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There is a Bible passage (Ecclesiastes) that says money answers to all things. This simply means that wealth is a tool that can meet the need for food, shelter, clothing, etc. Abraham Maslow explains the seven hierarchies of needs which summarises the need for money to meet all individual needs. Human beings are insatiable which means that even if one has gotten money to meet a particular need, he or she would be happy for a while, then another goal is set, and without money to actualize it, such a person wouldn't feel the need to be happy. There is no going back on the statement that money can go a long way in making someone happy but for a while because our needs don't end, it continues and until we keep meeting those needs, we won't have peace of mind. A person without the peace of mind is a sad person.
We were having an entrepreneurial lecture days ago and the area commander for NYSC asked a question: "Would you be happy when you are poor?" Everyone including myself chorused with a "No". The truth is that happiness is for a limited time on every goal because our desires keep changing and when we can achieve those targets with the available resources (money), we feel fulfilment in ourselves. Money makes an individual happy because he or she knows problems are already solved for that particular time frame.
Many things have made me happy in the past, still, make me happy and will continue to make me happy as long as there is money available to meet some certain needs. For many people, it is money that has stopped them from achieving something which has made them lose a huge opportunity. If there is money available, a lot of problems would be met and there wouldn't be anyone feeling unsatisfied with the lack of money.
Happiness, in my definition, is when you can get something done on time without anything stopping or delaying you. In another way, happiness is when you can achieve a particular milestone which you have set for yourself. In the case of this blockchain, I feel happy whenever I see whales coming to upvote my posts, In truth, this only lasts for a while because I would want this to continue on every post I make but on other days when I get little upvote on my post which I have put effort to make it the best, it saddens my heart but not long, because when I come to the realisation that not all days would be sweet or rosy, then I feel positive again hoping for the best next time.
Happiness to me is when I have tried my best, put in effort on a task, or a work giving me hard time to complete and when I finally get it done to my satisfaction or the other person's satisfaction, I feel so happy knowing my effort wasn't wasted but appreciated.
To some people, happiness could mean a different thing for them. When as a student, you receive an alert from someone whom you aren't expecting or when you asked for help and were granted, you feel happy because you weren't disappointed.
Okay, let me tell you about a recent happiness for me. The October zealy campaign that just finished some days ago was a challenging one right from the beginning. Though it was fun, everyone was anticipating the best and already had plans on how to spend their prizes including myself. On the last day of the campaign, I had a big problem that almost made me give up. I had concluded I would miss it and wouldn't get what I had expected. While on my way to the camp where I was posted, I felt unhappy, even when the driver was trying to gist me and make me his talking partner as I sat beside him, I wasn't in the mood. All that was on my mind was how I had dedicated my time from the beginning of the campaign and just like that, I would fall below the leaderboard. I wasn't feeling happy and my mood changed immediately until I got to camp. I still tried my best to finish up with the last space.
Some days ago, I checked the leaderboard and saw my position, I became happy again. I wasn't expecting it but it happened. This changed my mood and I felt so proud of myself. Do you now see what made me happy? Happiness could be caused by many reasons which are different and this is to tell you that money can go a long way to putting smiles on someone's face to an extent.
In another sense, I feel so happy being around my family, especially my siblings, but the happiness won't last if there is no money to spice things up. How do you intend to be happy if you aren't making your family happy by giving them money or other things money can buy? Travelling down to see your family and while they were expecting you to bring something along but came empty-handed, what do you think will happen? I feel happy that I can provide for my siblings and give them whatever they desire.
Many times when my younger sister would come to me to lend her a huge amount of money promising to return it the next day or in a week, some days, I give her and other days when I do not have, she would understand, but within me, I feel sad not being able to come through for her when she needed me. She would say I shouldn't bother and that she understands me. But I wouldn't want to see it that way but to be able to give her anything whenever she asks for it.
If you don't have money, there is a limit to your happiness and that is it. You won't be able to stay focused on other things except you have the hope of getting something in return. Happiness is a relative thing to everyone, in the sense that, what makes you happy can be far different from mine, it depends on what you view as important to you. To you, it is getting a new phone that makes you happy, to me, it is eating a meal I have always craved but because of money, I couldn't but when I can afford it, I feel so fulfilled achieving something which I have ever wanted.
In conclusion, happiness is when I can achieve something I have always wanted. Being happy is having enough money to settle a lot of things and earning my respect through that. Seeing my family and being able to provide for them is another happiness to me. So, staying happy only lasts when you can achieve a goal because you will always want to achieve more goals in the future and if you aren't able to meet the next target, it brings sadness to you.