Is Money Root of all Evils?

Once there was a king who had a servant. He used to give the king daily massage. King used to pay him one coin every day for his service. The servant used to spend that coin in fulfilling daily needs of his family and do some charity. In the evening, he used to call his friends and neighbours treating them with the remainder of the coin. In the night, he used to sleep without any worry and anxiety. The king felt jealous of his servant’s happiness, as he was besieged by all kinds of worries despite so much wealth. He discussed his feelings with his minister, who promised to fix this situation. One night, the minister dropped a purse containing 99 coins in the servant’s house. When the servant discovered it, he thought of making it to 100. Next day, he decided not to spend anything from the coin that he earned. His entire family suffered hunger and his friends wondered why he had not called for daily evening treat. In the night, he could not sleep, as his mind got busy with ideas of further increasing this new found wealth. He was caught-up in the whirlpool of 99. We may laugh at this story. But, are we not all caught-up in the similar whirlpools?

At the dawn of humanity, there was no money. Life used to begin with the sun-rise and virtually end with the sun-set. There was no certainty of tomorrow. Cut to the present time. There is no certainty of tomorrow, even now. But now we have money, which seems to assure us that tomorrow will come. With money, our life-styles and thinking have changed. We have learnt to postpone and camouflage our joys. We no longer enjoy delicacies of cheap joints. We no longer shop in open markets. We no longer stop at a chalk-painting done by an impoverished artist on the footpath. We no longer lend our ears to a soulful tune played by a loner in the sub-way. We judge success in life on the scale of money. We choose partners and friends on the parameter of money. We conveniently distance from those who don’t match our monetary status. How many of us would honour a prior commitment of meeting an old friend with humble background, when suddenly invited by a well known icon at the same time? Families fall apart over money issues. Friendship gets sour when money enters the scene. Is money root of all evils?

Certainly not! Who does not want money? If someone says he doesn’t, then either he is lying or he hasn’t any. It is unfortunate that money has been blamed for causing so many evils in the world. Money is merely a tool of exchange. When someone has the ability to produce something and another person wishes to have his product, then he exchanges his money with that product thus giving value for value. This is the principle of ‘fair trade’. Further, money has no intrinsic value of its own. In the famous novel ‘Atlas Shrugged’ by Ayn Rand Francisco says, “Not an ocean of tears, not all the guns in the world can transform those pieces of paper in your wallet into the bread you will need to survive tomorrow.” Money only carries a notional value given by different governments. This value can change overnight. Recent economic recession has amply demonstrated this fact.

Giving exaggerated value and power to the money is the root of all problems. It is vital that we clearly understand the right value and limitations of money through the following four fundamental questions:

1. How much money do we need? Money can only buy the objects of the world. And, we need money to survive and achieve our goals in life. But, when we cross the boundary of ‘needs’ and enter the arena of ‘desires’, it becomes a completely different ball-game. Since our desires are unlimited, the money that we require will also be unlimited. Hence, there will never be enough money to satisfy all our desires.
2. How must money be earned? Money must be earned through application of honest efforts. It runs away, when you chase it. But, it comes to you unexpected when you are busy delivering your best. Anyone inheriting ancestral money must prove himself to be worthy of owning it. Otherwise, the same money has power to destroy him. Those who find faults with money are most likely those who obtained it dishonourably. One can never enjoy ill-gotten money. The fact that you compromised with your conscience will always haunt you, no matter how much money you accumulate. Money is useful in true sense only when it is the product of your virtue. But it cannot give you virtue and it will not redeem your vices.
3. How must money be used? Like water, it spreads life and cheer only when flowing. It stinks when it is locked-up in vaults. No doubt, we enjoy spending it on ourselves. But, when we spend it on others, especially unknown and incognito, our hearts are filled with bliss. A vulgar display of wealth attracts unwanted attention, which ultimately ruins its very existence. Money is best used in realizing our own hidden potentials, not in imitating others.
4. Should we keep money for tomorrow? We must inculcate the habit of saving something for a rainy day. But, accumulation of money at the cost of today’s happiness cannot guarantee tomorrow’s happiness. What would we do with the accumulated money when we have lost the ability to contribute and enjoy in the world? But, our ability to produce; our ability to remain useful for the society and our ability to enjoy every moment will guarantee continuation of happiness as long as we live. Someone somewhere will always be ready to reward us for our honest efforts. Most of all, we would sleep every night peacefully.