Mansi, Week 9: The Power of Money
Money cannot buy you happiness.
Perhaps we can agree that happiness doesn’t explicitly come with its own price tag—there are no shelves in Costco lined with happiness crammed in bottles, or Amazon vendors selling happiness with free shipping. But how many people can argue that money didn’t buy the clothes on their back, the roof over their head, the food on their plate? Their education, their dreams, their future?
Naturally, most would mention that these are simply the basic necessities—sure, many people would be unhappy without them. The power of money, however, presides over even the intangible aspects of life. Money buys time; from the fraction of a second saved loading a page faster on an upgraded computer to the years saved from being able to retire early, money has its impact on time in nearly every way. Money buys experiences; it’s difficult to travel the world and indulge in its many cultures without a pricey plane ticket or its equivalent. Money buys opportunities; for instance, 34% of young adults who are not in college have revealed it’s because college wasn’t affordable. Money buys health; bi-annual wellness checkups or newly developed medicines hardly come for free. There’s no doubt in the scope of money’s power—however, it’s inevitably an exaggeration to claim that there’s nothing that money can’t buy. Jay Gatsby in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby would argue that no matter how much money one has, society may never accept them; in this way, money can’t buy class. Additionally, there are problems money cannot solve, from emotional relationships to insecurity. Undeniably, money proves to be powerful in today’s society, and it can buy happiness—depending on which perspective it’s looked at from.
Hi Mansi! To start off, I really like how you started off your blog with the common phrase, "Money cannot buy happiness" in italics. This was certainly eye-catching. I agree with your point that money can buy a lot of things that can lead to temporary happiness, especially your statement that specifically highlights that "money can buy time." Jay Gatsby is certainly a great example of this power that money holds over time, but in the end, it cannot solve all problems. Overall, I really enjoyed reading your blog.
ReplyDeleteHi Mansi! The first line of your blog, “Money cannot buy you happiness,” immediately caught my attention. Often times, I hear the opposite of this sentence: money can buy happiness. Money can definitely buy you the things you like and help you survive in society. The second paragraph of your blog is well-structured. The repetition of the phrase, “Money buys,” emphasizes that money does indeed have power over our lives. The use of a semicolon to separate the main point and the explanation stresses the “Money buys” phrase. Your acknowledgement of what money cannot buy adds nuance to your blog. To show that money, pieces of paper that dictate our lives, cannot solve all of our problems, you use an example — Jay Gatsby — that all of us are familiar with, which helps expand our understanding of this particular topic. The final sentence is a great way to conclude your blog; while money is powerful and can buy happiness, it does matter “on which perspective it’s looked at from.” I believe that having money can help us live in this world, but it is the people around us and the smaller things that bring happiness.
ReplyDeleteHi Mansi! On a day to day basis, I often think about the amount of value money has in my life. Though I wish I could say that I didn't rely on money for my well-being, much of the things that bring me joy, whether directly or indirectly, are reliant on money. I especially thought your highlighting of the fact that money buys time was interesting. Beyond providing better facilities like, as you said, better Wi-Fi connection or things of that nature, money also buys time in the sense that it allows one to spend more time doing things that are beneficial and fulfilling for them. Most wealthy people will hire chefs, cleaners, people who will relieve them from having to spend additional time in their days doing mundane yet essential things. This provides time to such wealthy people to further their positions in life by putting that saved time towards areas that will propel them in life. Personally, as someone who has experienced the struggle of having little money and not having access to lavish aspects of life, I believe that it doesn't require much to be happy. I have found that more than anything else, what truly makes me happy is the care and presence of those around me. Materialistic things have always been an additional (but appreciated) privilege to me.
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