Opinions Vary: Scrilla Villa
It’s time we had a frank discussion about cash money, and I ain’t talkin’ Weezy. In my years on this earth, I have have always been fascinated by the concept of money, and its effect on people of all walks of life. I find it so mind-boggling that as a society, we all agree that this meaningless paper (or electronic data) has value for goods and services. Be careful, because if you get super high and think about it really hard, your head might explode. Now I know the basics that money evolved from barter systems, and then gold based economies grew about, etc etc. But I thought I would take the opportunity to explore a few different perspectives on the subject that I have come up with in my years of overexposure to the world.
Money Isn’t Everything. It Can’t Buy Happiness.
No money isn’t everything. It just facilitates every material process essential to tolerable life quality. In modern man’s hierarchy of needs, money sits pretty high on the list. Without a little cash you can’t eat, got no shelter, no place to poop, etc. So money IS important on the most basic level. Without it, you are never moving out of Mom and Dad’s, which is step one of finding any level of happiness.
But of course we all know the cliche that people find money, and still are not happy with their lives. The despondent millionaire.
I wish everyone could get rich and famous and everything they ever dreamed of so they can see that’s not the answer — Jim Carrey
True-che, money can’t buy happiness. If you chased money at the expense of sanity, real relationships, love, or family, you are doing something wrong. Money allows you to provide for yourself and your family. It definitely doesn’t make you happy. Mo’ Money Mo’ Problems. In fact, if you are not a solidly whole person prior to experiencing an influx of cashish, your problems are only going to be exacerbated and amplified. Like a drug addict, whose grandpa died and leaves him millions. Not a good thing.
The Lotto Effect
One of the most entertaining things to witness is someone be suddenly receiving a windfall. The lottery being the most ridiculous examples, there are many other ways people go from broke as a joke to legitimus cashious. Truth is, getting money is a game, and just like any game there are cheat codes. Some are just born lucky to old money. Some people have horrible sue-worthy experiences, and get paid out for that. Some people are super good at sports and get windfalls for that. Rappers are hilarious, and one of the most under appreciated windfall victims. Most under-educated celebrities are the same. Bottom line: There’s a million ways to make a million dollars. Some are quicker than others and some require the selling of your soul. Which brings me to the next point of interest.
Money is the Root of All Evil
Money is a tool you use to finance the life the little kid inside of you dreamed of when you were 10. If you were a fucked up little kid, chances are you will be fucked up when you’re grown n’ rich. Money isn’t going to change that. Typically, that stuff starts with your parents. People are the root of all evil. Money is actually pretty good in context of the upward march of humanity. People pursue their dreams, make a bunch of money, and then put the extra towards helping some other person achieve their dreams. Which brings me to our next point.
Business is What Grown Men Do For Sport. Money is how they keep score.
The vast majority of us are not born with trust funds, so we gotta go earn it. Most everyone does this through some sort of time exchange in return for money. Those who are the smartest with the use of their time, make the most money. Once they have made their nut, the game changes a bit. The lack of desperation changes the individual, and money takes on a different hue. The question then becomes what is the fastest way to turn this amount of money I have made into more money? How do I make money in my sleep?
What people often don’t get is that success is really about the ride. It isn’t about the end result necessarily. Again going back to the game analogy, how often do you beat a game, and get the instant feeling of “now what”? So we are all playing this game called life, and credits are how we keep score. Here are the levels:
Level 1 – Poverty – no money
Level 2 – Surviving – paying the bills
Level 3 – Living Well – paying bigger bills for nicer stuff
Level 4 – Living really well – bigger bills + savings
Level 5 – Investor – what bills? fortune squanderable with bad moves
Level 6 – Tycoon – dynasty mode, fortune really hard to squander
