Shanti’s Dispatches

for the first time in my life recently, i didn’t have 100% access to my disposable funds and/or lines of credit.

by the end of the few 3-4 days of this, i was literally down to my last accessible $10.

i can see how people who grew up or experienced long periods of poverty have basically been conditioned into a mental state of a) i can’t afford anything, b) where is my next $50-100 or meal going to come from, c) the world is a cold & unfair place.

my parents raised me with the cliche meme that money doesn’t buy happiness. even if we weren’t rich, we always acted like we at least had enough money for a decent middle-class life. (going out to eat, etc)

the problem with this conditioning (money can’t or doesn’t or won’t buy happiness — they are all similar in my mind) is that it’s a fallacy. money can purchase or allow for you to do things which can enable or further your happiness.

what i believe should be the ideal meme to instill in kids re: money is the following:

there is nothing wrong with the pursuit of wealth. it’s all about how to choose to use that wealth to further your own happiness & of those around you.

thus if you are a greedy douchebag who cares only about the bill, to the detriment of all other aspects of your life, then of course you will not find happiness.

if you pursue wealth with the aim of it allowing you to follow your passion or do what you really love in life, then of course this should be 100% encouraged — none of this money is the root of all evil hippie bullshit.

You can bookmark this, digg this or check the cosmos