Money

Is money the root cause of all problems? By the way, what is money? Why is there so much taboo surrounding money matters and money itself?

In simple terms, money is what money does. It amplifies who you are. If you are a criminal, it will make you a bigger criminal. If you are a saint, it will make you an even greater one. Money is neutral—it is neither good nor bad. Power projected onto others, crimes, and deeds that harm people are more visible and capture public imagination. Because of this, most people trace money as the root cause of such problems.

People generally don’t like to talk about money in public. This is especially true in civilisational countries like India. The reason philosophical, behavioral and partly paternalistic. Civilisations have long concluded that desire is the root cause of misery. Those who openly talk about money are therefore often looked down upon. They tended to say that love for money is the root cause of all miscery (quite rightly!) but people understood that money is the root cause. Baby-boomers everywhere tend to cling to whatever money and assets—and the power that money brings—by all possible means. This holds true from the level of families to that of entire nations. They spread the idea that talking or thinking about money is not everyone’s business, using different techniques to achieve this, including demeaning money itself.

A third, but more profound, reason is behavioral in nature. Those who have money fear that someone may take it away or harm them in some way if they openly talk about money matters. Unlike knowledge and skills, money attracts envy and criticism rather than admiration and respect. On the other hand, those who have no money tend to hide this from others rather than learn from them. At best, they only want to know how to make quick money and look at others with money with suspicion.

Yet, beyond all this, the fact remains that money is a very important factor in our lives, and it is essential for many of the things we want and need.

What are the functions of money?

Money can:
- Buy things
- Buy experiences
- Buy time
- Generate more money
- Create things
- Create experiences
- Be given to others