Some people believe that money is the answer to happiness.
Well, think about it; it can buy you anything that the average human ever needs; your house, car, and it puts food on the table.
And if you have it, enough left over to buy you the non-necessary things, your wants, not needs, like clothes, luxury homes, basically anything you want, because you can.
But money, and the want and need for money can also lead to bad things, such as gambling, and using up savings, high house prices, high public and private debts, inequality, the environment, and democracy, booms & busts, and occasionally financial crises, depressions and unemployment.
In any case, the need for money is always there. Everyone reading this essay has grown up with needing to have at least a little money to pay bills, rent, mortgage, the stuff you truly need.
But where did the notion of money even come from? Who invented money? And was it one of the most deadly creations made by a human, leading to most of the world’s, and people’s problems today?
On one hand, money makes everything much quicker and easier; especially transactions. Its a crucial component to life; it meets our needs and fulfils our desires. Money also gives people a sense of security as it provides a safety net against unforeseen circumstances such as emergencies, job loss, or unexpected expenses. This makes them more secure and able to invest in other good things, such as schools, education in general, healthcare, and personal development, which leads to greater opportunities and a higher quality of life. It also acts consequently for people’s actions, and it causes them to be careful of what they always do.
Before all the making of money, and banknotes, trading was the way of getting the things that you wanted. In ancient times, trade became a barter system where people exchanged one item for something else of the same ‘value’.
Money is nowadays essential to our economy; it has been proven that the ups and downs of currency can affect the whole monetary system for better or worse, which eventually comes round to affect us.
On the other hand, while money is undoubtedly useful, it can also have fatalistic effects for humans. The unequal distribution of wealth can create a divide between the rich and the poor, leading to social and economic inequality. This can result in marginalised communities and individuals being excluded from important opportunities, leading to frustration, furthered discrimination, poverty, and even violence. And like I mentioned before, the pursuit of money can often lead people to prioritise financial gain over other important aspects of life such as relationships, community, and personal well-being. This can lead to a culture of greed and materialism, and a world where monetary value is the only value that matters. In addition, money can be a source of stress, anxiety, and depression, especially when it becomes the sole focus of an individual’s life.
There is also a lot of examples of this in media and social culture; the idolisation and glorification of money, being rich, and spending money. In countless songs, movies and even books, the idea of being rich. one example is ‘National Anthem’, by Lana Del Ray, which contains the lyrics: “money is the reason, we exist”, and “money is the anthem, of success”. Lana Del Ray has a enormous fan base, mainly younger people, which can vastly influence them that money is indeed the reason we exist, and lead them to making mistakes with money in the future. Her music still promotes good ideologies.
Money can also tear apart families. Statistics from ‘Ramsey solutions’, states that 41% of married couples’ fights are about money, coming from a survey conducted across America in 2020. This can cause stress to the couples, and it is most likely to have an ill effect on the children.
To conclude this essay, in my opinion, I believe that money is the most evil humankind creations, mainly because it can deteriorate the mental wellbeing of a person, and make them believe that money is the only thing that matters, due to a number of reasons: the culture of glorifying money in the media, the use of money to segregate and discriminate people, and it causes stress, depression and anxiety, especially if you have the pressure to make money to support your family and all the things you invest in, which may be good things, but are more often than not, expensive. And if you can’t manage to afford these things, this causes rifts and arguments in you family. All of these frequently cause mental health issues and stress, which makes money an evil thing.
In short: I agree with the statement ‘money is the most evil humankind creation’, because of all the reasons stated above me. While money is good, the bad reasons outweigh the good, by far.