Money doesn’t bring happiness? Think again.
By: Adam Borowski
Tags: Money, Jobs, Health, Covid 19, Life

‘’Money doesn’t bring happiness’’ is one of the most harmful phrases out there.

Photo by Josh Appel on Unsplash

I’m sure you’re familiar with the phrase: ‘’Money doesn’t bring happiness.’’ It’s a thought-terminating cliche to shut down any kind of debate about money. I don’t know about you but this saying has never made sense to me. How can anyone actually believe money isn’t important? It seems many people don’t understand the difference between money worship and using money as a tool to achieve a specific aim. Sure, the money worship mindset is terrible and shallow and often turns people’s lives into a series of disasters. If someone without good money management skills wins the lottery, I don’t need to explain what usually happens next. Just like with languages, we usually learn our money management skills as children by observing the world around us. It’s really difficult, though not impossible, to change our money mindset later in life.

Why do so many people believe God doesn’t want us to be wealthy? My definition of God is a self-aware infinite intelligence. If God is omniscient, this definition makes perfect sense. I subscribe to the view that God — if such an omnipotent and omnipresent entity exists — blesses us with money luck if we believe money luck is what we deserve. Why would God want us to be poor if money is God’s creation? Many people have a subconscious fear of money while others feel downright disdain for money. Why is that? It depends on our upbringing, of course. If you are socialized to believe money is the root of all evil, then it shouldn’t be surprising you won’t attract money and even if you are wealthy, you’re going to feel uneasy, as though you are doing something wrong. Your mind is your own enemy. You don’t need life coaching sessions to understand it.

Indeed, money is magical. How? It’s simple.

In role-playing video games, there’s something called ‘’mana.’’ You need it to cast magical spells. If you have no mana, then you can’t cast spells. Well, that’s exactly what money is. It’s our mana. We cast ‘’money spells’’ to change the world around us. Things that are impossible, suddenly become possible when you have money. If you can’t cast ‘’money spells,’’ you can’t change your life. That’s when people start coming up with a thousand excuses to justify being miserable; they start blaming everyone around them for their misfortunes. . . some become vicious online trolls because that’s the only way they can feel more in control of their lives. When you cast money spells, you’re like a witch (this word has so many negative connotations-why?) who magically puts dollar signs on her stilettos. Or you can visualize money luck as Scrooge McDuck’s Number One Dime.

I t’s that simple. Try it out.

If someone calls you selfish because you like money, mentally block this person, just like you block someone on social media. They’re most likely envious or they’re using the ‘’guilt trip’’ mind games to control you. . . yes, financially, but not only. Okay, if you’re a total psychopath who sees everyone else as objects then that’s different kind of scenario — pathological selfishness. But looking out for your best interest doesn’t make you a psychopath; it makes you pragmatic.

And if you know someone who can’t tell the difference between the two — kindly thank them for their time and move on. Pick your battles. Don’t bother arguing if there isn’t anything tangible to gain. Philosophizing is great but it’s a waste of time if it’s all abstract, intangible, lofty, ivory-towerish ‘’mad professor’’ philosophizing. Too many people waste their time and energy on irrelevant arguments. If, on the other hand, it’s a job interview or an official debate where you’re supposed to show off your argumentative side — then by all means, go for it.