Money Can't Buy Happiness

We currently live in a world where people feel the need to have luxurious cars, huge mansions, the newest of technology, thousands of Instagram followers, and the desire to live that infamous “LA life”. People get so caught up in the lifestyles of the reality TV personalities that they see on their television weekly. Viewers watch these shows and think to themselves, “If I had as much money as him/her, I would be happy too”. This is untrue. Although many people think money would bring them all the riches of the world, money cannot buy you happiness.

It is primarily the younger generation that is being affected by this, especially young women. Young women are heavily influenced to constantly change their appearance to fit society’s new view of beauty. They look up to these celebrities on TV whose faces are being altered surgically, caked with make-up and do not even move when they laugh. They see their seemingly perfect faces and want to attain their appearance. Instead of owning and loving their natural beauty, they go out and spend thousands of dollars on make-up and cosmetic surgery to feel beautiful. Young girls are not being taught to be happy in their own skin and to love the beautiful canvas they were born with.

People somehow managed to convince themselves that they can be happy too if they mimic the life of these “celebrities”.  As Benjamin Franklin once said, “Money never made a man happy yet, nor will it. There is nothing in its nature to produce happiness.” I full heartedly agree with this statement. Behind the façade, these TV personalities are not ridiculously happy 24/7 as though they appear. They are normal people who get sick, have bad days, have flaws, fight with their loved ones, suffer losses, etc. Just because they are wealthy people that does not mean they are exempt from going through what the average person must endure in their life. Having a lot of money cannot take away the pain of the loss of one’s mother, the struggle of a troubled childhood, or the debilitating illness inside oneself. If a person was not happy before they had money, they will not be happy once they are wealthy. Money cannot buy the most pure and beautiful things in life: love, family, and health. Once people decide to live their lives as their true selves, the happiness will follow.