind which is not satisfied even if we get the kingdom of the whole world. Today we see that on acquiring decent wealth, men want to acquire a kingdom, having acquired a kingdom, they want to become godfather, and even after becoming one, they are still not satisfied. Hence, it is this tendency, which is created by wealth, in a person who possesses it, that leads to corruption at all levels. So, does it mean that one should not recognize the importance of money? Not really! Instead, we must understand that money or wealth is merely a tool that has to be used wisely and without greed, attachment or selfishness to create happiness for all. Hence, as long as we use it as masters, it will bring us benefit and happiness. As soon as we become slaves to it, it would bring loss and misery. An enlightened person would always use money for the maximum good of maximum number of people, whereas for a spiritually empowered soul, money becomes a tool to create good karma and a good destiny for the self and others. So, the moral of the story is that money has never made man permanently happy, nor will it, because there is nothing in its nature to produce happiness. Hence if we really want to be wealthy & happy, then we should earn blessings which is our real wealth & which would go along with us birth after birth. Think about it!