Money Does Not Guarantee Happiness free essay sample

Possessing an enormous sum of money and fortune has become one of many people’s main goals and ultimate purpose in life, especially the younger generations, regardless their nationality. Many are convinced throughout their lives that happiness can be bought with the existence money. But does possessing a large fortune and being loaded really bring happiness to one’s life? To answer this question, one should know the meaning of the words ‘happiness’ and ‘money’. As quoted by the legendary Mahatma Ghandi, â€Å"Happiness is what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony†. A famous philosopher named Aristotle also quoted, â€Å"Happiness is the meaning and the purpose of life, the whole aim and end of human existence. † The word ‘happiness’ itself is very hard to define as it has a different meaning in different context. Different people have different interpretations of what happiness means to them. In general, ‘happiness’ is success in life. We will write a custom essay sample on Money Does Not Guarantee Happiness or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Success in life cannot always be measured in material wise. It is achieved when one is satisfied with the achievements made, feeling at ease with his current life and enjoying life to the fullest. Most people dont spend much time wondering what money is. Their major concern is how much money they have, and how to get more. Money isnt just pieces of paper. It is a type of medium of exchange in transactions. Some people argue that without wealth you cannot be happy. Money can’t buy happiness directly as money alone does not guarantee happiness. In this written assignment, there will be some arguments supporting the statement ‘Money does not guarantee happiness’ and further clarifications on the statement. Arguments Lately there have been numerous articles written in the newspapers and magazines relating to the way how the rich and powerful live their lives. At first, it was a shock the whole world when articles are written about them taking drugs, being rehabilitated and some even took their own lives away. But nowadays, these types of news don’t really bother anyone anymore as it is a cliche already. It is now crystal clear that having thick wallets and many digits in their bank accounts does not guarantee one’s happiness in life. These could be seen when entertainers such as the beautiful and talented Lindsay Lohan was caught taking drugs. There are a few setbacks having a huge pile of money. These setbacks are the reasons why money does not guarantee happiness even if it could lead to happiness. Money cannot buy you everything Money turns people into materialistic creatures. Life consists of many important things that cannot be bought. For instance, you can purchase the best medicines and treatments, yet you cannot buy health. In this era of civilization, money can buy you fame and also a life. But there’s one thing in life that does not have a price tag to it and that is happiness. Happiness is not something that can be bought, but it is something that comes from within our heart and soul. Money does bring certain amount of happiness but the type of happiness won’t last. Money can’t buy happiness, but it will go a long way in helping you find happiness. As Easterlin puts it: â€Å"The problem is we dont realize that our material wants increase with the amount of money we make. †. Money brings â€Å"happiness† only up to a certain level that will end once it is over used. Money can never buy you love, family, and true friends which are the keys to happiness. Money can lead to more stress Stress is the adverse reaction people have to excessive pressure. It isn’t a disease. But if stress is intense and goes on for some time, it can lead to mental and physical ill health. Money and reputation always seem to dangle just outside of our reach, encouraging us to lean farther and farther over the edge, to study longer and longer, to work harder and harder. Life satisfaction is affected by salary and income, but only to a certain degree. The huge pay check you receive from your job may not buy you much happiness. Of course with your big income, you could buy a huge house and also a few classy vehicles. Having a large sum of money provide us some sense of security. And security is very desirable. People with money dont of course need to worry about their bill payments, but they often have significant sums of money invested and frequently needs to look out for their fortune and the rise and fall of the world stock markets and money value. Having a lot of money makes you more stressed out because you become worried about ow to manage, preserve, and grow the money. This is because once you have something you are afraid of losing it, but if you don’t have anything at all, there is no fear of losing it. To earn more money, people have to work very hard to finance their family. People nowadays end up doing jobs they despise, just for the sake of the thick pay check, working unbelievable hours and doing something they have no interest in. Higher salary equals to more responsibilities and more working hours per day. If responsibility and demands become too much, they can lead to work-related stress. The more responsibility you bare, the more stressful you are. These type of people were so busy living their lives in pursuit of something larger than themselves that they had no time to wonder, Am I happy? Money decreases the pleasures in life Usually a rich person will cut off most of his personal relationships as most of his time is spend to seek for money till he forgets to spend some quality time with others. Rich people also tend to splurge on lavish and extravagant items till they often forget how to enjoy the simple things in life. When you consume a luxury every day, it’s not a luxury any more. A super caramel triple-shot cappuccino with whipped cream and sprinkles is a luxury when you drink it once a month, making a little ritual out of it, sitting at your favourite table in the coffee shop and drinking in tiny sips with your eyes closed. If you do it every morning on your way to work, it’s just caffeine and calories. When a pleasure becomes ordinary, one tends to seek more and more sensation, something more and more luxurious till it gives the same payoff and satisfaction. People who earn more money dont spend their time enjoying themselves, they spend their time at work, in activities likely to cause them more stress and tension. This may be because of the focusing illusion. When people think about earning more money they probably imagine they would use the money on recreational activities. In fact, to earn the money, they have to spend more time at work, and commuting to and from work. Money invites pretentious group of people to come closer Owning a truck-load of money comes with a large of package. We often hear that lottery millionaires saying everyone suddenly love them once they hit the jackpot but in reality, those people only love their money. Spreading the word about one’s fortune could carry some negative consequences in relation to the people in the social network with the individual. Namely, if people love your money and not yourself, the closeness between you cant be genuine. Money can certainly not buy you friends or trust or relationships. Money creates a mirage of relationship with others that only leaves you dissatisfied because you didn’t have the interactions before you had the money. Rich people will never know for sure who their true friends are, and theyll always wonder. They might also have to spend the rest of their lives watching out for the huge numbers of pretenders who are just aiming for their money. Money makes you compare yourself with others The second reason why more money does not bring more happiness is the problem of rivalry. Since most everyone will likely find a relative, friend or an acquaintance making more money than them, they will certainly take it as a challenge and will do whatever it takes to earn more money than that individual. A great fortune means nothing if nobody knows about it. A research study made by Glenn Firebaugh, a sociologist at Pennsylvania State University in University Park and Laura Tach, a sociology graduate student at Harvard University supports this argument. Many think having a high position on the occupation ladder which obviously earns you bigger income, gains you more respect and will increase your level of happiness. Nowadays all adults are seemed to be bombarded with questions on what their careers are and the reason why these types of questions are often asked is because people are constantly comparing themselves with each other. When a child is born, parents tend to train their children that they have to become someone big and successful. Parents will try to scare their children by pointing out that some poor people who don’t have money are dying from hunger, some have no home to live. From that a fear, arise a conclusion in their minds that they will end up that way if they don’t have a lot of money. ? ? Conclusion As a whole, it is now proven that money does not guarantee one’s happiness. Despite money contributing to one’s happiness, money cannot buy pure and long term happiness. Acquiring money and status makes we feel satisfied with life. We convince ourselves that satisfaction equals to happiness. Unfortunately it doesnt. Even though rich people appear to have everything, they are left feeling that something is missing, but are unable to identify what that thing is. Obviously, money can fill up your belly and keep you dry when it rains, but money can certainly not fill up the emptiness in your heart. Being a truly happy person comes from within oneself as no amount of materialism and money in the world can grant you that feeling. Money can’t buy true happiness because happiness comes from within you, not from anyone or from anything else. Also, money can’t buy happiness because life really isn’t about who has the fastest car, the most money, the fanciest house, or other material things. Money does and can buy happiness but only for a short term of time, so it does not count as pure happiness. In short, money only gives one an illusion of security and satisfaction, and most of the time people tend to interpret this as happiness, but it isnt. Money can’t buy happiness directly but it is certainly one of the factors contributing to one’s happiness thus money alone does not guarantee happiness.