by Aena Hanson

Created on: June 29, 2009   Last Updated: July 02, 2009

Money. We can't live without it. We all need it to survive, especially how the economy is today. Paying our utilities, mortgages, car, we need the paper to get us through in life. It helps us buy the clothes on our backs, the food on the table, and it buys whatever we want to have fun in our lives. But does money buy us the happiness we want, and does it buy us love?

The answer is yes and no, especially in today's society. Money is the foundation in our lives. When you buy yourself the shoes you've always wanted, how do you feel? Happy, right? When you buy a friend or a loved one something he/she wanted, what is their reaction? There are big smiles on their faces and they're happy. When you pay your bills on time and the weight is off your chest, you feel worry free and happy. And finally you take your family to a great vacation, they're having fun, laughing, and enjoying all the scenery. You're family is happy. When they're happy, you're happy.

I guess if you use money the right way, that, in a way, buys us happiness and love. For instance, why do we spend money on our loved ones? When you buy that special something that your lover wanted, you're showing him/her that you care and that you love them. And in return, they're happy.

But money is only buying us material things. It's like icing to the cake. When you first met your significant other, money wasn't an issue. You fell in love because of your interests, your time together. You fell in love for what he/she is. Money didn't buy that love and happiness. It never will. Material things can only last for so long. Then what are we going to do? Will our happiness and love deteriorate? Will it disappear from the face of the earth just because there are no more materials things? I don't think so.

Take a third world country family for example. They really don't have any money to spend. Money is not an issue. They just work hard, farm their own lands, grow their own foods, and most important, they have each other. And does love and happiness still exist in that family? Yes. It is true that if you give the family a million dollars that it'll make their lives a lot easier, but that million dollars didn't buy the love and happiness that already existed before it got there.

Money does make our lives easier. It makes our feelings of love and happiness show even more. But money only buys material things. It can never buy the actual happiness and love. Money is just the icing on the cake. Just remember, money wasn't an issue when you fell in love and became happy with your partner.

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