Can money buy real happiness?

A couple of months ago, I was a part of this online debate about money vs happiness. Can money buy happiness? I had documented my views here on my laptop before posting it online and just today I stumbled upon it. Before deleting, I thought of putting it right up here on my blog to share it with my dear readers :)

Here goes!

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Money cannot buy real happiness. It can only be a means to attain happiness that is derived through the acquisition of material things. But there is no end to it and it is a vicious circle. If someone thinks that acquiring the latest designs in clothes, shoes etc or the latest gadgets will make them happier, then they are completely mistaken. In fact, it will make them unhappier because these brands will soon release newer designs and bigger gadgets. In a few months, these gadgets would be obsolete.

 

The simplest things that make us happy in life are FREE. Sharing a cup of coffee with a loved one, watching the sun set, feeling the cool breeze on your face, watching an animal cuddle its little one, hearing a baby's laughter - these are just a few.

 

At the same time, we cannot rule out that money is important in life and it helps us live a better quality of life. It would help us afford a bigger apartment, a better school for our children and of course savings for a better future. One thing is for sure: Money is always enough for our needs but it is never enough for our greed. Real happiness lies in the intangible elements of our life - those which we cannot see, only what we can experience.

 

A mega millionnaire living in the biggest mansion could indeed admit that he is happy because of all the money he has and the entourage of staff that waits on him and attends to his every need. But what brings an instant smile on his face? I will tell you : It could be during a journey where he is passing by that hole-in-the-wall eatery where he went with his college classmates - where they made memories when noone had the money. He would be genuinely happy from his heart while eating food cooked by his mother with a lot of love, and laughing with his siblings.

 

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So dear reader, tell me. Does money make you happy? If you had lesser money in your pocket today than you did yesterday; would you still be equally happy? Do you know how to make each day a happy one, regardless of the material comforts you may have that day? If the answer to these questions is yes, then you have hit the bulls-eye :)