We still struggle with loving money regardless of the times experienced people have advised us otherwise. Everyone wants money and whoever says he doesn’t is lying. Money is a key that gives us access to the things demanded to live a comfortable life.
You need money to build a house and buy food and clothes. You need money for a little luxury. The problem comes when we cannot control our desire to have money. It is devilish and destructive to the one obsessing about money.
We have been taught about the danger of loving money. The Bible teaches us that the love of money is the root of all evil but somehow, money manages to get the best of us. Why does money seem to have almost total control over humans?
- Societal Influence
James Clear in Atomic Habits states that “the many” influence individuals’ behavior. The bandwagon effect is so real in many of us. A chunk of society believes money is the solution to all problems. The capitalistic system, dictating modern society, insists on money over people. This system is rooted in the belief that money solves monetary and nonmonetary issues.
Social media has also played a major role in promoting money over anything. All influential people on social media display wealth and luxury. Politicians brush off wealth on the ordinary. No one criticizes them. Some ordinary people have confessed to living a similar life given the access politicians and social media celebrities have.
We are victims of the influence of social media personalities and political figures. The influence is real. Many people are striving in their ordinary jobs, chasing the bag hoping that one day they will attain their favorite celebrity status.
2. Famous and Great People
All famous people, now and in the past, had wealth and prosperity around them. Many of them dined with Kings and the who’s in society. Others were Kings themselves. We have attached their fame and success to the money surrounding them. We think that their money accumulation has led them to the coveted position. Their influence over our lives has us focusing on the wealth they created over the value they brought.
Henry Ford was one of the richest people in the United States. Many admired and still admire the wealth he accumulated but few know the solutions he provided by designing Ford motor vehicles and persuading people to invest in his idea. Ford never admired wealth, he wanted to build a car to serve the needs of the American people.
We search and consume great people’s content with the desire to have what they own instead of the impact they had.
A great number of influential people have promoted money over having a good character. Listen to modern hip-hop music. Money is openly celebrated. If the rappers are not blowing money, they are driving high-end cars or in a posh house. The dream of every up-and-coming artist is to produce a music video displaying a luxurious lifestyle.
Poverty
Poverty is a great contributor to the love of money. Successful people who started in poverty got inspired by what money could do for them. The pain of lack drove them to have sleepless nights working and planning their way out of poverty.
The nature of poverty can turn a person into a money lover. Poverty is associated with a lack of access to things that make life bearable. Some poor people hardly make enough to buy food for their families. It is difficult to convince such a person that money is not a solution to their state when they have been poor for a long time.
When a man is deprived of basic things; you can’t tell them they do not need money. A hungry man will jump on anything that looks like food. Poverty denies men dignity and life essentials. The desperation to get out of lack overrides other ways of rising besides getting money.
Wrong Beliefs About Money
Many of us view money as an end. We have tied our satisfaction to the things that money can buy. We think satisfaction is buying your dream house, earning your dream salary, working at your dream job, and dressing as you dream.
We have equaled a high salary to wealthy living. Many of us, spend hours chasing money. Others work 2 or 3 jobs to increase the size of their wallet. Our lives are spent making money instead of learning how to be wealthy.
People with this mentality also believe that money is scarce. We work so hard, accumulating, thinking it might be depleted from the banks. Some avoid spending what they have fearing they might never get it back. This mentality keeps them from taking risks, and enjoying what they have earned and makes them stingy.
Read: Breaking Bad Habits
Money is pure, men are evil. Money is a tool that should be used to give us access to things we need to live a comfortable life. We should use money as a means to something greater. It should be used as a tool to help us maximize our potential to impact society.
Unfortunately, most of us love money more than the desire to have an impact. We have failed to rise above the love for money because a majority of society promotes money and wealth, the great and famous people had some form of wealth, poverty, and wrong beliefs about money. Once, we learn to change our mindset regarding money, we might set ourselves free from this mental bondage.
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