Without a doubt, a lot of people consider money to be crucial in their life. But the question on everyone’s mind is that, can money buy happiness?
Many of us work hard to earn money so we can buy the things that will make us happy and comfortable. While others might look to money for personal fulfilment, which may involve impressing others by flaunting an expensive handbag or dress.
Nevertheless, due to its importance, we can find many people fight over it, hate, or adore each other because of it.
Read: 4 Money Personality, Find Out Yours
Can Money Buy Happiness?
Some claim that you can buy happiness with money because they believe it will give them power, while others might disagree. Can money buy happiness?
From a personal standpoint, I do not agree that we could buy eternal happiness with money.
But then, to buy the things we need on a daily basis, money is a basic requirement in our life. Although having a lot of money may be utilised to buy upscale and pricey items, the satisfaction would only be temporary. Additionally, you cannot buy the feelings of love and devotion with money.
Everyone wants money, but it could not possibly purchase everything. This is true, especially when it comes to intangibles things such as general knowledge or a loved one who has passed away and the experiences you shared with them.
Read: More Money, More Happiness?
In a famous book written by Robin Sharma, entitled “The monk who sold his Ferrari”, the main character named Julian Mantle was a lawyer who find himself burned out and feeling dissatisfied despite his amazing achievements. He was a successful lawyer, rich, and highly sought by clients for law advice and cases.
Suddenly, no one was able to contact him after the incident where he passes out in a courtroom due to a heart attack. He just disappeared and was nowhere to be found.
After three years he came back to meet his friend, John. John was astonished to see Julian glow in joy, looking wiser and healthy. Julian shared with John the lessons he had learn while meditating with the Himalayas Sages-and surprisingly all his happiness now has nothing to do with money.
Remarkably, we can find many people who felt the same burnout experience and a have different definition to happiness as Julian.
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Can Money Buy Happiness For A Couple?
In a similar case, Tiger Woods’s ex-wife, Elin Nordegren net worth’s skyrocketed to more than USD200 million after their infamous divorce. While she admitted that money did make things easier for her as she took her children away to somewhere secluded for quite some time from reporters and journalists, she did insist that money could not buy her happiness or put her family back together.
In fact, she claimed her marriage to Woods was one of the happiest days of her life.
Can Money Buy Happiness For Kids?
In India, a man shared over the net that he had broken up with the love of his life and was heartbroken. His friend’s advice him to smoke weed (cannabis) to forget his pain. They agreed to go buy it together.
Arriving at the place they went to; they saw three children playing nearby. The heartbroken man offered to buy them ice-cream and all three of them could not stop smiling while eating. The man said it made his day and he never took the weed.
He then asked for the kids’ permission to take photo of their smiling faces for memories. He would frequently look at the beautiful picture and smile. In his opinion, he claimed money can and does buy happiness!
On the other hand, my beloved father, once told me, if your too rich you can become crazy if you do not know what do with the money. Thus, I guess by having money with a purpose would then mean something, and the type of purpose mentioned here should be more akin to empowering yourself and others.
It should also be inspirational, memorable, helpful, useful, or important.
Despite how great it is, money cannot alter how you feel about yourself. Most individuals make this mistake. They want to be strong, fashionable, or respected. Most importantly, they want to be admired.
However, there is nothing that money can do to alter how you feel about yourself. Money won’t make you proud of who you are if you do not feel so yourself and it will definitely fail you if you have insecurities in believing yourself.
As to answering the question whether can money buy happiness, majority would agree that it does not. But to some it certainly can relieve you some pain, comfort, safety or help when you are in need, thus, that is happiness.
To me, happiness is something internal and intangible. Therefore, to obtain it obviously is not going to be from something external and tangible.
How about you, can money buy happiness?
Read: Are Malaysian Millennials Really That Bad At Managing Money?
About the Author
Azah Atikah Binti Anwar Batcha has Accounting, Finance, Auditing, and Islamic Finance background. She has worked with two of the Big four firms prior to pursuing her postgraduate studies at University of Technology Malaysia (UTM), Kuala Lumpur. She can be contacted at [email protected]
