Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Money, Money, Money


Please answer the following prompts in a detailed, fluent response. Make sure to comment on other people's views within your own response. Take your level of thinking higher. Make sure you are being thorough and honest.
What are your perceptions of material wealth/money?  Is it something your desire? What is "wealth"? Do we see too much excess today? Are we always wanting more? Do we "want" too much? Is being content or fulfilled enough? When is enough, enough? Is your financial status a reflection of how successful you are? What is success to you? (Remember that I am asking questions to challenge your thinking, you write what you desire).

41 comments:

  1. There is a difference between striving for money and success. I strive for success. That means a future with a comfortable home and income that allows for some splurging. Yes, in some ways this is excess. Humans really only need food, water, shelter, and spiritual fulfillment to live. But I think that it is in human nature to always want more, and this is one of the reasons why humans have seen so much progress as a society. Humans have the drive to improve their situation in life. However, success does not only rely on gaining material wealth such as iPhones or fancy cars. Success in life also means finding happiness. True contentment is only found when your soul is fulfilled, and material items are temporary happiness.

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    1. I like how you included progress when talking about success. I agree that overall the human species has been successful because of the progress with technology and medical advancements. It is because of those type of things that people are able to have excess.

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  2. People who have lots of luxuries have material wealth. But this is not to say they are bad people. Some of the great billionaires today started poor. It took a lot of hard work for them to get to where they are and I think that is respectable. I think everyone desires some sort of material wealth just because people want to live comfortably. Of course I want to be successful and like, Bekah, have money for splurging, but I am willing to put in the work to get there. Also, like our discussion over Winter Dreams by F. Scott Fitzgerald, we talked about humans always wanting more, always trying to get to the next ‘level’. Sometimes that’s a good thing, to always strive to be better, but also one needs to be conscious of the reasons behind it. Financial status is part of a reflection of success but not the entire thing. Different people see success differently so that also factors in. Success is hard to define. I’m not really sure what success is to me, I guess I would say it’s being the best you can. Success is also being content with where you are, or having a feeling of accomplishment.

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    1. I agree with you that material wealth can sometimes be celebrated just because it is a symbol of hard work and success. There are people that did their best all their life and succeeded in escaping from a destitute situation. In cases like this, money is respectable; however, it can not be the determining factor in someone's happiness.

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  3. To be honest, I think that sometimes I truly desire owning the biggest house in town, being know to be someone with expensive clothes and maybe someone that everyone aspires to be someday. Though now that I think about it for a second, the only thing that will get me there is success and striving first. Usually, I look at someone filthy rich with a bad look but I think that that is my mistake because most of the time they did something to deserve that money. I am writing about this in my ALIS essay and how people are always harking on others because of what they have and what others don't have at the same time but anyone could be that way if they weren't so sheltered and so self-conciuos to take risks. Almost everyone has the same opportunities as others and I think it's all in the drive to be successful that will lead to that dream house and happiness as well. Another question I would like to address is when is enough, enough? In my mind I couldn't probably say what is enough because at this point in my life I don't know what it is to own items of my own but I think that enough might be being happy and settling for what makes you happy. Happiness is the will to settle for what you think you deserve and leave for the rest. Happiness is accepting what your life has to offer and not being greedy for more.

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    1. I definitely agree with you that we tend to judge people based on the amount of money they have. We judge them whether they are wealthy or not, but we don't always consider the stories behind their situations.

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  5. Material wealth can be both beneficial and detrimental. Money is what allows progress, grants a feeling of security, and marks success; however, money can fog one's comprehension of what truly matters in life. I think that money is a necessary part of society. It obviously is the key to an economy, a staple in politics, and allows hard work to be rewarded, but I do not believe that it is necessary to achieve happiness. Wealth is viewed by society as one of the most important factors in an individual's life, and many people will do anything to obtain both it and the glorified version of happiness that is supposed to be included. To a certain degree, I do desire wealth, but it is not and will not be a determining factor in my personal happiness. I think that we, as humans, desire wealth simply because it is often a byproduct of success and it marks achievement. Money can reflect success; however, all successful people are not rich, and all rich people are certainly not successful. The problem with material wealth in today's society is that people are never satisfied. Like Bekah said, this desire to make progress is what has made America so great, but individuals are becoming greedy. Americans have reached the point in this downward spiral where they are no longer able to be happy. They let their "want" prevent them from being thankful for what they have. People these days do not realize that success is possible without earning millions of dollars each year. To me, success is simply a measure of achievement, accomplishment, or advancement.

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    1. Maddie, I completely agree with what you say about the role of money in our society. You managed to pin its effect on our lives in a very specific range, giving us certainty and flexibility, but not true happiness. I think this insight is very accurate, and hopefully it will help you stay focused on your goals and success in the future!

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  6. Wealth is the ultimate worldly goal. Truly it doesn’t matter who you are, or what you come from, wealth and money have the ability to give you whatever you desire. Many people lump power and influence along with money when they describe worldly goals. This is incorrect. Money can buy power and influence. Thus, since money can buy what the world defines as successful, it is true that money is success. Therefore, it is hard to deny money’s influence and the desirability of it. As much as I’d love to say that I don’t desire money, I know that I do. It may be my human influence, but I cannot honestly say I don’t care about money. I mean, who doesn’t want to be rich? However, the problem is that enough is never enough when you strive for material goods. We are always filled wanting more. Material goods, no matter how desirable, do not bring contentment. That is the problem with the pursuit of wealth, it is never good enough. There will always be another level to obtain, another goal to reach. Success may be defined, by the world, as your wealth. However, true success is relative to the individual. If you set out on a goal, and accomplish it then you are successful. However, society may not agree with your success. Hence the truth is born. To be successful by society’s standards then wealth and all it brings is necessary. However, true success is defined by the individual and independent of wealth. Maddie makes an eloquent point when she mentions that money is both good and evil. It is both a hindrance and completely necessary. It defines our success, but not necessarily who we are. She makes it clear that a balance is necessary to achieve true happiness, which I believe is very true.

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    1. I just have to say, Chase, that when I was writing my response, I wasn't thinking the same as you at all, but you have some REALLY valid points in your answer. Like when you were talking about the fact that money can buy power and influence. I mean, just think of all the influence and power Bill Gates has! And when you talked about how success is purely individual, that's exactly what I think. It can't be defined by the money we make, but by how satisfied we our with ourselves and what we've done to contribute to this world.

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    2. Chase, I fully agree with you about how there is always another level to obtain. Once we have reached a higher level, we just want to keep going and going. It almost motivates us, yet at the same time, it blinds us from the realities of temperance.

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  7. Money is actually a very interesting topic. Many people strive to be able to make a living doing something they love, while in turn making enough money to live in a big house, and not having to worry about whether or not you'll be able to pay for the next meal. I think that we all can at least admit to the fact that a little extra money would be nice to have, but it's how you're going to get there that sets us apart. I think that the amount of money someone has is strictly related to how much they want it and how far they are willing to go to get some money. For me personally, I don't want to be one of those rich snobs, who buys Chanel clothing just because I feel like it. I want to have money because I earned it and therefore, I would spend it frugally. I think that now more than ever in the past, people, and especially Americans, have a very consumer sense of life. That the only way to be cool or successful, is to have the new iPhone, or to wear the trendiest and most expensive clothes on the market. Our perceptions on what life is really about have been all twisted around and we're in a rut, that quite frankly, might be impossible to get out of. I don't think that success can be rated by the amount of money someone has as all. Personally, I think that success is a very personally-based thing. Only you yourself can determine if you've been successful at something. Only you are one that knows whether or not your happy with your life and what you've accomplished so far. No one else can tell you whether or not you've had a successful life. The money that comes along with a job is just a price tag that the government has to put on everything to keep everything under control.Success is purely individual. It's as simple as that.

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  8. When I was little and I used to sit at the school lunch table, there was not a day that went by when I did not want to trade my bag of Oreo cookies for someone else’s bag of plain chocolate chip cookies. I did not want to trade my dessert because I did not like Oreo’s, but simply because a classmate of mine had something that looked better than I had. I would call this the “Grass is Greener Effect,” and when looking at Bekah’s response, I completely agree with her when she talked about how humans always seem to want more and with these cravings for luxuries, true success can get lost in the translation. I believe that success and money should not even equate to one another because they are two totally separate things. Success is making your life have a positive influence on someone else’s while money is a simple state of currency in which people trade to by material goods, food, water or whatever people believe that they need. With this being said, people use outside influences to dictate which material goods that they should buy because they want to fit into the ‘social norm.’ Humans have a tendency to want what they cannot have because they seek the thrill in overcoming that problem and being correct. Please do not get me wrong, but there is more to life than being right one hundred percent of the time and some of the most brilliant people failed more times than they succeeded.

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    1. I love how you compared trading cookies to wanting what others have. I think it really shows how humans have always wanted what others have. We are convinced that the grass is always greener on the other side.

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  9. Material wealth is not something that I truly desire. Not that being wealthy wouldn't be wonderful, it would, that is just not going to be my main goal in life. I'd much rather be happy, living pay check to check, than miserable and with more money than I know what to do with. The way I see it, is that the more we get, the more we want. This makes me believe that we want too much. We live in a world where it seems like everything can just be handed to us, simply with the trade of a couple pieces of paper. But those pieces of paper, or that little plastic card controls us more than anything else in this world. The problem is, most people don't know when enough is enough. They all just keep buying, buying, buying, the stuff they don't need because they think it will fill in for their missing happiness. Success is not counted in dollar signs. Success to me is amounted by how hard someone has worked to get where they are now.

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    1. I completely agree with your statement on how we tend to think that money controls everything. It sort of does, but only because we let it. If we were all hard workers and not just receivers (like Paris Hilton for instance) we would be a much better society in my eyes.

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  11. Material wealth and money consists of every luxury imaginable. From expensive cars and homes, to exotic furnishings and being able to go on vacation. I feel wealth is something we all desire, however, wealth, as well a success (like art) is subjective. Wealth is an excess amount of something, a surplus of whatever it may be that you consider valuable and worth time to invest in it. In today’s culture, it is completely sickening to see what we will do for money, time, affection, and our fifteen minutes of fame. Our culture has been ground down into a “eat, or be eaten” mindset in which we will forget all our morals and values to get one-step ahead in life. We substitute looks over substance and quantity over quality. I look around and see so many people with talents and gifts, but squander, and pervert them for the gain of money, fame, or some other benign form of enthrallment from others. I mean really? A golden toilet seat? Why don’t we all just bedazzle our toenails with Swarovski crystals and eat prime rib while riding a majestic steed through the mall? What I’m getting at is that the definition of “enough” is always escalating to an insane level of overachievement and obscurity. Fulfillment has changed from the soul to the mind, whereas thoughts of what it is to be contented are overridden by wanting to outdo others, and have the most. You’re financial status is 110% not related to how successful you are. There is no magical SUCCESS-O-METER; step right up to see if you qualify to be deemed worthy! Success is achieved through your personal satisfaction and the hearts and minds of the audience you want to reach. Success to me is the personal satisfaction in knowing I gave one hundred percent to whatever I committed myself to. Failure is subjective, if there even is such a thing. Something not working out the correct way can only be wrong if every person, animal; physiology law, medical science ruling, and Mother Nature herself say it is. Our success should be determined by the way we ultimately decide to react by the result of it. Like many people say: “Fall down once, stand up twice.”

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    1. I completely agree with how our society is forcing us to change, especially the "eat or be eaten." I think society is pushing definitions on us like "how to be happy" and "how to be successful" that we start to loose focus on what will make US happy and what we feel OUR success will be.

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  12. Earlier in the year I read Into the Wild, a true story about a young man from a well-to-do family. Chris McCandless sets out to invent a new life for himself in nature. He abandons his car and most of his possesions, burns the cash in his wallet, and gives his 25,000 dollars in savings to charity. McCandless believed that people were putting to much emphasis on money and materials. He wanted to define his purpose in life without the influence of the materialistic ways of society. In nature he depended soley on himself to survive, and that gave him a sense of happiness and peace that he couldn't find in the past. I admire his intentions to find true happiness beyond material wealth, but I don't think that I would ever be able to do something so extreme. I agree that material wealth should not be the highest priority in life, but money is a necessity in our society. Money can make life easier, but easier does not always mean better. It is important to take the time to appreciate the journey, not just the amount of money in your bank account.I sometimes think about having a bigger house and a closet full of designer clothes. I work hard for my money, and I do feel happy when I buy a new pair of shoes or a new outfit. But I have come to realize that shopping and having lots of money is not my main goal.Money is, and probably always will be, a part of my life, but it is not the solution to all of my problems.

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  13. I think that success can mean very different things. Personally, I believe that success is determined by how happy a person is with their life and who they have become. A person is successful if they accomplish their goals in life. At the same time, success is measured by wealth in today's society. It is assumed that a rich person is happier than a poor person. I think that people always want more, they are never satisfied with what they have. There is always something new and more exciting to have. Money plays a huge role in today's society and it can be used to buy things, change situations, or even for fun. I think a person with a lot of money might live a happier life since they wouldn't need to stress about making money. However, a person can be perfectly content without money. It all depends on the person and their values.

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    1. i completely agree. i think that people think that they can buy their happiness in todays society. that is so wrong to me. i think that people should be able to just be happy and then maybe here and there get a thing or two that they want without being carried away and sidetracked from what actuall happiness is.

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  14. That's hard. i think that people that are wealthy either take advantage of others and situations and such or they use their money for things they actually need and to help others. on the flip side of that, i think people dont pay attention to the fact that people with money get taken advantage of if they arent smart about what they do. for example when i went out with a friend and their parents they were talking about how their uncle who did have a good amount of money went to get a new car and the dealer, seeing that he had a lot of money, lied about how much a car was and ended up getting about 20,000 more than the car was worth. People with an intense amount of money usually have enough stuff to be wrapped around the world a couple times and do they need all of that? no. but that is the way the world works. I personally dont think that being wealthy means you have a lot of nothing, i think that it can be something that is just a good thing to have money in case you need something, there is an emergency or even putting your kids in a good school that will help their future. so answering if i desire it; not necessarily. but it would be nice to have a little more than just enough to get by. There is more than one way to explain "wealth". It can be wealth with money, or what some people consider wealth is having a good life but not too flashy and not too hard to deal with. With wanting more, many people if not everyone in some way or another want more no matter where they are in social class. being honest i want things yes but I'm perfectly fine if i dont have them where as others who keep getting things they want never learn to be satisfied, they just continue to want more. where people who arent use to getting everything they want, actually have to work for things that they would like to have they have a better understanding of being satisfied and content.

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    2. Kaley - I really agree with what you said about people who don't have a ton of money having "a better understanding of being satisfied and content." I think that sometimes there are wealthy people who abuse the gift of being rich by not appreciating it enough. I also love how you said, "So answering if I desire it; not necessarily. But it would be nice to have a little more than just enough to get by." I personally think like this myself. I don't see anything wrong with wishing for a little more money as long as you can balance it out with other things you have like family and friendship.

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  15. I associate material wealth and money with luxury. I think that those who have wealth tend to indulge in luxury and things far beyond necessities. Honestly, I do desire wealth. While I know it may not be true, I feel like having money will lead to happiness. I think it is because I have a perception that with money comes comfort and more freedom. I think that if I have enough money that I don't have to work, I can pursue what I love and what makes me happy. However, I know that that is only a perception and that it is probably not like that. I do think that WE see way too much excess. I think that our world is filled with excess. As a joke, but also to make a point, a wealthy CEO in "The Other Guys" says
    "excess is the American way" when he was trying to sell his products to people. I know that people in other places don't even see enough of the necessities in life. I think that we are always wanting more. It is the "keeping up with the Jones'" aspect. I think it has been around ever since the industrial revolution, maybe even the Neolithic revolution, when things other than necessities began to exist. I think success is a term that has a different meaning to every single human being. Success in their eyes is not the same as success is in my eyes. Therefore, in my opinion, it is not. Success to me is reaching my goals. However, my goals are always changing, so one day I have success, but the next I don't. When I don't achieve my goals, I don't look at it as failure, but instead I try to improve upon that and raise my goal.

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  16. I see material wealth and money as something we use to buffer our lives. I, like many people, have grown an image from our society that the more we have the happier we'll be. Deep down I know this isn't true but it is so easy to go through a store and see everything you want vs. everything you need. I agree with Anna about "the grass is always greener on the other side." There are so many things that we have no desire for until we see someone else have it. After we see someone else who has found temporary joy in it, all we can think is how much it could make our lives better. When I first hear the word wealth I think of how much money you have because that's how our society had been trained to think. But when I look deeper into it, it means all that we can accomplish, which does include money but also includes happiness and knowledge. I believe that as a society we do have to much excess. We look for the latest and greatest things and what we think can bring us happiness. As we get more things we grow a dependence on them. As our dependence grows we find ourselves wanting more and wanting things we don't need. I think that once people can overlook their wants they can get in touch with themselves and find an inner peace. I believe complete success is a full circle, I think money is important because it is valued so highly in our society but to be successful you must also be able to be happy and in order to do that we must discover ourselves and our values.

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  17. I see money and material wealth as the tools with which I can achieve other forms of success. In other words, I believe money and material wealth are the cushioning an individual has while they try to achieve their real life goals. Let me give you an example. If a family spends their entire lives trying to make ends meet, worrying about where they are going to find their next meal, they do not have the chance to even consider gaining new understanding or having close relationships with their surroundings. However, when a family has access to all their basic needs, as well as a surplus for making reaching out possible, then they are much more likely to make an effort to create success beyond money. For this reason, I am not ashamed to say that I desire to have a sum of wealth that makes me beyond comfortable in life. I see “wealth” not as the things you own, but the opportunities that are at your fingertips because of what you own. To me, success is something beyond what material and money wealth you amass. I see success as contributing to your society and being able to say you improved it, as well as gaining knowledge and understanding that allows you to be satisfied with your decisions. However, once again, I cannot see how having a greater amount of money at your disposal would do anything but assist you in reaching these other, more sincere goals. Rather than excess in our society, I believe what we see is imbalance. There is nothing wrong with improving the standard of living in terms of material wealth, however this improvement should not be lopsided in its effects. I believe there is such a level as being content, but human nature forces us to look for more once we reach this level. As a result we are always wanting more when more is not necessary, and cannot discern a level as “enough.” Finally, I would say financial status is not an important indicator of your success, until you can show that you are capable of using that money to do something more. So, it is not your money, but your use of money, that is important to your reflection upon others.

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    1. I love what you said about money being something that can aid you in achieving other goals. Instead of money being the main goal, it is simply something that makes life more convenient, and easier to survive and improve for ourselves and others. You mentioned that people are always looking for more money, but could it be possible to aim for more wealth while still focusing on those things that are really important, like family and friends?

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  18. Wealth to me is something that greatly determines class in our society. I don't think that should be how we determine class but it is. The world is based around money. We run on money. We rotate around money. The sun might as well burn on money cause we revolve around every little aspect of it. We base everything we know off of material possessions and what our neighbors own. Bob next door gets a cherry red Ferrari and Sam his neighbor wants an even newer and shinier Ferrari, and might as well get a Porsche too. I personally don't think material wealth should be important to society. I wish I could say that I don't want more things and that I would be totally fine with what I have, but unfortunately I'm not. I'm not going to lie, I've always wanted the biggest house with the white picket fence because I grew up thinking that that is what "rich" and "wealthy" looks like. In a perfect society, we wouldn't think about our material possessions but our memories and the people we know. My friends are my material possessions, and my family, and my memories that I hold dear. If only everyone would think that way instead, then our society would be the start of something better.

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  19. To be honest, I like money. Ok, I love it. But who doesn't? The problem that I see with money is when it gets in the way of more important and meaningful things in life. Money is a nice thing to have, and I don't think that it is a bad thing either. I do think that when people put money before relationships, reality and responsibility, it can become a problem. In my mind, I think it would be amazing to have enough money to be able to travel and go on vacation all the time. It has always been a lifelong dream for me to be able to travel the world. However, our family doesn't take tons of vacations nor are they always very exotic ones. But I have realized there is a flip side to this - I truly value, appreciate and remember the times that I have gotten to go on vacation. I sometimes wonder if going on trips all the time would make me become less grateful and appreciative for them. This is the true problem with money - when it becomes a regular thing, and not something special that we value and just take for granted. Also, I would not say that money constitutes success. For me, I already feel like I’m the most successful person in the world. I may not be good at sports at all, I may not wear name brand clothes, and I may not be friends with everyone. So why do I feel so successful? My success is my family. It is the close relationships and bonds that I share with my friends and family. It is the ability to wake up every morning and have a voice to praise God with. Someday, money may buy me a beautiful house, or provide me an early retirement. However, in the end, money can't buy the special bond that my mom and I have together, or all the moments I have spent laughing with my friends. In the end, money is simply a man's head on green rectangle. It can be something wonderful if it is appreciated and spent with wisdom or it can be the map to a long road of disappointment.

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  20. Even though I hate to admit it, money is hugely important in today’s society. We tend to look at money as a sign of power and success, and because of that perception that society has, people learn to strive for money in order to be considered “successful”. However, some of the most successful people that I know today, whether through my family or friends, are still not completely happy. One of my mom’s good friends grew up in an extremely wealthy community in New York, and her mother was a raging alcoholic who would chase her and her family around with knives, throw dishes at them, and break furniture, then remember nothing the day after. Yet everyone she talked to when her parents divorced said that her mother was the nicest person, and an amazing mother and wife. Not to say that every wealthy family is like this, but it just goes to show what happens behind closed doors, and in such wealthy communities, appearance really is everything, and money definitely does not determine happiness. We see people who have more money than us, or a nicer house, or more expensive clothes, and we assume that they must be happy, because they have so much money, but that is not always true, and can blind us to what happiness really is, and the empty promises that money holds. I love what Maddie said about how money can be both detrimental and beneficial, because depending on the person in possession of it and their character, it really can be.
    Wealthy. For me that word simply represents material possessions, money, and property. Anyone can be wealthy if they make enough money. However, to be successful, and happy, one has to have something more meaningful in their life than money and material possessions. When someone has family, friends, and a purpose in their, then I believe that they would be fulfilled, and having a ton of extra money would simply make things a little easier for them so that they could spend more time and energy on relationships and hobbies.

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  21. I honestly believe that money is a necessary evil. It is quite easy to say that money is overrated and we need to get away from excess materials but lets be honest, materials are a part of our society today and we rely on them. We need money to buy food, clothes, homes, etc. We use phones to connect with others and cars to go from here to there. Our culture seems to need these items. Along with saying money is overrated it is also easy to say our society should just get away from "unnecessary" materials all together and go live in harmony with nature. That all sounds fine and dandy but in our society and culture, expecting someone to ditch everything they have integrated into their daily life is just not realistic. Of course we go overboard and I personally believe we should take a step back in the technological advances but it will not happen- at least anytime soon. This is because humans are always wanting the next best thing and in our world today there is always someone ready to provide just that. Instead of complaining about others having too much we should look at our own lives and start there. Who knows, it may start a trend.

    On another note, to me success is something internal. Success is a feeling of great accomplishment in your heart. A personal pat on the back. Success however is not getting public recognition for a great deed. When people are so hungry for acceptance it shows much insecurity and selfishness. To me, the most successful people are humble, they accomplish goals for their own sake and help others out solely for the joy they feel inside.

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  22. Money is a huge part of today's world. Many people believe that the amount of money you have is a way to measure how successful you have been in your life. True, most rich people are very successful, but i don't believe that money should be the only way that we measure our success in life. While money can bring success to anyone, I don't think that is the only way to be successful, and likewise, just because you don't make a lot of money doesn't mean you haven't been successful. I think we each have our own personal definition of success, however this definition can be influenced by our friends and family's and even total strangers opinions. For example, my personal definition for a successful life is wether or not I was remembered. I know the whole " I want to leave my mark on history" thing is a bit cliche, but its true. Ever since I was younger I have looked up to people on tv and in movies, and could think of no better life than to be in their shoes. I know that makes me sound a bit snobby, but I don't want it for the money. Sure, it would be nice to have a McMansion somewhere in Beverly Hills, but I see this as the life that would be the most fun for me. I also believe that things like money are only able to bring up temporary success. I we truly want life long success, we have to look within ourselves to see what our own personal meaning of success is. I agree with that Taylor said, in that our society is held together with money, but this is not how it should be. We should work towards a better almost Star-Trek esque world in which money has no value, and everyone contributes what they know for the betterment and advancement of society.

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  23. Very few people in today’s society, if any at all, aspire to be low class, homeless, or struggling to scrape by in the financial world. Our lives have become so dependent on a well-paying job that people feel that a stable income is the only way to be comfortable. In some ways I feel affected by this notion. I do in fact desire wealth because I don’t ever want to feel that I can’t provide for myself, or my family, financially speaking. Usually when I hear the word wealth, I think about valuable possessions and vast amounts of money. But some people are wealthier in character and spirit than could ever be counted in dollars. There is never excess in character, however, I feel that it is possible to overdo it with possessions. Just as Jen stated, it isn’t necessary to pamper yourself with a platinum prestige golden toilet seat? Humans have a natural tendency to desire more. They also have a tendency to outdo other people. I think contentment should stem from fulfilling goals and dreams rather than money. That ultimately leads to the most success. If one is at ease with themselves and the life goals that they have reached, then they are successful and wealthy.

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  24. I believe that even though some people may get self-righteous and say that wealth and money isn't important to them, the fact of life is that everyone strives and dreams for wealth and money. It is human nature to want things, and it takes money to get the things we want. Money also brings stature, another basic human desire. I do not, however, believe that it is the most important thing in our lives. I do not believe that becoming wealthy should be our goal in life. I think that force that should drive people is the desire to make a difference in the area of life that they are passionate about. If someone lives their entire life just to become rich but does not do anything meaningful, he will die disappointed in his life. Wealth is having an abundance of money. However, this is very subjective. Middle Class people in America may not see themselves as wealthy, because they look up and see all the Upper Class Americans who have so much more money. But compared to most Africans, Middle Class Americans are extremely wealthy. I do not believe that we will ever be satisfied with the wealth we have because we will always be looking at the people who have more. Who is to say that there is too much excess? who has the right to say that we want too much? If we have the ability to have a lot, we should be free to get it. We should not feel guilty for our prosperity. Since when is being happy bad? Why should we not dream of having more? Material wealth and stature are trivial things in the large scope of our lives and the world, but people want them nonetheless. People have wanted more since the beginning of time, and since then every generation has been saying that there is too much excess. People will always want more and more money, and they will probably never be satisfied with what they have. But no one should ever say when someone should stop dreaming for more. We don't want too much. The greed for money is what sustains every society. If everyone was content, there would be no innovation. Who would ever want to live in a stagnating world? How boring would that be? Being content and fulfilled is always enough. That's what people strive for in life. People just try to attain it in different ways. I personally believe that being born, making a lot of money, and dying is a very sad life. If I lived like that I would not be content or fulfilled. I want to do something that matters to me in my life. To feel like I have made a difference. I do not think that financial status determines how successful a person is. I think to society it does. But individual people define success very differently. A poor person who is making a big difference in something he believes in may see himself as very successful, even though an average onlooker may not.

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  25. Clearly, money is important in today's society. Without it, you can't get food, shelter, anything like that. But when it goes past that, what else can money really do? You can get some nice clothes that you don't really need, or you can get an expensive car, a big house, but nothing that can be a major benefit in your life. All that money and wealth really is is a cushion. An extra luxury. Sure, I will admit that it would be nice to have some more money, but it is not something I strive for in my life. When I hear "wealth", I imagine, money, a "wealth of knowledge" or a "wealth/abundance of joy". Those are my first impressions when thinking about it. Wealth is really just an abundance of something that is important, which is also why I think of happiness. Throughout America, we see excess. In food, in commodities and convenience. I believe that wealthier countries and people tend to always want more. We see it with spoiled children, and we even see it in ourselves sometimes. As Hunter said in the last socratic, we want what we can't have. In this way, I believe that we "want" too much. It becomes a never-ending cycle of envy and greed. When it comes to being content, I believe that it is enough. When you are content, you are literally completely satisfied with all aspects of life (or whatever you are content about specifically). And I don't see financial status as the key to being content in any way. I brought this up in the last blog too, but we see impoverished children in Africa and a lot of the time, all we see is happiness. Joy. Laughter. I believe that those children are truly content with their lives. Success shouldn't be measured by how much money you make, but how happy you are with what you have done in life. Success for me would be if I was able to say at the end of my life that I am completely happy with my accomplishments, and I have no regrets in my life. With regret comes a longing for something that can't happen again or won't be attainable, so if I have no regrets, then I can say that I am successful!

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  26. Money plays a massive role in the world of our day and age, and at sometimes it is really shocking but also saddening to look at how much it effects some people. It would be a lie to say that I do not wish to have money and other material possessions in my life, I often want for the next best thing and often think to myself how much easier life would be if I simply had more money; but while I am a person who has some attraction to material possessions, I also believe that money is an extremely controlling and bad influence on many peoples lives. Happiness and wealth are often confused and because of this many people our led down the wrong path in their life. This path may lead to an abundance of wealth, but it often involves not taking into consideration the feelings and lifestyles of others and abandoning many things you value personally in order to become wealthy. I would love to be able to say I want to grow up to live a modest lifestyle, always putting others in front of myself, but I am unable to say that truthfully. Though I do personally strive to not let money control my life as I grow up in this world. Not allowing money to influence me in my life will be an extreme challenge, one I'm not sure I will ever meet, but I do know if I always remember the key to happiness is being happy with myself for who I am and not what I have or how I stack up to others, then I will be able to find happiness and contentment in my life, and I believe that is true success; to not let others define who you are based on your wealth, and to be happy with yourself.

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  27. The phrase that I look to whenever wealth and happiness are linked is “Money doesn’t buy happiness” Now, I don’t look to it in the way that I actually believe it, I like to use it because it was someone’s OPINION. Success and happiness are not defined by anyone, or anything, but yourself. I might consider myself successful because I ate a sandwich today, why can you say any different? Why can you tell me that eating a sandwich isn’t successful? I certainly think so.
    In this way, money can buy happiness, for some people. I personally think that I would be extremely happy if I had money. I get joy from other sources like relationships and experiences, but winning the lottery and not having to worry for the rest of my life? Not only would that make me happy, but I also think it would allow me to have extra time to get more happiness out of my relationships and experiences.

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  28. It is human instinct to survive. In this society, the more money you have, the easier it is to survive. Therefore one would be going against their instinct by saying they don't want money. I'd call that lieing, as well. Money itself harms no one. It has not negative effects. It is not 'evil'. That being said, money can inspire negative and harmful acts. Because money is such an important part in our society, it provides you with a choice. You can choose to become obsessed, to crave more and more, to fall in love with materials. Or you can choose to use money as an asset. Money is a wonderful thing in itself-with it you can do so much. You can travel, you can live comfortably, you can provide for others, you can explore your interests, you can relax, you can do anything you want if you have money-and who wouldnt want that? We should not blame money itself for making people become greedy, selfish, and shallow because money can't make anyone do anything! Money is an inanimate object, a peice of paper, a plastic card. It has no power over you until you decide to let it overpower you! This being said, too many people have chosen to fall under the influence of money-like it's a drug. Our world is revolved around the rich, treating them like theyre better than the poor. That is a choice. In my opinion money gives no one any upperhand to anything besides the luxury of what you can do with it. So you can buy a huge house and he cannot-so what? That is not a reflection of anyone's character. Money gives you a choice- you can either use it as an asset or worship at its feet. That is every single individual's choice. One of my favorite quotes of all time in relation to this topic: "People where meant to be loved, while things where meant to be used. Chaos ensues when things are being loved and people are being used." It is your choice to be happy with what you have, to cherish what matters (not money), and to live above the grimy obsession of material items.

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