Studies have shown that money doesn’t correlate very well with happiness.
Why is it then that so much of our life energy goes into making it and keeping it? And why does money continue to drive so many of our personal decisions and political initiatives?
Granted, extreme poverty can stifle the pleasure of being alive. And, financial mismanagement by individuals, corporations or governments can burden families and impoverish future generations.
But money is a woefully inadequate solution to broken lives and lack of community. Most people are driven to work hard and succeed because of their personal values, including the satisfaction from doing a good job. Tax policy doesn’t do anything to change that.
American political dogma, from both sides of the aisle, continues to place too much emphasis on the power of the almighty dollar. The Right is convinced we encourage sloth by lending a hand, even in the face of the most pressing need, while the Left is sure all problems can be solved by throwing money at them.
If we are to prevail as a society in which our grandchildren can thrive, we need to commit to programs for the common good but remain cynical about the inefficiencies of bureaucracy and mindful of the limitations of money to solve problems.
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