by Veena Krishnan

Created on: June 11, 2009   Last Updated: June 27, 2009

Money is a man made product where as happiness and love are human emotions which can be experienced even in the absence of money.

Money can be seen to bring happiness but that is material happiness. Possessing things that money has helped buy can bring a lot of happiness specially if the person owning it wanted to possess it in the first place. But firstly if the person doesn't value the possession then owning it will not bring much happiness. Secondly if the person doesn't value the possession anymore or is now looking to own another object then his/her happiness is short lived. So when we talk of money buying happiness we have to qualify the happiness - is it material happiness or spiritual/inner happiness. Inner happiness does not depend on money and can be experienced independent of the amount of money a person has.

Can money buy love? In my opinion money cannot buy love. Like happiness love has to be qualified. True, unconditional love does not depend on money. Children love their parents unconditionally when they are young and most continue to do so even if their parents are unable to buy them all the things they desire. They love their parents for other things that they have provided them namely love, security and support. Parents sacrifice so many of their own wants to be able to care and look after their children. Similarly true love between a man and a woman is beyond the influence of money. If a man or woman loves the other for the money their love is not true and not likely to last. Such love is conditional love.

Are ordinary humans capable of experiencing inner happiness? I think we are capable but it may not be easy. With our limited perception we feel we will be happy if we achieve certain possessions or status and we strive to achieve it. We work hard to earn money so that we can buy the things that we think will make us happy. But as ordinary human beings we will never achieve complete happiness. Is there a limit to happiness gained through material goods and status achievements? Can we reach a stage when we have enough money with which we can buy all that we desire so that we are fully and totally happy? If happiness depended on material goods only then having money will help buy it. Can we reach a stage when we will stop desiring material goods that only money can buy?

In the society we live in money becomes essential for living. If we are living comfortably then we are happy and if we feel happy we are more likely to love other human beings. It is because of this interrelationship between money, happiness and love we wrongly think that money can buy the other two.

Inner happiness or spiritual happiness is harder to achieve but will last our life time and should be our goal. Inner happiness and true love go hand in hand. When we are spiritually happy then we expereince unconditional love and money will have no role to play in this state.

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