Money, money, money / by kevin murray

When we are birthed into this world, we have no concept of money, though we typically do have a concept of love, affection, and caring -- which thus forms the basis of our loving attachment to our family.  Invariably, as we mature into adulthood, and even before, we become quite aware of the value of money, especially in the sense of money providing us with the means to buy and to acquire things that we so desire to have.  Those then that are best able to balance their monetary needs with a clear understanding that true happiness comes primarily from the alliances that we make with those that we congregate with or live with, understand well that while money has its place, it is vital to keep money, in that designated place, and not then to  have money, supplant our natural affinity, one for the other.  It is important to note, that understanding that money has value, is never the same thing as seeing money as the primary means to our happiness, which when believed, is a false construct and a road, best avoided.

 

The reason that so many people, rich or poor, successful or not, are often so obsessed with the obtaining of money and the usage, thereof, has an awful lot to do with the fact that the needs that we have on any given day, seems to require the access to money and therefore the expenditure of such – which therefore signifies that those that lack fair access to money are going to be susceptible to  having that lack of money, to affect their mindset in a negative way.  So too, those that have money, have a strong tendency to be fearful of losing that money, because how they value themselves, has an awful lot to do with their pocketbook and their net worth, and thus their ability to competently take care of their financial and familial obligations.

 

In life, a successful and complete life, needs to be built around having the right priorities, so that, those that simply want what they want, by any means so necessary, are going to be the very same people that will fall into the snare of worshipping money, in all of its various aspects and images.  Rather, what we need to do, is to understand that first of all, the very best things in life, aren’t built around money, but rather are built around being good to one another, and making it our point to treat one another, with the same respect and dignity, that we would so desire for our own self.  That is to say, the race that we run, should not primarily be about trying to acquire money so as to conceivably secure happiness, monetary goods of all types, and general security, but rather should be about making the correct decisions in all that we say and do, that will thus take us to a place far more satisfactory and authentic than the temporary respite that money, without principle, represents.  Remember this well, money should be our servant, and further to the point, our obligation in the obtaining of money is to be a good judicious steward of such, and when properly accomplished, we will then have the correct balance that will lead to a worthy life, and a race, well run.