The Sweeping Insensitivity Of This Still Life

I had to make a certain decision. There was a lot of factors involved, but among them was happiness and money. I found it very difficult to make the decision as I was not able to compare money and happiness on the same basis. It was like comparing distance to temperature for example. What is worth more, 1km or 10 degrees C? (I know, a little geeky)

Money can't buy you happiness.
So what if you think money can't buy you happiness. It can sure make your misery a lot more comfortable!

So can money buy happiness? Well, I can think of a few instances where the lack of money can cause me serious misery:

Not enough money...
-to eat or find a place to live
-to be with someone I like
-for proper for health care

There are also instances where a lack of money can cause me mild but not serious misery:

Not enough money...
-for a car and would have to use public transportation and waste more time
-to take courses that improves my career
-to be able to listen to music
-to be able to pursue my hobbies

Now I want to make it very clear that I don't consider myself as a materialistic person at all. I don't care if ride a BMW or a Lada. I don't care if wear Tommy or not. In fact, I hate owning anything expensive. But I will care if I was somehow unable to listen to my music for example!

I am sure you can think of a lot of instances where money cannot buy happiness:

-when you have a broken heart
-when you've lost someone
-when you're feeling lonely
-when you feel guilty

Obviously money is useless in the above cases. So what is the answer? How do I decide? Well, I thought about it and came to a rough conclusion. The initial amount of money pretty much translates to happiness. And the rate at which money can translate to happiness decreases as the amount you have increases. So if you have 1 Million, the first 10,000 for example should mean a lot to you. The next 10,000 mean less... and so on. This is because the initial amounts are for the basic needs, which if not satisfied, will cause misery.

A few months ago someone told me a fascinating story about a woman and her kids in Kenya that lived on nothing. They had no money but somehow they were truly happy and the mother always had a smile on her face. I see this as the exception though. I think the vast majority of people that cannot afford their basic necessities are unhappy.

So if you can afford your basic needs, don't be a slave to money. Enjoy your life now; cause youth will not be around when you have a big bank account.