Barren | ✓

g o l d

money can't buy happiness.

it's a saying we all grow up with.

each one of us come with a different understanding on this innately brilliant phrase.

some of us believe it does, some of us believe it doesn't.

what really was the purpose of this saying?

when we are born, we often have nothing much to follow except what we are told. we're pushed to study in pursuit of becoming educated.

we are then further pushed to study to become independent, to be able to start earning the monies.

we all come from different financial backgrounds. some souls are lucky to be born with a ready platter while the rest have to grow up seeing their parents struggle to make two ends meet.

by the time we've gained consciousness, we know that money definitely means something.

the older we grow, the more goals we set for ourselves. we develop a penchant of experiencing life king-size.

king-size may differ but everybody grows up with fantasies of houses, cars and lifestyles akin a king.

that's what keeps the spirit of accomplishment thriving.

most of our youth goes in realizing those dreams. while some of them accomplish this very early on in life, others have to toil harder for longer years to realize some quotient of that oversized tree. and then some lucky souls manage to convert things overnight.

but once you've tasted money, it's an intoxication unlike no other.

at the start, its brilliant, its humble, its new. you realize smaller dreams. buy a house, buy a decent car, settle off loans. perhaps make a trip to a foreign country.

the surge of adrenaline is sweet and the heart is always swollen with pride at the achievement.

this is the first kind of happiness we associate with money.

as time goes by, money increases and we decide to up our game. there's a bigger house, a more luxurious car and the standard of living now crosses onto the thresholds of the rich.

the adrenaline punch is crazy. you're growing accustomed to the taste of success and it's all you can envisage now.

you're climbing higher on the mountain, but you know the peak is yet to come. you can't fathom what the view from the pinnacle would look like and the sheer thought of it sets your mind reeling and heart pounding.

that's the second kind of happiness we associate with money.

and then finally, you're at the top. you've now got the best of everything you can. you're personally secure, your riches are amassed and you're professionally at the top of your game.

money is now a commodity, nothing more than the everyday groceries that you buy. everything is at your beck and call. it's easy.

things get stagnant at this point. you've reached the top and the view is as breathtaking as you'd hope for it to be.

but you know that you're at the peak.

that's the third kind of happiness we associate with money.

but now there's nowhere to go.

a slight unrest begins to settle.

all the while, you were so focused on climbing the mountain of success that you seldom thought about what you'd do once you reach there.

your options don't end.

they just get repetitive.

at this point, everything's perfect. but it's at a standstill. money's still pouring in. but life follows the law of diminishing marginal utility. the more you have of something, the lesser you appreciate it.

a lot of people try to create new peaks. the rest begin to get frustrated. the lines get blurred. the chase is breakneck. it's meaningless and just a primal instinct of having more and more.

there's no stop switch the mania that's overtaken the rational instinct of contentment.

suddenly, happiness is not a pursuit that money can provide anymore.

money has bought you the happiness you desire.

but at what cost?

most people mistake peace for happiness and cannot fathom why they aren't happy with themselves even after having everything.

they are happy.

they just aren't peaceful.

and peace is definitely something that money can't buy you.

🍂

- the illumination of a wise soul having experienced the lustre of money.

🍂