The Quest for Money
By Awake! correspondent in Britain
‘MY GOAL,’ admits Julian from the Philippines, ‘was to be a millionaire by the time I was 45.’ Karel, from South Africa, confesses, “I was possessed with the aim of being rich.”
Of course, not all, realistically, want to be millionaires but do desire to have enough possessions and money to enjoy life and to do what they want. This was the attitude of Japanese businessman Kichisaburo who said, “I thought these things would lead to happiness.”
Liz, from Canada, felt similarly. “As a young person,” she relates, “I believed that money brought freedom from worry.” Her husband, Tom, hoped that money would help him “get away from it all, . . . where there would be no crime, no pollution, no two-faced people to deal with.”
On the Move—For Money
Throughout history, people seeking wealth have been on the move. In colonial days, British businessmen followed hard on the heels of explorers to commandeer the mineral resources of whole continents, such as Africa. Then, with the decline of the empire and with recent economic crises, the movement has often been in the reverse direction as Commonwealth citizens travel to Britain, not necessarily to become rich, but to make sufficient money to support their families.
Thousands of men and women leave the Philippines in search of work in other places, and many find employment in the Persian Gulf states and elsewhere. Mexicans and many from Central and South America migrate northward in the hope of earning money in the United States. Many European countries play host to people from the Middle East and North Africa.
According to South Africa’s Manpower Review of January 1987, the number of officially registered migrant workers there was 371,008 as of June 30, 1985. The report adds, however, that “there are an estimated 1.5-million illegals who have slipped into South Africa to tap some of its wealth.”
Even within today’s more affluent nations, people are on the move to make money. This is true in Britain. More and more people are working in the south and keeping their homes in the north. To illustrate why, a residence in central London (in the south), described as a “broom-cupboard flat [apartment],” having only 61 square feet [5.6 sq m], recently came on the market for a staggering £36,000 [$54,000, U.S.]. Yet, this sum of money buys a three-bedroom house within 80 miles [130 km] of London.
There are some 60,000 Asian inhabitants of Bradford, a city in northern England. Many of these immigrants came to this industrial center to work in its woolen mills. But as automation cut the labor force, the unemployed now rely on government social security payments for their livelihood. Thus, many find that their quest for money ends in despair.
Developing Countries
Similarly, in developing countries, the prospect of regular employment attracts thousands from their homes in rural villages to the cities. True, many find jobs. But do their earnings bring happiness?
What little remuneration workers receive must first pay the often exorbitant rents on substandard accommodations, possibly in the sprawling slums that surround the towns. The remainder has to meet the pressing needs of their relatives back home in the village. In Africa, for example, at the end of the month, many city post offices are full of men lined up to purchase money orders for their dependent relatives back in the villages.
Even when families live together in the cities, further economic burdens press in. Money must be set aside for health care, for transportation, for school fees, for food, and for rented accommodations. The list appears endless. It is little wonder that many town dwellers hold down two jobs.
Does this read like a recipe for happiness? Hardly. So, then, whether you move or stay where you are, the question remains, What role does money play in your life? The answer is crucial to your happiness.