Can money buy happiness?

Money is important for everyone. This is not because money has certain inherent health benefits like some vitamins or other essential dietary components that we need, but because of the way our society is structured. We have decided to make money not only a currency but an essential commodity for survival in society. Even though everyone agrees that money is important, this one question is difficult to answer: Can money buy happiness?

My answer is "maybe," it all depends on what that person wants from their life. The relationship between money and happiness is complex and that's why it is often debated. Money can definitely contribute to certain aspects of happiness, such as financial security, physical comfort, and most importantly access to power and resources, however, its ability to directly buy happiness is limited and conditional and it varies from person to person. 

On one hand, having an adequate income can alleviate financial stress, provide for basic needs and other desires, and offer avenues for personal and social enjoyment and fulfillment. It can also enable individuals to pursue their passions, indulge in experiences, and enjoy certain standards of living that enhance their overall well-being. Also, financial stability can contribute to peace of mind, reduce anxiety and uncertainty about the future, and enable a person to help others. However, the pursuit of wealth has its own pitfalls and comes with its own problems. The pursuit of wealth and material possessions as a means to happiness can come at the cost of personal time, resulting in strained relationships, added stress and anxiety, and total dependency on that source of money. The research has shown that beyond a certain threshold, additional money does not necessarily lead to a proportional increase in happiness. This threshold can differ from person to person, but once basic needs are met, factors such as social connections, purposeful work, and personal growth become more significant determinants of happiness and financial wealth alone. Sometimes, the relentless pursuit of money can lead to a sense of emptiness, as individuals may find themselves trapped in a cycle of consumption and comparison, always chasing after the next possession or achievement in search of fulfillment. Unless inherited, wealth needs to be earned, and this pursuit of wealth can come at the expense of other important aspects of life such as health, leisure time, and quality relationships. Many people already complain about the long working hours they spend to accumulate wealth which leads to stress and burnout and neglect of one's physical and emotional wellbeing. The problem is even after knowing all this, people can't stop chasing money as they are trapped in the cycle of consumption and comparison.  

So, the point is, money can do a lot of things for you and it really depends on an individual and their priorities and situations if money can buy happiness for them or not. There was a time in my life when every issue and problem was related to money and I used to think only money could resolve all the issues, this was true for that particular phase, but not every phase of life is the same, our questions change and so the answers also change. Money can contribute to certain aspects of happiness, but true well-being and fulfillment stem from a multifaceted approach that encompasses various dimensions of life including the money dimension. Apart from money, cultivating meaningful relationships, pursuing passions and interests, contributing to the community, spreading kindness and love, and nurturing a sense of purpose are all essential components of a fulfilling life. True happiness arises from a holistic approach and money can be an integral part of this approach. One needs to decide how much and to what extent money is important for them and act accordingly. As individuals, we need to strike a balance between our financial well-being and the pursuit of happiness in a broader sense. 

Thank you for reading and please share your views on this topic. 

© Vinay Thakur, All rights reserved, Vinay can be reached at thevinay2022@gmail.com 

Victims of India's VIP culture

I read the news about the detention of Uttar Pradesh (UP) minister Mr. Azam Khan at Boston International Airport. The news was followed by usual reactions from various quarters of India. The minister felt that he was victimized because of his religion (because he is Muslim). He could even see some kind of conspiracy behind this incident (actually this is a pathetic attempt to get some political mileage out of this trivial incident). This is not the first time this type of incident happened or such news appeared in the Indian news media. There was a similar reaction when Shahrukh Khan was detained for some questioning during his visit to Yale last year. One this is common in both these incidents, the detained person claimed that they were questioned because of their religion. However, this is far from the actual truth. These people are the VIPs (very important persons) or I must say VVIPs in India and are used to getting royal or exceptional treatment everywhere in India and by 'everywhere' I really mean "EVERYWHERE." At airports, hospitals, police stations, courts, on roads, and anywhere they go they are not used to standing in line, waiting for their turn, or getting questioned. Going through any of these ordeals that common people go through every day is a huge insult for them. As they are the VIPs in India not only do they expect the whole of India to know about their status and power but also expect the rest of the world to do the same. Some of these creatures are pathetic examples of people living in a bubble where everything revolves around them, they and their egos are supreme, and the rest is secondary.

Every day hundreds of people are detained for security reasons and are questioned at airports all over the world. This has become a normal procedure after the attacks of 9/11. The procedure follows certain protocols and in one way is very necessary for that country's security. Because of current international conflicts and also political and social situations, many countries face continuous threats of terrorist attacks. These countries need a very robust and reliable system to maintain their safety with minimum inconvenience to people (their citizens as well as visitors). As I said many of these so-called VIP people get very preferential treatment in India, they are not used to being treated like common people anywhere in India. Due to this many of them start thinking that they deserve this special treatment everywhere they go. When Shahrukh was detained last year that time it was also revealed that before him many eminent personalities like former president Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam and defense minister George Fernandes were also detained for similar reasons in the past but none of them created any issue about this. They understood that this was a part of normal security proceedings of the country they were visiting but these other VIPs thought it was only because of their religion they were questioned. I don't think that they even tried to understand how this system works and what is wrong in going through this procedure. Every day many people face this situation. They all go through a little inconvenience and feel some irritation but all these procedures are in place to prevent some big disasters like 9/11 from happening again and I don't think any sensible human being wants these incidents to happen again anywhere in the world.

These people who make such a big fuss about some very regular safety procedures are actually the biggest beneficiaries of these procedures. They get VIP treatment in India. Almost everywhere, roads are blocked causing inconvenience to the common public for hours when some of these people travel by road. Sometimes they delay trains or even flights by forcing them to wait so that these special people can board them at their own convenience. They even get preferential treatment in hospitals. All this makes everyone around them including their relatives believe that they are more important than others. This all creates a big bubble around these people and many of them feel very comfortable in that bubble. They start living in that bubble and slowly start feeling that this is how the world works. Whenever I read this type of news along with anger I feel sympathy for these creatures who can not digest the fact that they can also be treated like common people. 

As far as the question of religion is concerned this is a pathetic attempt to dig for something which doesn't exist. Because of the current international political situation and the presence of so many terrorist organizations pledging their association with Islam and recruiting youths from that religion heavily it is quite possible that terrorist databases must be flooded with many names belonging to Muslim origin and whether anyone likes it or not this is a fact. This is not related to how good or bad Islam is as a religion but totally because of the current state of affairs in the world around us. I am sure these VIPs know very well about this and if they don't then they should educate themselves with some of these simple facts. 

Actually, in my opinion, many of these VIPs should be thankful to all common people in India (who are the actual victims of this ugly VIP culture) just for the fact that they don't complain about all the inconveniences they have to face because of preferential treatment offered to VIPs. Common people have to wait endlessly on roads, in trains, and even sometimes outside hospitals because of this VIP culture. These VIPs should feel little shame to complain about inconveniences which they sometimes face which common people face every day in their lives. We need to abandon this VIP culture so that these pampered beneficiaries of VIP culture learn to live life like common people and won't feel victimized or discriminated against just because they were treated like common people. They need to be exposed to reality which they conveniently choose to forget.

Thanks for reading and please share your views on this topic. 

(Copyright: Vinay Thakur. Please contact the author for re-posting or publishing)

Related Links:
1. News about Mr. Azam Khan's detention
2. Azam Khan claiming conspiracy behind his detention