Are We Ever Really Rich?

At work the other day a few of us were talking about money and someone brought up it helps if you are rich or at least have money in the world, before I could stop myself I blurted out 'But are we ever really rich?'. I got a few puzzled looks and I went on to explain that when we die what happens to the money we have, we can't take it with us and at the end of the day does it really make us happier, I also told them that some passages (no one was a Christian in the conversation and if I brought up the bible I am pretty sure I would have received many confused looks) say that its better to store up riches in heaven than it is on earth. (The conversation ended soon after that with everyone saying that they loved money and it made life easier).
In my eyes money doesn't make life easier, the more money you have the more miserable you are. So many people who win the lottery soon end up miserable and worse off than they started once the money runs out (a quick google search will prove my point). Sure money can open up doors but in order to do that you have to be committed to it and make sacrifices. It also seems like once you have money you always want more. I mean do you really want to be remembered as the person who worked crazy hours and was ruled by money when you die? Its great to have money but not if you have sacrifice your family life and never get to really enjoy it.
Growing up money was never one of those things that my family had an excess of, there were times when my parents struggled to make ends meet (during a really tough time) and I found myself worrying about our finances even as a kid and not quite understanding what was going on.
During my unemployment I learnt how to budget and manage my finances, I was fortunate enough that I didn't have to pay much board and my parents supported me. I now make an effort to cover most of my expenses, while also paying board and paying back my car. Even now I have money I still find myself not going crazy and making sure I have a decent buffer, I recently had to pay for car registration and my allocated psychologist appointments have since run out (you get 10 free appointments a year) so I am now starting to pay for those (its unknown how much of those are covered by our health insurance). For me money isn't something I feel entitled too and with the unemployment rate so high recently I feel fortunate enough to have a job let alone one as well paying as the one I have. Money is great don't get me wrong but at the same I feel such a responsibly to not go crazy and save for the future.
Money is one of those things that we will always be controlled by and ruled over, but at the end of the day should we really invest so much time in something that will be left behind when we go. Do we really want to be remembered by our money rather than what we achieved while we were on earth?

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