Lately, I got to think about money and its importance. Often, people critisise me for the existence of materialistic goals in my equation called life. They start explaining to me that wealth does not lead to happiness and that human relationships are the foundation of emotional satisfaction. And that these were not the Gucci shoes. Also not the Louis Vuitton bags. To be completely honest, I feel tired of getting into these useless discussions and being continuously exposed to the other people’s judgment during this annoying exercise. The buildup of these conversations is always the same and the confidence of my “opponents” ever-growing.
Money is not great for what it is but much more for what it brings with it and the role it can play in these very same human relationships. Wealth can bring stability into a family minimizing the exposure to unnecessary fights and discussions. It is much easier to snap at your partner about the water stains he left in the bathroom if you do not have a cleaning support and, in addition, are already concerned about the financial burden of your children’s education. No matter how much we wanted it to be true, human beings, especially once they have kids, cannot live on love alone.
But what if relationships are based solely on money? And given that so many conflicts are arising because of it, does it really bring stability or only the illusion thereof until the next spiteful family debate? Is it about the amount of money then? When do we find the balance between wealth and happiness? There is economic research suggesting that the curve of perceived national happiness, measured as a basket of various things surveyed, is a concave function of GDP. This means that, mathematically speaking, there is such a thing as the perfect income level for the maximum utility derived from life. All this on an aggregate level, of course. Simply speaking: the marginal utility from a new pair of Gucci shoes is lower if you have a high (whatever that may be) income and potentially already own multiple pairs. But are we really less happy on the overall level or are we just more picky and critical? Or maybe it is simply due to the human nature of wanting X once we have enough Y? It does not have to be money; it applies also to love or even knowledge.
For those who still want to keep the discussions on an artificially deep level and need to show to themselves that the complexity of their thought is close to the complexity of a ready meal cooking instruction – here it comes. Wealth is not the essence of happiness and not even the only necessary requirement. However, it is definitely an add on. If your old mother is sick, it is a great feeling to be able to bring her to the best hospital (if this sentence pushes your “wrong!” button, you should be fighting the system and not the people living according to it). And after all, if you feel lonely and miserable in a dark rainy night, it is better to do so in a penthouse than in the slums.
