(Debunking Myths About Money)

We have all heard it. The most popular money quote in the world. Maybe you first heard your grandparent say it, or one of your parents. For some, we heard it loudly proclaimed from the church podium, or late night televangelist, right before he convinced you to send the last bit of money you had in your savings, to his ministry, with the promise that it would come back to you multiplied. “Money, or the love of it, is the root of all evil”, is a quote which is literally thousands of years old. How do I know this? Well, I grew up learning the Bible, and it had completely escaped my mind that actually the original quote which is found in the Christian Bible, is, “For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows” – Timothy 6:10 (KJV). I include this quote, not to preach at anyone, but only as a source. Needless to say that this quote has been misinterpreted many times and used in the wrong context, but I am not here to neither dispute not defend it. Only to use my personal experience with money to explain why in my opinion, it is not evil. Before writing this article, I have had to think long and hard as to whether I want to open this hornet’s nest, as I can already hear the arguments and accusations I may receive from those who vehemently believe in this quote, simply because of its origin. I must issue a disclaimer however. I am not disputing nor defending the quote. Only giving my experiential take on money, and how our limiting beliefs about it, affect our ability to attract and/or retain it. I am therefore, not open to any dogmatic or fundamental arguments. I admit that I am here to play the role of, money’s advocate, as it has been demonized over the years. I think it is time that someone stood up in money’s defense, and I am volunteering to do so, simply because I have personally seen how money or the lack of it, can affect my own life.

My personal experience with money has been a rocky one. In my childhood, I developed all these money beliefs, many of them limiting. As a result, in my young adulthood, I mostly had no money, and when I had it, it seemed to slip through my fingers like water. I did not understand money or how it worked. I was afraid of money most of the time, but was not conscious about this. I thought I just had bad luck, or that money was evil so I did not need it anyway. I must honestly say that, not having it, resulted in a lot of stress. It wasn’t just about the notion of not having it, but more the basic needs that I could not meet. As a complete adult now, and having studied money and limiting beliefs, I am able to look back and see where the problem was, and it wasn’t with money. It was with my relationship with money, my fears about money, and my own limiting beliefs about it.

As I break down the reasons why money is not evil, I will go deeper into my personal experiences, as proof that this is not just a theoretical thesis. Let’s get to it.

1. Money CAN buy SOME happiness.
   • One of the things you hear right after someone tries to convince you that money is evil, is that it cannot buy you happiness. I beg to differ here. I completely understand why one may say this. There are plenty of unhappy rich people in the world, but, take it from me. There are also plenty of happy rich people in the world. I worked at a Golf & Country Club for ten years. Believe me, if anyone knows rich people, it’s me. Arguing that rich people are unhappy because of money is like arguing that all poor people are unhappy because of lack of money. I also happen to be originally from a so-called third world country and therefore I know a lot of happy people, who are considered poor by the world’s standards. Happiness is relative. Therefore, one man’s idea of happiness, may not be your idea of happiness. As I go deeper into meditation work, I learn that true happiness and contentment comes from within and can be attained regardless of status quo and environment. However, the kind of happiness that most people are talking about is the feeling they get when things are going well for them. My point therefore is, if you could easily buy a roof over your head, pay your bills, put food on the table and be debt free, would you not be happy? For some, going on a vacation makes them happy. This requires money. Maslow would agree with me, if he heard me say that being unable to meet one’s basic needs can be a great source of stress. Maslow is the scientist/psychologist who came up with the hierarchy of needs. Look him up. Therefore, we all may agree that, in the context of basic needs, money can and will buy you happiness, if you have it and can provide those needs for yourself and your family. If you argue against me on this one, then I may say that you have never been evicted from an apartment because you did not have money to pay the rent, or had a car repossessed while living in a city devoid of public transportation, because you did not have a job or money to afford one. I have experienced both situations in my early twenties and thus, began my experiential education on the importance of money.
2. Money can’t buy real love, but it sure as heck can make your love life easy.
   • I have met plenty of eligible bachelors, and when I asked them why they didn’t have a girlfriend, they almost always gave me the answer, “girlfriends are expensive”. Steve Harvey in his book, ‘Think Like A Man’, explains to the single ladies why some men refuse to commit. One of the reasons he states, is financial issues. He says that if a man is not financially secure, he will not be ready to commit to a relationship because he may feel that he cannot provide for the lady what she needs. Men know that they mostly have to take the woman out on a date, pay for the food or movie, and if they end up getting married, he must carry most of the financial burden. I have been a hopeless romantic most of my life, and would argue with my parents when they would point out that if both my future husband and I are dirt poor, we will not be able to provide ourselves the basic needs and therefore will not be happy. I would say things like, “I don’t care if we live under a tree as long as we love each other”. Well, in Romeo and Juliet, such notions may stand, but in the real world, as an adult right now, I can tell you that I do not want to live under a tree with no food or shelter. As a beginner yogi, I may find the idea of Buddha sitting under a tree until he reached enlightenment appealing, but I live in the United States of America. The authorities will not take too kindly to me living under a tree and I don’t think that people here will bring me free food just because they think I am an ascetic. Plus, I am not a fan of the winters here. Furthermore, I don’t think any lover could keep me warm enough in the “snowpocalypses” known to occur here in Februaries. Having said all the above, am sure you agree with me that in reality, even a couple deeply in love need money in order to enjoy each other’s company. So, money may not buy you love par se, but it most certainly can assure the comfort of you and those you love.
3. Money is an object incapable of being evil.
   • Saying that money is evil, is like saying that a chair is evil, just because the dictator is sitting on it. Or saying that the dictator’s house is evil, just because he lives in it. If a priest moves into that house, does the house then become not evil? Is a gun laying in your safe evil while no one is using it? Or is it just a piece of cold steel just laying in your safe? Money is just a sheet of paper, or a silver coin. If we, humans, did not place value on that printed sheet of paper, it would be just the same as your notepad. When we say that money is evil, we are just bypassing the fact that we impose our energies on money. The person possessing the money chooses whether to do good or evil with it. If you leave a million dollars buried in your backyard for hundreds of years, it will not harm anyone. If you however, spend the million dollars by funding a genocide that kills thousands of innocent people, did the money do this harm, or did you? Why therefore, do we dab money as evil, while it is some humans who choose to do evil with it? I rest my case on this one.
4. Are rich people evil?
   • Another thing I would hear people say while growing up was that rich people are evil because they love money and they all acquire their money through dishonest means. Okay, let’s look at this realistically. There are people who do horrible things in order to become rich, but the majority of rich people are hardworking people who either have built an empire for themselves or have inherited an empire from a parent or grandparent, who worked hard to build it. My observation has been that people hate rich people because they have something that seems unattainable. I was brought up to believe that anything is possible if I worked hard for it, so imagine my confusion when I came out into the real world only to be confronted by the collective global limiting belief that only the devious “make it”. This became especially challenging when I would be advised by well meaning friends against pursuing my music industry dream because I would have to do some horrific things to climb the ladder of stardom. It was when I began to do my own research into successful people who I admired in all fields, that I realized that these people work harder that the average person. They choose to focus all their time and energy on their passion and they don’t stop until they have succeeded in it. Now, are there people who do dishonest things to get to the top? Yes. But, is it really about money or about their own personal insecurities and disbelief in themselves? I will let you be the judge of that.
5. More money more problems?
   • Not true. Money actually solves problems. This phrase was made famous in the 90s by rapper Biggie when he used it in a song of his that topped the charts. He was right to some extent, because most people incur more bills and debt when they become rich because of money mismanagement. In general it is untrue though. Money can solve one’s debts, pay for medical expenses, pay for education and help your family and friends. I do not need to go into all the ways that money can benefit you, but if used unwisely, it could result in problems. This would not be the money’s fault however. It would be the fault of the steward of the money.
6. Why do people hate money?
   • Why do people say such horrible things about money and those who possess it? It has been my observation that usually it is the people who lack money that have the worst things to say about it. Frustration when unable to make money could lead one to say that it is not good or important anyways. Saying these things help us to feel better about our situation. If we took the time to really evaluate our desires, we would find that we need and want money, but we push it away when we say hateful things about it.
7. You can do good with money.
   • Think about the street children in third world cities. Think about the villages in Africa and India where fresh water is needed. How about the cure for cancer? As much as we may want to believe that we could do all these things without money, we all know that it takes money to fund and sustain the organizations that help bring fresh water to those parts of the world, or build orphanages and homeless shelters. It takes money to do good in the world, and it is time we appreciate the role money plays in making people’s lives better.
8. Money DOES grow on trees.
   • This was my favorite thing to say. I would be offended when people in my home country of Kenya would expect people who live in the United States to automatically have more money. I would say, “what do they think? That money grows on trees in America?”. After years of introspection, I realize that money actually does grow on trees. This is gong to sound juvenile and obvious, but again, money is paper, which happens to be made from wood, which is practically trees. Do I need to explain this any further?
9. Money IS your friend.
   • As we near the end of this article, I hope I have demonstrated how money can help make your life better. Many money advisers will tell you to change your attitude towards money if you expect to have more of it in your life. It is therefore imperative that we begin to look at money as a friend because it is there for you in difficult times and helps to solve many of our lives problems. My affirmation today is that money is my friend and I welcome it into my life.
10. Money is very important.
    • We need money in the beginning of our lives, as doctors and midwives are paid to ensure our safe delivery into the world. We need money as we progress in our childhood. Food, shelter, clothing, education, just to name a few of the basic necessities of life. Money may have been demonized over time but it is the currency of our lives. We cannot live without it. One may argue that we could go back to the batter trading system, but money is only a symbol of all the goods which were traded for services during that time. Money is just the vehicle which delivers us the goods and services needed to survive. Even in our exit from this earth, money is needed. Money is therefore very important, no matter how much we try to make it appear as the problem in the world.

In conclusion, money has been made the scapegoat for all the evil that some humans have done in the world. Yes, being obsessed with money can and does cause problems, which explains why the Bible discouraged loving it, but we see how demonizing money can be detrimental to our survival. One has to decide. Do you want money, or do you hate it? One cannot hate and want money at the same time, as this will only bring a mental conundrum, causing all plans made to make money, to backfire. Put your good energy into money and watch it do good for you and the world around you.