In this era of conspicuous consumption
Such a claim that money cannot buy happiness can seem ridiculous. Of note, in our daily lives, money is among the most important things as humans need food to eat, a home to live in, and a means of transport to our homes. As a result of some individuals always seem to believe that having a lot of money can buy happiness as this depends on the status of the person. For instance, if a poor person were asked the question, then becoming rich would make them very happy. However, if a wealthy person were asked the same question, then there are other underlying factors to their happiness such as health. From the medieval times, religion has warned against the lure of material possession. Of note the Christian scriptures are explicit in several instances with a verse in the bible stating "it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven ("Easier for a Camel to go through the Eye of a Needle")." Our Lord Jesus Christ states that to acquire eternal life; then there is the need to sell all our possessions and give them to the poor. Because of this, the majority of the church priests continue to warn against amassing wealth and are therefore suspicious of money. In most cases, they state that money is a distraction from God and a temptation to sin and as a result, I hold the claim that "money cannot buy happiness."
The relationship that exists between money and happiness is not a cause and effect relationship. Of note, money is a token of exchange that humans use to facilitate trade. The use of money marks an improvement over the antique mode of business such as barter trade because of money's flexibility (Gordon). On the other hand, happiness occurs when a person achieves their values. In this case, the values are the ends that the person acts to gain and this is things that the individual cares about, which can be material or spiritual. Therefore, happiness arises when a value that the individual cares about becomes realized. Nevertheless, while happiness results after the achievement of the goals, when a person seeks happiness itself they are always after a more intense kind of satisfaction with their life. As a result, to acquire this happiness then the individual needs to identify means, which are congruent with the goal and that advance the well-being of the person (Gordon).
Moreover, the given person should act thoughtfully and logically to realize the ends to their goals. Of note, happiness is not something that other people can transfer from one person to the other (Argyle). A person cannot manage to borrow happiness, steal happiness, or share their happiness. However, there are those instances that money can assist in strengthening an individual's ability to achieve a challenging goal. Nonetheless, the only way to achieve happiness is through an individual's exertion (Argyle). Notably, the ability to exercise an individual will is a prerequisite for happiness. Although human beings have material needs, money only facilitates the achievement of the values. However, the lack of having money does not underestimate the spiritual dimension of life as for many people there are those religious values that add to their happiness.
While humans must satisfy their bodily needs and wants this is not sufficient for the maintenance of their life. One thing an individual should realize is that in claiming that "money can buy happiness," then they have the assumption that money is readymade and thus available on the rack as long as people offer their money at the advertised price. Of note, while having money cannot guarantee happiness, then this also means that money cannot buy happiness. In most of the cases, there are those instances where the poor people are happy while on the other hand, the rich people are unhappy. The presence of this fact jeopardizes the thesis that "money can buy happiness" because, in our example above, there are those underlying factors that end up making the rich person unhappy and the poor person happy. Studies, conducted by economists shows that a rise in the income levels of people does not always guarantee a surge in life-satisfaction and this testifies to the fact that money is not sufficient for happiness (Easterlin 480).
Conclusion
From the above analysis of "money cannot buy happiness" the essay shows there are other factors that influences the happiness of an individual and therefore money does not offer a shortcut in attaining happiness. Although money can facilitate in the achievement of values that can ultimately lead to happiness, it is counterproductive to state that the lack of money is closing off the route to happiness. On the flip side, discouraging people from pursuing money knowing well what money can achieve in terms of provision of material possessions, would be acting in detriment of assisting a person achieve their values. As a result there is need for people to understand that happiness is a result of individual efforts and satisfying their inner needs and wants, which money cannot guarantee.
Works Cited
Argyle, Michael. The Psychology of Happiness. Hoboken: Taylor and Francis, 2013. Print.
"Easier For a Camel to Go Through the Eye of a Needle-." Plainbibleteaching.com. N.p., 2012. Web. 8 Mar. 2018.
Easterlin, Richard A. "Income and Happiness: Towards a Unified Theory." The Economic Journal111.473 (2001): 465-484. Web.
Gordon, Amie M. "Can Money Buy You Happiness?" Psychology Today. N.p., 2017. Web. 9 Mar. 2018.
