Thesis Statement
Reason One: First, the evolutionary background of the human species does not imply the high level of life people experience these days.
Reason Two: Second, people are psychologically predisposed to wanting more than they have, so the richer people are, the less feasible it is to satisfy their demands.
Reason Three: Lastly, growing wealth is accompanied by higher risks and responsibilities, which can cause more stress and disappointment.
Reason One
REASON ONE: In my opinion, we tend to associate happiness with money because it allows us to spend our free time effortlessly, but in the end, having money does not necessarily mean fulfillment and happiness.
Supporting detail: There are many examples of people of the middle class and even very poor who were able to value simple pleasures and manage their resources effectively, and many are disappointed and depressed with almost unlimited resources as well.
Supporting detail: With the invention of novel amenities of life, we can devote our time to self-development, education, and spending of money, the time our ancestors spent on getting food or finding shelter
Supporting detail: If we view happiness as a healthiness of mind and soul, it becomes clear that being happy is more about finding a place in life and managing available resources than acquiring more and more goods.
Reason Two
REASON TWO: When happiness is associated with money, a person recognizes material amenities as a basis of a happy life. In this scenario, happiness becomes unreachable and short-lasting
Supporting detail: People who associate their well-being with less material things like love, friendship, and respect have more chances to feel happy since all these spiritual pleasures are dynamic and focused rather on the process than on a destination.
Supporting detail: When a relationship is based on material security, it is unstable and not honest, so it can only provide a semblance of happiness
Supporting detail It is undeniable that a moderate amount of money – enough to meet daily needs but not enough to be a subject of exploitation- can make life better and contribute to happiness.
Reason Three
REASON Three: It is difficult to argue that money brings opportunities and contributes to physical and psychological well-being. At the same time, it is no less obvious that, in most cases, money does not come from anything.
Supporting detail: The most rich and affluent people have become so because they worked hard in the past or continue to present
Supporting detail: It is also common for people to sacrifice their relationships, hobbies, and even dreams in the pursuit of money, dive into risky businesses, and constantly engage in stressful situations which do not contribute to their happiness.
Conclusion
The values of humanity nowadays are considerably biased towards wealth acquisition, which is especially true for economically developed countries like the U.S. Many people, though, in particular very affluent and successful, find themselves unsatisfied in their lives and not rarely suffer from depression, as less rich and even poor people do.
I believe that material well-being does not necessarily mean happiness; money can only contribute to a happy life if it is being operated wisely. I think this way for three main reasons. First, the evolutionary background of the human species does not imply the high level of life people experience these days. Second, people are psychologically predisposed to wanting more than they have, so the richer people are, the less feasible it is to satisfy their demands. Lastly, growing wealth is accompanied by higher risks and responsibilities, which can cause more stress and disappointment.
With the rapid development of science and technology, people approached a very special and unique type of existence, far from what all other creatures on Earth experience. Our reality weekly resembles what life was like centuries, especially thousands of years ago when humans spent most of their time attempting to survive. With the invention of novel amenities of life, we can devote our time to self-development, education, and spending of money, the time our ancestors spent on getting food or finding shelter.
In my opinion, we tend to associate happiness with money because it allows us to spend our free time effortlessly, but in the end, having money does not necessarily mean fulfillment and happiness. There are many examples of people of the middle class and even very poor who were able to value simple pleasures and manage their resources effectively, and many are disappointed and depressed with almost unlimited resources as well. If we view happiness as a healthiness of mind and soul, it becomes clear that being happy is more about finding a place in life and managing available resources than acquiring more and more goods.
Probably everyone has noticed how fast we get used to something good. When we get what we want, the moment of satisfaction is fleeting, and without our noticing, the thing we wanted badly today is taken for granted tomorrow. When happiness is associated with money, a person recognizes material amenities as a basis of a happy life. In this scenario, happiness becomes unreachable and short-lasting.
People who associate their well-being with less material things like love, friendship, and respect have more chances to feel happy since all these spiritual pleasures are dynamic and focused rather on the process than on a destination. On the other hand, one could disagree that money can provide opportunities to obtain love and respect and make a good living for a family, but it is not as simple as that. When a relationship is based on material security, it is unstable and not honest, so it can only provide a semblance of happiness. Undeniably, a moderate amount of money – enough to meet daily needs but not enough to be a subject of exploitation- can make life better and contribute to happiness.
It is difficult to argue that money brings opportunities and contributes to physical and psychological well-being. At the same time, it is no less obvious that, in most cases, money does not come from anything. The most reach and affluent people have become so because they worked hard in the past or continue at present. It is also common for people to sacrifice their relationships, hobbies, and even dreams in the pursuit of money dive into risky businesses, and constantly engage in stressful situations which do not contribute to their happiness. Therefore, in certain conditions, money not only does not bring happiness, but it even does the opposite thing.
Financial well-being is paramount in the contemporary world driven by science and technology, with unlimited opportunities and a rushing pace of life. At the same time, money itself is not the currency in which happiness is sold. People who disagree say financial well-being is the basis for all opportunities in life. However, I believe we cannot buy fulfillment and self-esteem; we can only forge them by personal effort. Moderate affluence may contribute to happiness, but it can also cause disappointment and stress.
Money is, of course, a helpful instrument, but when it comes to how people feel about life, it is mostly about balancing our values and expectations, operating wisely with what we have, and especially our spiritual relationships with people. It is crucial to think about happiness and how to reach it, but the effort should be made towards improving relationships and becoming enriched as personalities rather than in the mere pursuit of money.