Is a Happy Life Possible When We Live for Money?
Good Morning, dear readers,
Have you seen anyone living a happy life yet still running behind money? What are your thoughts on them? We often find ourselves in a paradoxical situation where, despite having more than enough material possessions, we still feel unsatisfied and unfulfilled. This article will explore the relationship between money and happiness, and why the pursuit of external wealth might not be the path to a truly happy life.
The Conditioning for Happiness
Our journey to happiness starts from a young age. From an early age, we are taught that money can buy happiness – that it can secure our future, provide us with luxury and security, and give us the power and status we desire. This conditioning is so deeply ingrained that it continues to influence our thoughts and actions even as adults.
Imagine the number of times you have thought, spoken, or felt that money is the key to happiness. Multiply that number by the years you have been alive, and then by the number of times that thought has permeated your consciousness. It's a mind-boggling number, and one that suggests we have placed a significant portion of our happiness in the hands of money.
The Question: Is This True?
But is this truly the case? Have our luxurious lifestyles, such as our cars, homes, vacations, relationships, power, and position, given us the happiness in proportion to the amount of wealth we possess today? History tells us otherwise. If money were the sole determining factor of happiness, our race would have stopped much earlier. Instead, we see that the quest for wealth continues, and sometimes even accelerates, leading to malpractices and crimes, reflecting an increasing loss of values.
What Went Wrong?
The equation is flawed. When we assign happiness to external factors like money, cars, homes, and power, we ignore the true source of happiness – our inner value system. For instance, a car was meant to provide comfort and convenience for travel, not happiness. Similarly, a home was designed to offer security and a comfortable living space, not to bring happiness through the admiration of others. Power and status were granted to perform certain duties, not to create happiness through obedience.
However, we often find ourselves deriving happiness from these temporary and perishable aspects. This pursuit of fleeting happiness often leads us to compromise our integrity and honesty. Consequently, our values deteriorate, and we become richer on the outside but poorer on the inside, leading to a moral bankruptcy.
True Happiness and the Soul
A true and lasting happiness is not derived from external factors such as money. Instead, it comes from a deep, inner value system that is wholly connected to the soul. The soul is made to sense and experience happiness always, despite the challenges we face in life. However, we have lost much of these qualities, and most of us are not even aware of this loss, so we continue to seek happiness in material possessions and money.
We must recognize that the true equation of life is much simpler. It is the inner value system and the state of our soul that determine our happiness. External wealth and possessions are only temporary and do not hold the key to lasting fulfillment. Our race towards money is, therefore, not slowing down, as the illusion of happiness continues to elude us.
Conclusion
It is high time we shift our focus from material wealth to inner values. Happiness is a journey within, not a destination outside. Long live the soul and its unbroken connection to true happiness.