Jennevive Christane Geronimo Revillas, F5 student, Saint John de Brito School (English Section)
Why do so many people think that having money makes us happy? In my opinion, money doesn’t make us happy. We can buy the things we want with money, but not the things we actually need. This is because money allows us to have comfort and security by allowing us to purchase things we desire, but it does not provide us with the non-material comfort and security from Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs*. Money cannot give us true fulfilment, a good relationship, or an endless supply of happiness.
There are numerous reasons why money cannot buy us happiness. Although money can provide us with security, it can never make us fully content with our lives. Happiness comes from a sense of accomplishment and purpose, which cannot always be bought with money. And strong relationships, meaningful work, and personal growth are examples of non-material sources of happiness that money cannot buy.
Second, developing relationships with your family, friends, significant other, or new acquaintances is valuable. What’s the point of having money if everyone around me is only interested in me for their own amusement? What is the point of having money if I can’t have the person I want to be with? Money cannot buy them, because doing so would imply that their love is not pure and genuine. It would imply that I have no respect for their worth in paying for their affection. Love is priceless. Being loved brings you joy for the rest of your life. If I had a lot of money and people only relied on me for that sole purpose, then I won’t be able to find meaningful relationships, which would not give me happiness.
Finally, money does not permanently define your social standing over the course of your life. Money cannot be with us throughout the whole of our lives as it won’t always be there. In other words, it comes and it goes, but true happiness will remain once found. True happiness comes from the heart and if you choose to find things that make you feel positive for a longer period, you will not have a problem because that is what true happiness should be.
To sum up, the majority of people believe that money can buy happiness, while others believe otherwise. Although having a lot of money will certainly provide us with a lot of ways to entertain ourselves, it cannot buy joy and affection. Fulfilment, good relationships, and finding something that makes you happy in the long terms are the keys to a living a happy life.
*According to https://www.masterclass.com/articles/a-guide-to-the-5-levels-of-maslows-hierarchy-of-needs Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is a theory of motivation which states that five categories of human needs dictate an individual’s behaviour. Those needs are physiological needs, safety needs, love and belonging needs, esteem needs, and self-actualisation needs.
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs was created by American psychologist Abraham Maslow in 1943.
