I spent my Saturday watching Gossip Girl Season 4, up till episode 11. That was all I have. I always need to spend some time mulling over a movie, TV show or book after watching or reading them. I find myself admiring the characters in Gossip Girl, the easy life they seem to have, the endless amount of wealth to their name, the beauty and perfection of their appearance (but not personality). With so much wealth, they do not NEED to slog for anything, work or studies. If they want an A, all they have to do is pay someone or kiss someone to have it. But not having to study or work HARD for anything doesn't make them stupid either or maybe they just make it seem so easy. Being born into such high profile families, their genes and breeding have somewhat make them smart with a high EQ. There's not a talent or skill which they can't acquire with money nor a language which they can't pay to learn. Culture, arts, tradition, experience- everything they want, they can have. Such is the privilege and luxury you can enjoy with wealth. I don't understand those people that complain and say Money can't buy happiness. Can poverty buy happiness then?
You can't buy EVERYTHING with wealth, but you can't buy NOTHING with poverty either. But at least, with wealth, you can buy SOMETHING.
Whoever said that money can't buy happiness must be someone rich and unhappy. Can money buy happiness? That is a trick question. There is never anything 100%, as we learn in medicine. In fact, in answering our MCQ paper, we are taught that if we see the word 'always' or 'never' in a sentence, then that must be a false statement because 'always' and 'never' denotes a 100% surety. Money cannot buy happiness not because Money is not powerful enough. People tend to think of 'Money' as the focus of the sentence instead of 'Happiness'. Put it this way, do poor people live more happily than the rich people do? A rich man may have everything but is still unhappy. But a poor man can never be happy either because he has no money. Just in case you forget, money can buy you food, clothes, shelter, car, medical insurance, luxuries, holidays, education, experiences etc etc. How can the poor be happy with no money? Possible but difficult.
Occasionally, I will meet people who say "See, that couple is so rich but they can't conceive." or "That aunty has so much money but she is battling with cancer." or "That family is loaded but their daughter is divorced." People who say such things are just plain stupid and condescending. What? Are all these people being punished with infertility, ill health and disharmony because they are rich? Well, they probably should see it from my perspective. Rich people who can't conceive can afford to pay hundreds of thousands for fertility treatment but not so for the poor. You probably see more rich people battling with ill health because their wealth allows them to live longer because they can afford to pay for treatments whereas the poor probably die early in the disease because they can't pay for medicines, surgeries or chemotherapy. The financially-stable (especially women) can afford to seek a divorce because they are financially-independent and secured whereas the poor woman has to be stuck in an unhappy marriage just so she and her children can be provided for.
Happiness can never be traded for anything in the first place. We can pursue it but its ownership is beyond our control. We think Happiness is an object but in fact, it is the Master. So we should really learn to take happiness out of the equation sometimes because it does not mean that we can have it just because we have chosen it. On wealth and happiness, if happiness is taken out of the equation, I would choose Wealth anytime. Everyone would!
Note: Poverty here does not mean Destitution. It simply means NOT WEALTHY. It is more like a relative comparison to Wealth.
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