I have had occasion to mention that the fact that we humans have this innate ability to swear to the truth of two diametrically opposite views...at the SAME time. And not even be conscious of being self-contradictory. Yet, you know, when it comes to money, we wish to do the same and...surprise, surprise...we find that we become all too aware of the fact that the views are contradictory. Money IS a strange beast.
I mean, on the one hand, we would all like to see the life as something that has more meaning to it than to just have a good time while you are alive. I mean, like, not everyone HAS enough money to spend on having a good time...and most have to slog all their lives to make the money which they expect will allow them a small sliver of good times near the end of their lives. So, if ALL that Life means is having a good time when you are alive, what does that leave them with? Envying those who CAN afford the good time for most of their life while slogging away in the hope of future good times? What sort of fun is there in that? If Life had a purpose beyond just the living, THEN it would be something. THEN money would not be everything, would it?
But, hey, how can one not want a good time now? I mean, how does one give up on money, give up on the good food, the good clothing, those pleasure trips, those pub visits...What stupidity to think that money does not buy happiness? Maybe it doesn't, but it is a lot better to be miserable with money than without, it is only a question of knowing where to shop for happiness, yada yada yada.
So there! We WISH that money is not everything and, at the same time, we wish FOR more money! It feels like a self-contradiction and, so, there we go getting all defensive about wanting money!
Like I have been telling (ad nauseum? I cannot be responsible for your gastric issues!), this digital view of every issue is a bleeding pain in the you-know-what. I mean, come on, if one says, 'Money isn't everything' does it automatically mean, 'Money is NOTHING'? So, why then do we think it is contradictory?
It is perfectly fine to want money to satisfy your wants and needs; perfectly fine to say that I shall restrict my wants. Because, to get the money for the rest of my wants will require so much more of my time to be spent on making the money that, overall, my life will be more stunted if I do that. (Well, to all those who prefer examples to concepts...If you'd rather take time off every year to go on long hikes and, therefore, choose a less demanding job, it's good. Everyone does not need to buy a yacht so much that they have to go in for a high pressure job which will make a yacht affordable but put the yearly hikes out of reach.)
You know, chase YOUR cheese, not someone else's. It's all good. The only rank stupidity in the world is forgetting the nature of money.
You can either be someone who wants money because you have things to do which require the money. OR you can be the sort of person who only chooses to do those things that get you money.
When money is a means to YOUR ends, it is a good servant. But when it becomes an end in itself...
