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Coffee & Chats
Money Can Buy Happiness
But Many Beautiful Things in Life Are Priceless
PUBLISHED ON: NOV 3, 2024 BY: Meera
Welcome to Episode 2 of Coffee and Chats. Here, I meet you over a soothing beverage (and maybe a snacker-oo, who knows?) as I discuss what’s been on my mind. Today’s topic: Money Can Buy Happiness (But Many Things in Life Are Priceless).
But first, what’s my bev?
A delicious & comforting hot cocoa
It’s made with this Starbucks Hot Cocoa mix. Very delish.
Grab a drink and…
let’s get chatty
You often hear the claim “Money can’t buy happiness.” I disagree (to a point, at least).
Money CAN buy happiness!
When asked that question, normally we are expected to respond with either “yes” or “no.” It’s not black or white – it’s grey. It’s yes and no.
I know for sure that money buys me happiness. I used to hesitate to say that because I didn’t want to sound like a money shark.
But, I say it with more confidence now because I realised it’s a matter of fact. It’s the state of reality, not only for me, but for many folks in the modern world.
It’s not a greedy thing to say that money buys happiness. It’s more of being appreciative for the possibilities, opportunities, and ease of life that were “bought”.
If we look around us, we’ll see all of the things that give us enjoyment: books, the Switch or Play Station, a football or cricket bat, paintbrushes and canvases, running shoes and dumbbells, and the list goes on.
These things improve our lives by taking away stress and allowing us to relax.
Looking at my own life, without a proper running shoe I couldn’t have run long distances (and good quality running shoes are pricey). Without a phone, I wouldn’t have found a community of online fitness, or I wouldn’t have a blogging platform without a computer.
I’m not sure what my life would’ve looked like without those things. Maybe, it would’ve been better in some ways, but I don’t think I’d trade what I have for the alternative.
The Convenience of Money…
When you think about it, money is just a construct. It is paper, metal coins, and figures.
But, it’s the values that are assigned to them. Imagine, you can trade a few pieces of paper for a TV, a trip to the Bahamas, or a giant Christmas tree.
It’s almost absurd how we’ve managed to put tremendous value in paper, coins, and numbers. If people 600 years ago looked into our present, their minds would be blown (I should think).
But, it’s very convenient. If I want to pay my tuition fees, I don’t have to gather my five goats, two sheep, arm, and leg. Phew! Thank goodness.
(I don’t have five goats and two sheep. But, maybe Chum-Chum would’ve covered a good portion of the cost.)
Just kidding, Chum-Chum.
Is living an investment?
Definitely (for the most part).
Money is the passage to excelling in multiple areas of life – and that’s pretty sad because not everyone is predisposed to financial stability.
As humans, we all have the potential to ascend summits and accomplish great things in our lives, but without adequate resources, the time it takes to reach points A to B is lengthened, sometimes by a lifetime and a half. And the skills we require to reach those summits may never be learned.
Education – law, medicine, business – is one pricey son of……..a whaaaattt?
People spend years trying to pay off student loans and debts.
Many people’s lives are stressful and anxiety-induced as a side-effect of having the bare minimum, or not having enough money to support basic living.
Parents often skimp on their own meals or skip meals just so their child/ children can eat. Many folks have to account for rent, utility fees, food and groceries, medical bills, and emergencies while working very hard to make ends meet. And even then, it may not be sufficient.
Things like allowing yourself or your children a small treat, going to the cinema, buying textbooks, new socks, or an extra apple must be reconsidered or cleared off the table.
Let’s say a person in a situation like that was granted five hundred thousand dollars, wouldn’t their life improve tremendously? Of course.
On top of that, medicine is not cheap, especially if you have to use them for the entirety of your life. Medication drastically improves the lives of people who have anxiety, bipolar disorder, depression, or ADHD. The alternate reality for them would be in despair.
And what about folks with conditions like Multiple Sclerosis, Lupus, and cancer who depend on expensive medical tests, surgeries, and medications for survival? I’ve heard of situations where persons were denied critical surgeries because they couldn’t afford them. That’s someone’s reality.
Man, you really don’t know what people are going through.In today’s world, if you don’t have enough money, your life is not centered around living, but survival.
But it’s not the root of happiness…it’s superficial
You can be rich and sad at the same time. While money gives us boosts, power, and leeway across several aspects of our lives, it does not guarantee eternal sunshine and rainbows.
We see examples of this in celebrities who have high net values but struggle with pressure from the media, mental illnesses, addiction or have died because of suicide.
There are things that money cannot buy, and honestly, they are much more wholesome, genuine, and irreplaceable (in my opinion).
Money cannot bring back loved ones, or buy back the time we’ve lost or wasted, and it does not guarantee a long life or good health.
A warm home that has a lot of love, guidance, and emotional support – can anything compare? You can be from a wealthy or financially stable home, but have a life pooled in chaos because of domestic abuse, alcoholism, and mental illness in the family.
Let me tell you, abuse is not easy. It is incredibly heartbreaking! The common theme I’ve noticed in abusive relationships is one person’s assertion of dominance, power, and control over another. The sad thing is when the other person accepts being treated poorly, and less than human, because they’ve adapted to the conditions of their environment. Or, because they don’t have a lot of self-worth to realise that they deserve better.
Also, things like your identity, personality, principles, and values cannot be bought. Or, you don’t need to have money to be well-grounded in your being. And that’s incredible! It goes to say that you don’t need to be rich to be worthy. Your financial status does not reflect your ideologies, how you treat others, the skills you have, and your level of hard work.
You could be incredibly wealthy, but trust, loyalty, respect, genuine love, friendship, and community are not side-effects.
Social Stratification
I mentioned earlier that not everyone is predisposed to financial stability. One cause of this is the social stratification system (I hope I don’t sound like a Sociology lecturer, haha).
Social stratification is the ranking of people within a society based on factors like race, class, social status, education, sex, background and wealth.
Let’s say Harry is a Caucasian male who comes from a wealthy and well-reputed family. Although unemployed, and not very social, he is easily recognised by people who are strangers to him in his community and is generally treated by them with niceness, respect and slackness.
Now, let’s say in an alternate reality, Harry is an Indian male who comes from the typical/ average household, in the same community. He is unemployed and a little social. Although he is very polite, he is generally treated by strangers with neutrality or sternness, and rarely with slackness.
The problem with this phenomenon is that a lot of the time, regardless of how much of an honest, kind-hearted, and hardworking person you are, you may still be a few steps behind in elevating your living conditions, career, and the way you are treated by others in society, if you are not positioned in a high rank, based on certain factors.
If you’re a person of colour, female, unwealthy, or have an ill-reputed family background, to be promoted or given opportunities to excel, you have to work much harder to reach where others have already reached, without them trying as much, or at all.
When India was under England’s rule, Mahatma Gandhi was not liked by the British mainly because he opposed their rule and conduct. He did not have a high social status nor was he wealthy. But, he fought for the independence of his country, through peaceful means, and was successful. Martin Luther King (who was African-American) was highly influential when he fought for the human rights of fellow African-Americans, in the 1960’s.
They were flawed people and are still under scrutiny for their beliefs.
However, although they were suppressed by the social stratification system , their principles, values, and conduct through their purposes are examples of how humanity can shine through the cracks of a broken system.
Yes, money is necessary in a capitalist and superficial world (very much so) but it should not dictate or define who we are. Money comes and goes, but our values should remain concrete. It should not divert us to the path of crime in the name of greed, nor should it determine how much kindness or respect we treat others with based on their wealth.
There’s this quote…
“Do what you can with what you have, wherever you are.”
I’m not sure who said that but it stuck with me since I first read it somewhere (probably on Pinterest). It sort of shifted my mindset about how we don’t need all the right tools in all the right places. We have to work with what we have in the meantime (whatever that means to you).
And, it made me realise: rather than fixating on what you don’t have, it’s a good feeling when you think about what you do have – the things that sustain you, and allow you to come this far.
But, at the same time, that doesn’t mean we should settle for less. We can most definitely think about the things that can improve our lives and work towards achieving them, while always being grateful for what we have and how they can help us move forward, although it may be slow.
I will use Jeff Bezos as an example: He started (THE) Amazon, a trillion-dollar company, by selling books online, from his garage. That’s inspiring, honestly. You have to start somewhere and see where that takes you.
Using my own situation as an example: I do not have a good-quality camera, or a good set-up to take amazing pictures for my recipe posts. I’ve been using my phone (which I thought wasn’t do good at taking pictures), and made use of a reading lamp that almost got thrown away, which changed the game!
The pictures aren’t >>the best<< but they’re still far better than what they were without the lighting.
Here are some pictures I took:
I used to think that I needed a good camera to get somewhere (which I will look into, in the future), but man, it’s good to realise the value of the things you already have. They are the tools. You just have to use them right and make them work in the meantime. Start somewhere!
Also, there are values in the bad and the ugly: heartbreaks, mistakes, the unkind way you were treated, and even in the unkind way you treated others. Without them, what would we have known now? Not as much as we do, that’s for sure.
There are lessons in the moments of pain. And, there’s a lot that can be learned from them.
Here’s a scenario: you were very unkind to someone in the past. Every day, you allowed yourself the opportunity to do better – to stray further away from that person. You remember how terrible it felt to treat that person, and it’s one of the driving forces that allows you to treat others better. Perhaps, others wouldn’t have received your kindness if it weren’t for your past experience.
Here’s another scenario: you had your heart broken, and it hurt for many months. It felt like life was over and it would never stop hurting. But, after a few years, you realised that if you hadn’t gone through that, you wouldn’t’ve, perhaps, furthered your education, or met new friends, or travelled more, or gotten to know yourself as much as you do now.
Gaining new perspective can either make us step backwards or forwards.
Mindset matters!
Final Words
There is value everywhere – everywhere: in the good and bad, and in diamonds and pebbles.
Money, Money, Money (it’s a rich man’s world), unfortunately.
But fortunately, money does not reflect a plethora of human qualities, and the gold of humanity is bright enough to shine through the rubble of materialism. Nothing can compare to the warmth of love, and the miniscule acts of kindness.
We live in a world of heartbreak and cruelty, so this is a gentle reminder that no matter who wears a smile, is timid, or rowdy, everyone is going through something. We don’t know what it is, but no human is spared a challenging life – rich or not. Every day is an opportunity to be kind to others (and ourselves).
Not everyone has the luxury of knowing they have food in the fridge for the next meal, or that they can call in sick at work even though their salary might lessen.
There is great value in giving a compliment, offering a hand, asking for help, and allowing yourself to receive help.
And, there is great value in the little things that our eyes hover over. We just need to look a little closer – opportunities are embedded in the world around us!
Well, that’s enough rambling. That was Episode 2 of Coffee & Chats. Let me know what’re your thoughts in the comments, and what you’re drinking.
Thanks for sticking around ’til the end.
See you in the next one.
🙂
