MONEY; A MEASURE OF HAPPINESS??
Hello
I was having a discussion with a cryptoprenuer friend of mine recently about weekends and how fun it can be and he made mention of something that really caught my attention. He was like I don't understand myself sometimes, some weekends am all up for having fun and all but some weekends am just there and somehow I am connecting it to the money I make during the week.
At first though I was a little bit confused by such statement but then he went further trying to explain his point of view to me. He said he noticed this behavior/feeling few months back and he decided to really have a serious look at it.
In his words he said 'i feel like the level of satisfaction, rest and fun I have during the weekend is somehow connected to how much money I make or don't make during the week' . I so much look forward to weekend and enjoy it more when the week goes well money wise. I feel like I want to have all the fun, all the rest I can get and all after a successful week and then on weeks I don't do too well all I want to do is look very dull and just be on my bed all through the weekend.
I listened closely to all he was saying and while I was taking a walk back home I began to piece every single word he said together and trying to see if I got the "money makes you happy" syndrome . To some extent I realized I also tend to have those kind of weekends but not to the extent that this my friend talked about and one reason I feel so is because I am a football (or soccer as the Americans do call it) loving individual and most times weekend is where most of the football fun and banter come. In a way I can say I can relate to what this my friend said but then again I don't totally agree with it. For him that is how he feels and all but for me I'm kinda thinking he is giving son much power to the digits he makes or don't make.
Happiness although I feel can come from different sources depending on the individual and the power we give to such source. If in a way you end up making the digits you make or not make your source of happiness or in a way you give it so much power over you then your making it or not is sure going to affect your mood.
The amount of power you give to something over you tends to determine how you will feel or not feel when such thing is available or not. Me for instance I realized I have given so much power to something I so much love and that's football, I realize that to some extent I don't enjoy my weekend so much when my team losses a match. It's the power I have given to that source that sometimes makes me feel that way. Once something has so much power to make you happy then it automatically had the power also to make you otherwise and somehow at the end of the day it's the power you yourself have out in the first place.
Comparing money to happiness is a false equivalence. I would say the coloration to power as you note is close but I equate it more to energy. That energy is required to get you through live.
Most people trade time (work) for money (energy) then use the money first for basic essentials and after that many use some of the remaining money to do things they enjoy. The simple act of doing the things they enjoy, such as going to a football game most often results in happiness, thus many people associate money to happiness. This is also made very ease when let's say a famous football player with a very good salary has a miss fortune. The simple thinking is, look money does not bring happiness.
As such most humans simply see the outcomes and directly tie it to money.
I see money as energy and the more energy one has the more options are available. Life as well as the world is in a continuous state of entropy, as such it requires a minimal amount of energy to survive. Add to that we are caring creatures and we want to help our family and friends.
If you friend came home to the weekend after earning very little energy they may worry about next weeks basic needs, the lack of accomplishment or even question their ability to support themselves and family. This will directly have an effect on ones mood creating sadness while the inverse would make most feel happy. Again reinforcing the link between money and happiness.
As such I equate money directly to energy. The more energy I have the better options I can choose. Taking my sister and a close friend on a fishing trip that required a lot of energy had the outcome of happiness.
In my opinion your blog is close but the title is misleading and based on simple thinking. Consider how your writing would be if money were changed to energy.
Cheers