Not to Get all Christian but…
On Sunday I read a favorite bible quote:
1 Timothy 6:6-21.The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and in their eagerness to be rich some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains.
OK, let’s stay away from the religious aspects of this biblical quote and concentrate on the essence of what is being said by the writer (or God depending on your point of view).
Money is not the root of all evil as most folks erroneously like to quote of this passage, the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, but sometimes it is easier to shorten the passage to fit your argument I assume.
I agree with this passage, you can easily fall in love with money, and that can really screw your life up, which is a simplistic rewording of this passage. The entire low rate mortgage scandal in the states can be summed up by this passage, as people fell in love with what money could buy (expensive homes), which then overextended them, causing them to default on the loans.
My guess as to what the authors are bringing across is a very Christian ethic, which is live within your means (OK, it’s not just Christian, I am sure many Buddhists, Muslims and even a few Atheists agree with this tenant as well). Don’t fall in love with money and the pursuit of it, and worse the things it can buy you, live your life, in a sensible way and you should be fine.
I am not saying, don’t watch your money carefully or make financial plans, on the contrary, I am saying plan so that you don’t have to keep pursuing money, as someone in love might chase a new object of their affection. Money is a tool, to get what you need to live a happy life, not much more, but no less.
Love your family, your friends, and your life, but don’t love money, show it respect as you would any good tool, and you should be fine. The other problem with money as a tool, is that it does not coming with an Owner’s Manual, but then again, most men wouldn’t read it anyhow.
If anybody knows where I can find the Money Owner’s Manual, please leave me a comment.
I would say it’s ridiculous, if had not heard it so many times even from my friends. Money is just an instrument and it’s a great one. It tells us what is desired in our society and what is excessive. If there were no money, people would love another forms of possession, houses, jewelry, clothes…
As an Atheist, I still found it to be a good post.
Many would argue that money is a very personal thing, but I believe that the basics of money handling, like credit, budgeting, etc. should be taught in high school (if they are not) as well as how to raise children without destroying their self-esteem.
Work, earn money, spend only what you need to live, save the rest. Short enough? That’s really what it’s about, but I get your point.
It’s like the NRA argument about guns, “Guns don’t kill people,people kill people”, which is trite but true. You can’t blame the tool for how it is being used, but we also need to train people how to use this tool.