The lack of money is the root of all evil

I can’t remember where I read it, exactly, but the line “the lack of money is the root of all evil” couldn’t be more apt in today’s world.

Religion, for the most part, and society, to a lesser extent, always tell us that money isn’t everything, that there are better things in life that we should aspire to. But then you get social “experts” like Abraham Maslow stating that human beings have certain needs that must be fulfilled, without which other things don’t really matter. For instance, if you can’t even eat, of what use is your self-esteem? If you can’t even afford to feed your family, of what use is your trophy or someone else’s admiration?

Money is absolutely necessary in the world, more so now, when we grow up “needing” so many more things than our predecessors. Computers, mobile phones, cars, etc., etc…. none of these can be bought with “love” or whatever else you consider higher than money. Only money buys these things. So if you consider these things “necessities” then that makes money, and its power, that much more necessary in life. If you’re about to be married and you need a home, a fridge, a car, and enough money to afford your children’s education, then money becomes more important to you than, say, your spouse’s fidelity. You CAN educate your child even when your spouse cheats on you, IF you have money. You cannot, however, pay for college with faithfulness.

This is why so many people compromise their values and principles in the name of getting money. Not everyone wants to be rich (though most would, if they’re truly being honest with themselves). However, everyone I know (including priests and those folks running charitable foundations) wants more money. Everyone. Even if it is for an altruistic purpose (like funding an orphanage or feeding the poor), the point is that these people still want some more money than they already have. Otherwise what’s the point of the churches of the world asking for your donations? Shouldn’t they be satisfied with basking in God’s love?

Now the key here is when do you have ENOUGH money? When does the pursuit of money for other, meaningful ends begin to give way to the pursuit of money for money’s sake? I’m as cynical as the next guy, but even I admit that working for money can be a noble task indeed, as long as you don’t lose sight of what the money is supposed to get you, like a better home for your family, or the health and well-being of poor children in Africa. Where things go awry is when a person loses sight of the “better things in life” that money makes possible, and instead begins to substitute real “needs” with unnecessary “wants”. For instance, when a rich businessman cheats his employees of their mandated insurance policies just so he can buy his daughter a Jaguar instead of a BMW, you KNOW something’s gone wrong somewhere.

I’d always managed to put off this struggle between money and my principles by convincing myself that I really didn’t need a lot of the things that other people did. I even went an entire year without owning a computer, a TV, a fridge or even an airconditioner (trust me, in Thailand at that time, it was almost hell). I haven’t owned a car in over 5 years.

But time is starting to catch up with me, and the older I get the more urgent my need for money seems to be. I don’t yet have a woman I am engaged to, for instance, but at the age of 34, I really honestly have to consider the day when I may want to be married… and if I’m being responsible, I’ll need money for that. And if I’m going to have children in the future, I’m going to need a LOT more money than that.

So now I’m starting to make decisions and choices I never would have made before, such as living in a country I don’t really like as much as another, dealing with some people I’d rather not be dealing with, all in the name of making enough money to get my future family that nice life I feel they’re entitled to. I haven’t done anything to compromise my most fundamental principles, such as allowing myself to be bribed, but the more compromises I make with regard to how I live my life, the less I’m proud of myself. Is this always the way things go when you’re trying to earn a living as a businessman? In a dog-eat-dog world, can’t a dog survive without having to bite anyone?

It’s a struggle I’m going to have to deal with on my own, but it’s worth remembering that it won’t get any easier the richer I get. In fact, it may get harder. A lot harder. There’s a reason that the original Tree of Knowledge helped lead to Adam and Eve’s downfall; it seems the more you know about the kind of life money can buy, the less inclined you are to lead a life without it. I’m just hoping that whatever “roots” are spread are not spread so wide, or so deep.