In a society plagued by doubt and uncertainty, money represents a decisive refuge that we absolutely do not want to do without. Material wealth offers a security that goes far beyond the comfort of life in some countries, it is even a matter of survival. How can we have the nerve to neglect this reality and use the famous mantra “money does not make you happy” as the standard of a rebellious and non-conformist life? One cannot deprive oneself of resources if money conditions the fact of eating or not or if it is the Sesame of an access to medical care. Without survival, a good life does not exist.
Once we have passed the stage of survival, we can ask ourselves whether money would matter as much if we were all happy or quiet. Dissatisfaction is not so much a symptom of our unhappiness as it is of adherence to an ideology that makes money essential for achieving happiness. Without dissatisfaction, a hyper-capitalist economy cannot be sustained. For a society to adhere to consumerist dogmas, its inhabitants must renounce the search for happiness through immaterial means. If happiness can be bought and sold, then profit is possible.
It is easy to understand that if one seeks serenity through traditional means, one finds oneself at the same time freed from a burden but also excluded from a world whose rules one no longer obeys. The discovery of a free path to happiness should be our first concern. Searching for beatitude is not like taking a toll highway but rather a mountainous path where we sometimes meet guides who can advise us. Finding certain keys to quietude makes us more resilient and impassive in a world of turmoil. We cannot manipulate our desires if our mind is calm and serene. Thus, the value of our material wealth would seem to be comparable only to our level of bliss. Without serenity, wealth is only an instrument to satisfy our most immature desires.
