Spiritual Cost of Money and People's Responsibility (Essay Sample)

Spiritual Cost of Money
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Spiritual Cost of Money
Millions of people worldwide dream of making a considerable amount of money although very few really get to achieve it and a lot of people are seeking money at the expense of their well-being and happiness. This essay provides a comprehensive discussion of how money has become a religion in its own right in today’s world. The essay seeks to determine whether people today are blinded by their higher values as a result of their pursuit for money. The essay will show whether the acquiring of wealth has taken precedence in people’s responsibility toward the welfare of their fellow human beings. It will also show whether people are seeking money at the expense of their own happiness and well-being.
Many Americans are undoubtedly obsessed with wealth and money. It is important to note there is really nothing wrong with having money. In essence, if not anyone of us had money, we would perhaps be starving, destitute and/or homeless. As such, the truth is that money could be very helpful. However, as E.F Schumacher stated, when money becomes an idol and taken as a region and adored, this is when it actually becomes a problem (Weinstein 287). Wherever one looks, American people seem to be very much obsessed with money and wealth. Nowadays, networks for instance Fox, CNBC and ABC constantly run news stories having titles like Best houses for the super wealthy. There are TV shows in which individuals proudly boast how rich they are, and it appears as though Hollywood is putting out continuous parade of films which worship the lifestyles of the very rich and the select few. Moreover, there are several life coaches and motivational speakers who are ready to teach people how to become more successful in their lives, and the mainstream news media carefully monitors all movements in the stock market, including the very small ones (Durden 2). In the world of faith also, there is an entire class of ministers who are commonly referred to as prosperity preachers, and most of them carry that label rather proudly. As a society, Americans love wealth and money, and they are in fact not embarrassed to admit it; sometimes they totally reveal it.
Since entire generations in the United States have been taught that one of the main goals in life is to become rich, it is resulting in a great amount of frustration, jealousy, anger, and even frustration amongst those Americans who have been unable to become rich (Sloan 5). In the past few years, the level of resentment, hatred, and bitterness which the rest of Americans have towards the super rich has increased considerably. In fact, it has become very clear that the system is intended to channel riches to the pinnacle of the food chain, and a lot of people who are at the bottom of the food chain are beginning to become really upset regarding this (Sloan 6).
Since the 2007/2007 financial slump, most of the income gains have gone to the top 1% of American workers (Durden 3). Inequality in income has become a very hot topic, and it has been reported that if wealth becomes concentrated more and more in the hands of just a few individuals, then income inequality has a higher chance of worsening. According to Arthur C. Brooks, money has resulted in unhappiness and inequality in the United States (Weinstein 212). Inequality is apparent in what are now known as common symptoms. These include rising costs of education and health care; stagnant pay, excepting amongst the very wealthy; the reduced expectations usually found in the old Americans as retirement becomes something not to be enjoyed, but rather to be endured, and youngsters alike, particularly those who lack university degrees (Durden 4).
It is undeniable that the gap between the poor and the rich in the United States is rising. Even as the stock market gets to record heights, the middle class in the United States is dying and 1 in 5 kids in the United States lives in poverty (Watson 1). Globally, the richest 1% people currently have 65 times more wealth compared to the wealth that the entire poorest half of the world population has. Peter Singer observed that people are blinded by their higher values because of their pursuit of money and wealth, the acquiring of wealth has in fact taken precedence over people’s responsibilities toward the welfare of their fellow human beings (Weinsten 176). David Amsden noted that money affects people’s happiness, relationships, and lives (Weinstein 165). An old adage says that money has a tendency to corrupt, and a great amount of money corrupts greatly. This is an ancient message and could be found inside the Bible: the root of all evil is, in essence, the love of money. In reality, according to Toni Cade Bambara, people are today are more committed to financial gain than to all of the other values which they espouse (Weinstein 66).
Money corrupts people’s values and morals and it is important for this corruption to be stopped. Capitalism presents happiness as a person who is beautiful; that is very white, young, minimal body fat, and enjoy partying from dusk until dawn. Moreover, they are expected to be surrounded by increasingly consumer goods that keep them entertained. Attaining this makes one rich (Singh 4). Nevertheless, pursuing such lifestyle leaves a lot of people feeling unfulfilled, unhappy, and disempowered. In spite of how hard many people work, they would not bridge the gap of income inequality, and they would also be unable to afford adequate consumer goods in order to feel contented. In a world of excess, being content does not exist (Singh 4).
People who have a lot of wealth and money tend to act less human; they get drunk on their own wealth when they have it; and they subconsciously see themselves as superior to people who have less money and wealth. It is part of American society that people are taught to make every effort for more and more money. Money greatly affects morality; it sows distrust and also ends friendships. Researchers have reported that money encourages people to cheat and lie (Porter 3). The power of money to debase a person’s character is well understood. Even so, what is less understood is what exactly is it about wealth that really corrupts people. Porter (2) reported that the simple idea of money serves to change how individuals think – this weakens all social bonds. In essence, individuals who always think of money exhibit ...