Does a lot of money lead to contentment and satisfaction ? If this statement were true, then it is worth pondering why someone like Marilyn Monroe, despite her wealth and fame, tragically took her own life? She travelled the world, owned luxury and was adored by millions. Yet, she ended up in despair. This suggests that while money can provide temporary pleasures, it does not guarantee everlasting happiness. On the other hand, if money doesn’t buy happiness then why do we often see so many people living in poverty reach breaking point and resorting to drastic measures? As the saying goes, ‘It is easier to cry in a BMW than to cry on a bicycle’. This paradox begs the question ” What truly makes people happy and can wealth alone fulfill this need ?
The ‘Hierarchy of Needs Pyramid’, described by Maslow, attempts to define stages of happiness for humans. A safe and comfortable house, source of livelihood, food, access to clean drinking water, clothes and shoes – all constitute our basic needs. Once humans satisfy life’s basic requirements, they graduate to the next level of the pyramid. Applying this phenomenon to aforementioned examples, Marilyn Monroe had sufficient wealth to fulfill basic necessities, but a poor person was striving hard for them.
The discussion now moves on to the subsequent stage. A human yearns for love and familial relationships and a deep sense of belonging. The question now arises whether money can buy love and genuine human connections. For instance, in Marilyn Monroe’s case, the logical answer is no. She suffered from loneliness, her biography highlights that she had a troubled childhood and belonged to a broken family and deeply craved loving relationships. In the poor person’s case, they may be surrounded by loved ones, have the necessary emotional support, but the burden of meeting basic needs often takes precedence.
While the void of emotional relationships cannot be filled by wealth, money can definitely enhance quality of life. Money can provide access to quality education, an enabler to unlock doors to success and enlightenment. To sum up, emotional fulfillment is a staged process, beyond basic necessities of life. An abundance of wealth does not warrant contentment, but leaves humans struggling to climb onto the next step.