The Value Of Money

For the majority of people money is the ultimate goal in life and the sign of success. For others it is the root of evil, the devil’s eye. Either way, money plays an important role, almost decisive, in modern times and therefore it is necessary to investigate its true value. See more!


Throughout history, almost like a broken record, people kept saying that "money has no value", yet every move they made seemed to revolve around the very thing they proclaimed to be the source of human misery. This kind of hypocrisy was so well spread that it actually did not even raise any eyebrows. There did not seem to be anything suspicious or horribly misplaced for a man who had great fortunes to say "Money has no value to me". However this type of thinking did not apply only to the upper class but to the poor and miserable as well. They were always finding themselves in the pursuit of money, yet simultaneously they shouted the same words as their fellow rich man. Nowadays, thanks to freedom of speech and the spreading of the "I don’t care what you think!" attitude, people are being more sincere both with others and themselves, and they are finally able to admit that they actually do want huge amounts of money. It is very important to understand this aspect: no matter what they say, as long as they are living, people want money.




The second thing we need to grasp is that, like all objects, these "pieces of paper with faces on them" cannot be labelled moral or immoral because these are attributes of human actions. Therefore, if we would undergo a moral investigation into this matter we would need to concentrate on what people are willing to do in order to obtain money and on what they intend to spend it on.



Money in itself has no value. Remember that age old question: "if you were to be abandoned on a deserted island what three things would you take?"It is certain that in this case very few people would even consider taking money. The true value of the dollar or euro lies in what you can buy with it. If you cannot use it to make a transaction then it is pretty much useless. However, this statement is the result of an economical view.



So far we came to the conclusion that people want money but only if they can use it to obtain something else. Therefore, it is reasonable to say that money plays an important role by borrowing the value of other things. The best of these things is human dignity. It may sound strange, but from a specific point of view this kind of connection is legitimate. Every individual has needs that he wants to satisfy. At the very top of his priority list are the physical necessities: water, food and shelter. If he cannot gratify these basic instincts, then he is closer in his actions and his way of life to animals that only live in the concrete moment. Only by having access to water, food and shelter he will then be able to address other higher necessities (of the mind, of the soul) that are superior on a moral scale to those of the body. Having money, in the majority of causes, offers you the assurance that you will always be able to satisfy your physical needs, and thus you have a sense of independence and liberty. However, the lack of proper finances will render you incapable of living a decent life. You will be forced to beg and implore someone else to give you water, food and shelter, which, in the final analysis, is a form of degradation. Money can also offer you the possibility to not only take care of yourself but also to look out for other fellow human beings, especially your children by allowing them to get the professional education they need. Talking strictly from this point of view, the dollar or euro does have value, but there are also some drawbacks.



Money can never be a true value like goodness, beauty, courage, kindness etc and we all know the reasons why. First of all, having "dough" can help you keep your human dignity but it can also be the source of its demise. In this case, we need to take into account, on one hand, what some people are willing to do to get their hands on some cash (stealing, killing, kidnapping etc) and, on the other hand, on what do they intend to spend it for (weapons, vices, all sorts of objects they surround themselves with and tend to forget about others etc.).



Moreover, the saying "you can’t have your cake and eat it too" applies very well to money. For example, if you take 100$ and give it to five people, two things happen: firstly, the 100$ is distributed by dividing it among five persons (which means the 100$ bill is gone) and secondly, that sum of money contributed to the satisfaction of a limited number of individuals. By contrast, a true value, like a truth or a song, keeps its unity in its distribution (a truth remains whole no matter to how many people you share it to) and it also has a beneficial effect on a much larger number of human beings.



In conclusion, money will always play an important role in our lives. What really a matter is the way we use it and perceive it, whether we fully understand its advantages and limits. After all, man created and shaped money…. or was it the other way around?