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 MONEY DOESN'T BUY FULFILLMENT |
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Debunking
Money = Power
If you think that money equals power in a
positive sense (power to get what you want and need in life), then think
about, write down, or tape-record your impressions of a few people you
know personally, or have read or heard about, who:
Don't have a lot of money but seem quite powerful to you.
Have a lot of money but lack personal power.
Now consider:
What factors (besides money) are necessary in attaining personal power
(power to build a fulfilling life, accomplish life goals, maintain
fulfilling relationships, etc.)?
On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate the importance of money and
these other factors in attaining these desired goals?
When I think
of people who are not wealthy and have tremendous personal power, the
first examples who come to mind are famous people who have changed the
world in some sense. (For me, that is the height of personal power.)
Mother Teresa, who refused large donations of money and sought personal
help and support, nurtured thousands of abandoned children; and Ralph
Nader, who is famous for following a spartan lifestyle, has been working
to make our society a better place for consumers.
If you believe, on the other hand, that money equals power in a
negative sense (power to corrupt and destroy lives), then you need to find
examples of people you know personally, or have read or heard about, who:
Have a lot of money and use it not to wield negative power but to
enhance their lives and the lives of others.
Don't have a lot of money but wield power in
a negative way.
When I think about people who have a lot of money and use it well, I
think about entertainers who sponsor benefits like Live Aid, Comic Relief,
and Farm Aid; Elizabeth Taylor and her work raising money to combat
AIDS; and families such as the MacArthurs, who give grants to reward
geniuses for their creative endeavors and to allow them to pursue their
work less encumbered by financial constraints. I also think of Ben Cohen
(of Ben and Jerry's ice cream), who organizes his business and uses
his money to promote world peace, shared profit in business, and more
egalitarian models of leadership. There are numerous other examples
of people who use their wealth to enhance the lives of others.
But remember that money cannot buy personal fulfillment, and the power
that comes from being truly in harmony with your own values and living
out a life that you love and respect. Money cannot buy spiritual fulfillment;
it cannot buy friendship. When we look around and see examples of those
who thought they had tremendous financial power but then lost it, people
like Leona Helmsley and Ivan Boesky, we realize that the heady wine
of power through money may not ultimately be as satisfying as many of
us think. It's not uncommon for people making huge amounts of money
to be workaholics who sacrifice health and personal relationships for
the power they think money will bring. So, in the end, what constitutes
true power for us? Is it power over others, or control over our own
lives? And aren't there many ways to achieve control over our own lives
that are not determined by money?
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