The topic is highly interesting and thought provoking. The idea is highly subjective as it may differ from person to person. My answer to the topic is certainly not. The following points are given in support of my argument.
First, we must understand the meaning of happiness. One thing that gives me joy maybe of no value to others. What are the basic needs of life?
The answer is food, shelter and clothing. If we stick to it, we shall remain happy.
Next, we must ascertain as to what is our goal of life. There are certain factors where money is not needed.
For example- to be truthful, the feeling of compassion for our fellow being, having nationalistic thought and many other things. For this either money has no role or little role.
Happiness is a state of inner feeling that is felt through soul.
Socrates, the famous Greek philosopher once asked, ‘What are the things without which I can survive?’ He found only the basic needs like food, clothes and shelter. With the result he was always happy. When the epidemic of Plague engulfed the whole Athens, he was the lone person who was not affected.
Our life is a chain of numberless desires that never come to an end, often unhappy with the result. We wishes to fly too near the sun with waxen rings. Satisfaction is key to happiness. We should not negate the role of money in life. But to be mad after money is not desirable. Why it is so that a person who has gathered enormous wealth has to take sleeping pill to sleep. He does not have piece of mind. John Keats said, ‘Heard melodies are sweet but those unheard are sweeter!’. We cease to enjoy heard melodies and run after unheard.
Money is meant for man; man is not meant for money. So, it will be quite unfair to say that money is key to happiness and is a leading factor to work better. Money does have a role in life but not everything. We should have a lofty ideal based on the human values. The state of satisfaction provides us divine joy and takes us to near the god.
There are various examples where we find the joy without the involvement of money. For example, the pursuit of scientist to discover the undiscovered. When Newton propounded the theory of gravitation, the whole world acknowledged it happily. The pursuit of a poet is to compose a poem which can comfort a restless heart.
Where lies the role of money?
The pursuit of a soldier is to defend his motherland where they sacrifice their life. They do not do so for money. The pursuit of a sea discoverer is to discover the virgin island. That way he himself finds joy and the whole human race becomes happy. Recently we have seen the dedication of our medical fraternity serving the mankind during corona pandemic. Many doctors sacrificed their lives in their noble mission. Lastly, we can look at the objective of a philanthropist whose aim is social service. In all these cases money does not play the role, or we can say it is no more the leading factor to work better. The pursuit of a doctor to serve humans in distress. Where lies money in it?
The materialistic pursuit of people, where they think all the time how to earn money by noble or ignoble means takes them to such a situation where they do not find peace of mind. The more they earn money, the more they run after it. They become crazy and their mindset is never at peace. The lives of our great men of the past like our saints such as Tulsidas, Valmiki, Swami Vivekanand are the examples for whom money was of no value. They enlightened the entire humanity. No where the money was involved in it.
Humans in general have become so self-oriented that they have no time to think of others. So, the need of time is to overhaul the complete mindset of a person.
To grow spiritual is the only solution for finding peace of mind. We should try to minimize our aspirations of life. Money is also important, but it is not all in all. It may be such that it may suffice our basic needs. It is therefore no key to happiness.
To conclude, the topic in question is partially true. We should also not disregard the importance of money in life. We should remain happy with whatever we have and understand the fact that our happiness lies in our lives which include friends and family.
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