Money Can Buy Happiness

There is an adage that my parents have always preached to me, “Money cannot buy happiness.”

As a kid, when I saw my parents working, I always thought to myself, “If money isn’t important, why do they work?”

As is apparent to most people mature enough to appreciate for themselves, money is a key resource in our subsistences. 

But most of us would still acknowledge that the reason for our happiness was not money.

I believe otherwise. Money is one of the few things that can grant you happiness and what people call ‘inner peace.’ I agree with the title of the post. Money holds the potential to make you the happiest person alive on this planet.

Looking at it may not yield any discernible ways wealth can make you happy, but if you’d bear with me through this post, I am confident I will have proved otherwise.

I’d like to carry on the cliche and tell you all a story. The protagonist of our story is the blue-collar employee, John. He is a middle-aged man who lives in an apartment with his kids and wife, who he has been married to for over a decade now. They have a decent life, and you wouldn’t bat an eye at them. But think of this: John lives in a rented apartment, lives paycheck to paycheck, has only so much saved up; he can afford to eat out a few times in a month if things go well, and he hasn’t been on a vacation in a long time. John brings home the stress from work where he has to work with his coworkers who he doesn’t get along with, and a boss that pays him enough. The stress has led to him being edgy most time when he is at home, and this has taken a toll on the relationship between John and his wife.

Sure, John has a decent life, but is he happy? Isn’t there a lot left to be desired? Aren’t their aspirations still unachieved?

And John is what we would consider being in the top 20% of the population, economy-wise. Most of us probably have it much worse.

What is one thing that could solve his problems? What is one thing that could give you a way to a better life? What is one thing that could make all the trouble worth it?

Money.

The ecosystem and our social construct rely on the survival of the fittest. Power is the key to survival. This power is only achieved by having wealth. For it is wealth that grants us the ability to do whatever we want, within reason, in this world.

If you have money, you don’t have to worry; more than half of your stress is gone immediately. You can focus on the more important things, like friends, and your loved ones. You can work on yourself, you can go to the gym, you can spend time with your kids, go on a vacation, take breaks and have fun on weekends.

Happiness may not be up for sale, but the things that make us happy are often only accessible through money. Wealth gives us the resources to create memories. Wealth gives us the resources to find happiness.

If you are still not convinced, look at how the elite live. Look at one of the richest men on the planet, Bill Gates. Does he appear to be sad? 

Now, look at kids in the Dharavi Slum in India, or at starving people in Africa. Do they appear happy? 

Can money buy happiness? 

I think we have an answer.