Man, Mind and Money

The desiring mind never stops wanting, and money never solves the perceived pain of not having enough. When will humans ever be satisfied with what they have and stop wanting more than what has been provided and given to them? It's always something else, bigger house, better car, perfect relationships and much more. What humans fail to truly search and discover is how to put an end to the seed of desire in their mind. Instead, obsessed by greed and misplaced idealism, humans now place "money" as the most crucial attainment to be had, forgetting that it is only a tool to survive a seemingly material world.  

Benjamin Franklin opined that "Money has never made man happy, nor will it, there is nothing in its nature to produce happiness. The more of it one has the more one wants. " The fundamental problem faced by humans is that it is in their nature to be absorbed into the daily thought process that is so influenced by social and advertising media. Humanity has been brainwashed into thinking that they have a relationship with money; money gives them stronger purchasing power, leveraging them financial freedom to buy more material good that promises untold happiness in the near future, even though in reality this is far from the truth. What's the origin of this relationship money has with human's instincts for survival?

When humanity first discovered that they could trade items with each other, it must have been a liberating moment. For the first time, humans could find a way to live in peace with each other, without fighting and destroying each others' personal boundaries. Barter trade was one of the earliest and most basic activity humans involved in that did not cause more damage and war in their otherwise relatively paleolithic culture. Thus it could be said, the roots of money was the facilitation of common exchange among humans to live in a more peaceful and functional environment. 

As humanity evolved, they needed to simplify barter trade. There were more things to trade, less time to think, and difficult denominations involved. Humans needed to make barter work for themselves; they created money. Initially in the form of small precious items, eventually, as cultures and societies evolved into mechanization and industrialization, these credits evolved to take shape into what we know of today. Paper notes reflecting various modern governments are now thrown about in quantities amounting to trillions of dollars and perpetually forms the lifeblood of modern day macroeconomics. 

Has money solved the basic human problem of greed, lust and anger? Not quite; on the contrary the biggest and the smallest wars man have fought are principally due to money. World wars would not have begun if nations and psychopathic leaders were not envious of the relative wealth other countries have amassed. The culture of hate among humans is propagated by the 'idea' that one race or religion has more money than the other, leading to unnecessary tension and rascism . Stress faced by humanity today is primarily caused by not having enough money to buy things they don't really need in the first place, which is the essence of the cancerous mental growth known as materialism. 

Today, as world economies come crushing down by the weight of greedy capitalists' agenda, poverty still remains strong in many global pockets of human suffering. Humans should put the desire for money aside and give a thought to this idea; if every human gives away a little bit of his money for the benefit of the world's needy, perhaps man might actually be happy seeing his fellow brother or sister be liberated from the tyranny of being poor. Charity has an uncanny was of making one happy and emotionally positive, as unconditional sacrifice often leads to contentment of the soul. But, which desiring mind has time to empathize with the plight of those who suffer?

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