Being up on the top may make you feel authoritative and valuable because of the amount of money you have or your hereditary title, but the question is: when are you obtaining true contentment? Seeing a bunch of Benjamin Franklins and George Washingtons on pieces of green currency paper is not going to do that for you. It is just material made up of cotton and linen. It is harder to be empathetic if people put their efforts into an inanimate object we know as money. Would you rather spend all of your life trying to obtain green rectangular pieces of paper or spend all of your life living self-exultant? The idea of having money is more than just “nice”. We all love to get money, but when that is your only focus, self-destruction takes place. The pursuit or acquisition of wealth often impedes an individual’s spiritual happiness.
When you pursue an “American Dream”, you can lose sight of your priorities, if that is your main focus and goal in your life. You miss out more on priorities such as family time and loving your family, friends, and your job. The American Dream is all about success within the family, finances, career, and your socioeconomic status. A prime example is when Willy Loman, the protagonist of Death of a Salesman, tells his sons that “the man who makes an appearance in the business world, the man who creates personal interest, is the man who gets ahead". Willy has a strong adherence to the American Dream and believes that if you are well-liked and well-known, you will get far. Like Willy, if parents teach these superficial morals, their children will be set up for failure. In order to be successful, it takes tireless ambition and hardwork. Biff, Willy’s oldest son, takes on after his father, and he ends up not having a stable job, true love, or a positive mindset. Happy, Willy’s youngest son, goes against Willy’s American Dream, and he finds his own spiritual happiness. When you are less concerned about your stance in society and the economy through the eyes of the American Dream, spiritual happiness transforms.
The American Dream is not the only factor that can cause corruption of your spirit. Corruption of your morals come into play especially when you are only trying to pursue wealth. The general things people hope for are to value your family and teach your kids what is right hoping that they would become more open-minded. You hope to teach them that money is not everything, for your internal joy is the foundation of a well-lived life. The thought of money, just the thought of money, puts dollar signs into people’s eyes, as they hear a “cha-ching!” sound repeat in their ears. Everything a parent could ever hope for is that that does not happen to their children in the future and that money does not become an idolization and only primary focus.
A corrupt character, Willy Loman, as mentioned earlier, goes downhill living the rest of life with guilt on his shoulders. His son Biff was up in Boston and went to the apartment, and while there, he caught Willy cheating on Linda Loman, his wife, with another woman. Ironically, this woman was wearing all white which reflects zero percent purity on behalf of herself and most of all, Willy’s heart at the time. Biff sees this, and it causes “tears to break through”. Willy wanted to fit in with society and pursue his acquisition of wealth that he even would commit adultery to get it. In any situation, the last thing a parent wants to see is their own child upset, especially when it is the parent who hurt them, causing them to cry. Willy experiences a whole lifetime of feelings such as sadness, anger, and being ashamed. All of those feelings reflect no spiritual happiness as a direct result of the pursuit of wealth.
Similarly, think about today’s celebrities and entertainers. They are already rich enough yet still get hooked so much on money that some will use their sexual appearance to become wealthier and gain more time in the spotlight. Some do Playboy Magazine shoots and even record sex tapes. They (not all celebrities... relax) will do anything it takes and don't care about their future enough because they still fulfill these things and disregard the fact that someday their children will most likely see it. It is all for more money and to be in the headlines for something crazy for society to give its attention to. See? Even famous people are corrupt spiritually for wealth. What they originally hope for and once stood for deteriorates.
When you are young, you begin to think about life and your goals for the future: little girls play with Barbie dolls to fantasize their lives, inspiring you to do the same. You pretend to hold a wedding for Barbie and Ken, as you direct it as if it were your own wedding someday: both perfect and memorable. It makes you think of the handsome groom or beautiful bride who you love and who will make you unconditionally happy. No one is more important than a child especially at this stage of life. A child is free from corrupt thoughts and malice contemplations. That is why a child dreams of a future that is good and just.
A once little girl, Daisy Buchanan, a main character from the Great Gatsby, dreamt of a perfect wedding night. She was in love with Jay Gatsby, but when he left for war, she “then turned out the light” on her and Gatsby’s relationship. She grew up, and the thoughts of any future happiness became corrupt, when she marries Tom Buchanan, one of the wealthiest members of society. She just wanted his last name, wealth, and class to physically provide for her own self. Daisy even cries on her wedding night because of the decision she made to marry. Now she is stuck with Tom and spends her wedding night getting super drunk, too. Money and the acquisition of it can set you up to board a train to a destination of eternal lack of spiritual delight. People today lose opportunities on what they desire and hope for in life just to simply have… money. Again, it is just paper! Nothing, not even money, can repair the emotional scarring inside.
Often times, money can buy happiness, but it does not guarantee contentment from within. "True happiness lies in rewarding relationships” which benefits you to learn life lessons, love and support one another, and be connected. We all come from families and have families. They are the most important people existing in your life to cherish. They help you realize how much you have in your life, and you would feel empty inside without them. The same goes with friends, boyfriends or girlfriends, and other people who genuinely care about you. Benjamin Franklin’s facial expression on that hundred dollar bill will never change and show empathy for you, and it will never speak words of wisdom to you as your own family could. Money can never care about you. Money can never buy you a new heart that makes you spiritually happy. That is not how it works. When people stop chasing after money and start realizing there is only one life to live and money will not make it valuable, this world will get slapped by reality hard in the face leaving a big “five-star” mark. The pursuit to have money often blocks you to lose your spiritual happiness.
As Karen S. Magee says, the “happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the most of everything that comes along their way”. Money can supply for you physically and we do need money at times, but the happiest of people do not need money in order to be happy… all we need in the world is to be surrounded by those we love...
...and that has no price tag.
