Yes, money can buy happiness

Recently, I was working at a site in one of the lower income estates in Nairobi, where a seven-storey building had collapsed in heavy rains. The scene was heart wrenching.

The rescue operation had been going on for about 30 hours. The putrid smell of death mixed with that of wet concrete hung in the air. The site of the collapse was littered with whatever remained of the building’s occupants’ earthly belongings. Pieces of clothing, broken furniture and pieces of documents now seeming worthless lay about as injured women and children were pulled from the rubble. Young, traumatised children stood on a river bed as bodies of their friends were pulled from underneath the chaos.

As we stood by taking in the scene, a friend who was there with me remarked, “Money is happiness.”

At that moment, I totally agreed with her. The collapsed building – and those around it which still had tens of tenants in them – was clearly a death trap. These people knew that the foundations of their homes could give way at any moment but they stayed and faced this risk every morning because this was all they could afford.

Money can’t buy happiness. This is the phrase that has been drummed into our heads from childhood. This phrase isn’t inherently bad. I reckon whoever coined it had his heart in the right place. The parents who raised their children by it were trying to fight materialism. They were trying to raise a generation that would live their lives seeking happiness from connections with other people and from experiences, not from material possessions.

FAT LIE

I do not have a problem with this. I have a problem, though, with how the ‘money can’t buy happiness’ phrase is usually thrown around. Most of the times, it is used to slow down someone who is perceived to be overly ambitious. “Slow down,” you will be told. “You may not be happy even if you get that corner office. Money can’t buy happiness, just look at so and so.” People usually point out wealthy people with problematic lives to anchor their theory. And it is used to get people to settle for mediocrity.

True, money may not be able to buy us the ‘happy’ emotion. But it is also true that money can buy many things that contribute to our satisfaction in life. Money is, in fact, a basic need. It affords us food, shelter and health care and if you live in Kenya today, employment opportunities.

The correct phrase, I believe, should be that as you pursue wealth, take care not to lose sight of your loved ones. Think about it. If you are broke then you can’t afford basic needs for yourself and for the people you love. If someone you love is in pain because you couldn’t afford to buy medicine, or your children can’t go to school because you cant afford the fees, then you are unhappy. Money may not directly buy happiness but a lack of it causes us mental and sometimes physical pain and unhappiness.

Money in your pocket will help cushion you and your loved ones against the rocks that life throws at you. Money will help you take your family to a safer neighbourhood, give your children a better quality education, and it will afford better health care for you and your loved ones. In that regard, money can buy you happiness.

True, it is possible to be utterly poor and immensely happy. It is also true that financial freedom will give you more life choices. Not having to go out in the streets to beg for your basic needs spares your self-worth. Money can help you buy or retain a lot of things that you need to lead a happy, healthy life. If you are the kind of person who gains satisfaction in life from making others happy then money will put you in a position to be able to put smiles on the faces of those with lesser money than you do.

You have every reason to make a higher financial standing one of your life goals. It shouldn’t be your only goal but it should feature quite high on your list.