A philosophical approach on money and ownership

Money is linked to human existence for so many years that define our way of thinking and the way we finally live our lives. What do they have to offer anyway and why do we constantly chase them? Today, we will wonder about what money has historically offered to people and how they are affecting us.

1. Money equals consumption equals prestige
   A big part of our personality is being perceived by our ability to buy stuff. The culture of consumption wants people to buy as much stuff as possible. Buying stuff is a sign of wealthiness and shows to the rest of society your ability to make money. If you were literally a money-making machine and you did not buy things how would your friends be able to know? The consumption comes as proof that we indeed managed to succeed in what people believe that counts. So, money may not be everything if we think about it as a single fact that is not combined with anything but if we understand that they come along with consumption we can realize that what consumption offers is what money offers after all.

   

2. Liberties come with the money
   The ownership is not only useful to make you look better but it also allows you to have some control over things. Power is not money but money is power up to a certain point. In fact, this is the reason why some people want to make money in the first place. Whether you have money or not will determine some of the choices you will eventually make and to be precise not only the choices you make for yourself but also the ones you make for the sake of your children or family in the future.

   

   Not having money does not necessarily mean you are excluded from some activities or the desired lifestyle. Perhaps your likes do not require money and you can be as happy without them. However, if you are one of those with the fat pockets you know you can always have the freedom to make choices. We do not imply that a person with more money is freer because freedom is a complex concept and it would be a shame to describe it in such a narrow-minded way but we do suggest that they offer you a larger variety of choices.

3. Freedom is on the other side of the tunnel
   On the contrary, a whole different perspective wants people who have money to be less free. Time is the space for human existence. If you think about it, all that is valuable for us is the existence of free time in our lives since time is limited. The earth is big enough to host all of us so space should not be an issue, and it really is not. However, time is limited so in our case, it is the most precious thing we have. To make money we have to dedicate an accountable period of time to succeed in that. Therefore, we seem to eliminate that time that could be used for other activities.

   

   In addition, we spend a serious amount of our time considering what we will do with the money we have. After all, money seems to absorb us in unexpected ways leaving less space for us. Thinking about it it looks like it makes the borders of our personal ”space” smaller so perhaps it is not such a great advantage.

4. Everyone cares for their security
   Another parameter that cannot be underestimated is the sense of security that comes with money. Research has shown that wealthy people are less stressed than those who struggle with financial issues, however, it is not the super-rich that seems to be most carefree. There is a certain amount of wealthiness that is optimal for people in order to be relaxed enough but without being overwhelmed by their own success. The bottom line is that when you have enough money to not have worries but not so much that you have finally lost track of what you have in your bank account, you are probably more likely to be as stress-free as a person can be.