Luke Rogers is author of next 2015-2016 MLHS senior student editorial
Acceptable Brainwash
While some people believe that money can buy happiness, I see how it has made us lose sight of what and who really matters. The chokehold money has on our country has us putting money before our friends, family, and our values. Money has become more than what it was created for. Money was made to be used as a medium of exchange, but it has become much more than that. It is now in a position of power and a categorizing device, it also became a negative for most people.
With money, most people have become materialistic. Materialism is having a concern for possessions or material wealth for physical comfort, especially to the exclusion of spiritual or intellectual pursuits. Materialism is associated with many negative effects: lower self-esteem, greater narcissism, less empathy, and more conflicted relationships. We’ve become more concerned with our possessions than for other human beings which, as time has passed, has made us selfish. Money is also highly affecting the youth. Wealthier children tend to be more distressed than lower income kids and are at risk for anxiety, depression, and eating disorders. Wealth makes hardly any difference to overall well-being and, if anything, only harms well-being. Extremely affluent people actually suffer from higher rates of depression (Huffington Post).
A fact I found interesting about Panama is that it is the happiest country in the world (livescience.com), but Panama is only the 86th richest (worldsrichestcountries.com). I believe we as people need to stop looking for happiness from money and need to start looking for happiness with life. According to The Mind Unleashed, some of the things we can do to live happier lives are practice gratitude, smile more, embrace our mistakes, maintain an optimistic attitude, and spend more time in nature. All of these things are free and don’t require money.
In summary, money will always be around but it’s up to us to not allow it’s continued negative effects on us and learn to be happy no matter our financial situation. At the end of the day family, friends, and life experiences are what really makes us rich.