M for Money

They say you need to love money for money to stay with you. Among pseudo-intellectuals, the saying 'money can't buy everything' is popular. I am more fond of the statement 'there is no such thing as a free lunch' and believe in the power of money. As for things which money can't buy, well a lack of money doesn't ensure you have those things either !

Money makes people do strange things - I have seen greed make monsters out of otherwise perfectly normal people. On the other end of the spectrum, you also have people who don't even have enough money for survival - they also go to any length to get money.  I guess, just like everything else in life balance is the key here. 

But, money is a crazy addiction and people often forget that it is just a means to an end and not the end in itself. Which makes me wonder whether the barter system of yester-years is a better option. The non-perishable nature of money is also a problem - you tend to hoard it. The incentive of compound interest further adds to the trouble. I often wonder whether self sufficient smaller communities are better than this global village - no easy answers there!

Talking about money is considered rude - you are not expected to ask anyone how much they earn. I have never understood why - after all unless you link self-worth to salary drawn, why would you hesitate to talk about it. I have also seen people brag about salaries and blatantly lying too !

My earliest memory of money is the pocket money of Rs.25 that my grandfather used to give me - I loved the pink colour of the 20 Rs note and the green of the 5 rupee note. I also like the pink 2 rupee note. I am not that fond of the 10, 50 and 100 rupee notes - I feel they lack character.

People who can treat money with nonchalance are lucky; but for that you need to be a yogi. I, for one, believe that rewards should be proportional to efforts - hard work over smart work any day.

I love money for the things that it can buy and the freedom of choice that it offers, while being fully aware of its limitations too. What is your attitude towards money?