'What Would You Do if Money Were No Object?'

“the point is that money doesn’t and never did come from anywhere,” “money is a measure of wealth”, “and we invent money as we invent the Fahrenheit scale of temperature”. – Alan Watts

This quote I extracted from late Alan Watts ‘Does It Matter: Essays on Man’s Relation to Materiality’ book was significant to me.

It’s obvious the world is attached to wealth, but why really? Why do we have to enslave ourselves to the monetary system to live a life that often does not satisfy our wants and more importantly, our needs?

 Many of us are, or know of people who work hard almost (if not) everyday to pay bills, buy clothes, live a life that is unfulfilled and that void never will be. Throwing away valuable time that could be spent with their kids, family, friends, lovers, and time for yourself.

The truth is, money is useless if you have true wealth. As my partner once said (in comparison to an Alan Watts analogy), that similarly to money being pointless to a stranded man in the ocean, having money to buy groceries isn’t wealth, the real wealth are the groceries in the trolley.

To elaborate, money is not an indicator of wealth. I’m not talking wealth in a materialistic lifestyle sense, I’m speaking of the wealth that people should desire. No paper dreams. Wealth including love (the feeling is indescribable), food (who doesn’t love a full belly after a great meal), friends (laughter, unforgettable memories), and overall being content with the life you’re living – which prompts me to this:

Content – ‘in a state of peaceful happiness’, ‘state of satisfaction’, as explained after a simple Google search of the word.

Being content is possibly the best thing on the earth. Nothing will taint you, because it’s a feeling of pacification on a spiritual level that when you attain, you just know. Don’t confuse with enlightenment (debatable), but they go hand in hand.

So if you know what I’m conveying, what would you do if money were no object? Would you still work that job? Would you still be studying?

I say no to studying unless you’ve got the passion for the subject or field, not passion for the paycheck you may (or may not) receive. I say no to working 9 to 5 jobs where you compromise family, friends, potentially love and the biggest commitments to yourself. I say no to chasing paper that will leave you greedy, which the government takes if you die anyways (just think about the never-ending cycle). I try not to generalize all the time, but undeniably money = greed in many cases.

Go out, be happy and live a rich, wealthy life. Be content and at peace with everyone, and yourself. Live laugh love.