Whilst some people believe money is the root of all evil, others believe it is rather the pursuit of money that is the root of all evil.
Either which way you look at it, money appears to be the be-all and end-all of life. Indeed, money seems to be everything. And lately when I hear people say “money isn’t everything” I smile to myself because I was once that person. When we were about 15 or so years, my smart best friend used to say “I would rather cry at the back of a limousine than a beetle.” As I grew older, I began to appreciate those words because I realized that money is in fact everything. But it is not everything that I personally will do for it.
Let’s face it, the world is ruled by money. We all love the idea of the world being ruled by love, but I have yet to meet a landlord who will accept love in exchange for their property. Or a head of admissions will accept love in exchange for your ward attending their institution. I have yet to see a hospital say out of love, people are not to pay for treatment. Love is great. But it is money one needs to survive in this increasingly materialistic and superficial world.
Globally, money is one of the yardsticks by which people are judged. To many people, success is measured by wealth. And if you possess a whiff of wealth around you, you are judged positively. In some instances, the source of your wealth is irrelevant. Once you have money your level of respect goes up. Access to and having money opens doors that would otherwise be firmly shut to you. Take the case of the recent Menzgold saga in Ghana. From nowhere, a young man appears in town. He is perceived to be mega-wealthy. From police escorts to private jets to meetings with the President of Ghana, this young man had every single door opened for him and access to the “who is who” of Ghana simply because of his perceived wealth. Where he acquired all his money from did not matter to anybody. All Ghanaians knew was that a new rich kid was on the block and everyone wanted a piece of him. High profile dignitaries become lapdogs for his pleasure. If the owner of Menzgold had entered Ghana as a nobody, nobody would have been interested in meeting with him.
Money is important because the amount of money you have directly influences the life you lead. I am of the personal view that God created enough for each and everyone person to enjoy the fruits of this Earth. I also believe that the more the population increases, the more God adds natural resources and all other elements humans need for their survival. It is a man that is greedy and it is a man that is making our planet unlivable. As for God, he keeps playing his part but is us humans who ruin everything. And money is one of the greatest tools used to disharmonize God’s natural order. I believe God does not like poverty. It is a sin against Him. Yet many across the world are living in poverty because this world has become too materialistic
. At times, it feels as if there is no longer a sense of humanness as humans go about hurting each other, all because of money.
In order to enjoy this world, people need a place to live and food to eat. Without money, how does one get any of these? Worldwide, in order to live in a decent area, you are expected to pay more than you would in a less decent area. Human beings have created a world in which some people have enough money to live in beautiful homes in nice areas, whilst others live in cramped conditions, in dirty environments, for example, Sandton versus Townships in South Africa. Every human being wants to live in a nice house, in a clean environment, with access to good roads and street lights etc. As such people have to strive to find money to enable them to live the life that God wanted. Every day, people wake up to chase money because it is needed for daily survival.
Lack of money can have an adverse effect on relationships and has even been known to destroy families and friendships. For example, a father who cannot provide for his family can sometimes find himself the ridicule of the family. In some cases, divorce can come about as a result of a lack of money in the home. Divorce can also come about as a result of too much money in the home, for example, some spouses spend so much time chasing money, they fail to attend to their family and this leads to a break down in family relationships. Some people also marry only for money and later divorce so they can get their share of the money.
Indeed the desire for money can lead to evil acts such as children killing their parents for money because they can’t wait for them to die to inherit. Turn to the news coming out of America for example and you will hear of such stories. On the other side of the globe from America in countries such as Ghana and Nigeria, we hear stories of parents taking their child for blood sacrifice and rituals that will make them rich.
Friendships have also been known to have broken down as a result of unpaid loans or joint ventures gone wrong due to misunderstandings surrounding money.
In this modern era of social media, people constantly portray real or imaginary lifestyles of the rich and famous. Every day, people upload pictures of their cars, mansions, business class trips to foreign destinations and other signs of living large. These are what people are being encouraged to aspire to. These are what people are being indirectly told will make us happy. Everybody wants happiness, hence the constant chasing of money to achieve this lifestyle or even if not this exact lifestyle, something close enough to it. Obviously, this does not apply to every single citizen of the world but generally speaking this is the global trend. Although some of us would like to believe “money isn’t everything”, in the real world, it actually is. And that is why people will go to all lengths and do anything to get some of this money money money. It was Abba who said “money money money, must be funny, in a rich man’s world. Money money money, always sunny, in the rich man’s world. All the things I could do, if I had a little money.” Even if it is not always sunny in the rich man’s world, I would rather be in the rain in a limousine than in the rain on a bicycle. Having said that thou, it is not everything I personally will do for money. I think for many people, the challenge in life appears to be finding the balance in making your money and getting your respect without lying, cheating, stealing or doing badly. It is a difficult challenge in a world where money is the yardstick for everything. And who should we blame when people do the wrong things in order to get money? The world that made money money money everything, or the person who does what they do to survive in this money crazy world?
