They say money can’t buy love, but that isn’t true. It can make true love easier, and to explain why we only need to look at human nature and where human beings come from.
They say money can’t buy happiness, and that isn’t true either, because money is a natural facilitator of happiness, especially when we use it not to buy things but to pay for experiences. At the same time, money spares you certain problems that could make you unhappy. After all, happiness is the absence of unhappiness. I won’t win a prize for that line, but it is true.
They say it can’t buy health, but the truth is that it can. In fact, different studies have shown that financial peace of mind means people suffer fewer illnesses. And once illness does arrive, money can help you get better treatment.
They also say money can only buy what is for sale, and that isn’t true either, because money often buys what wasn’t for sale to begin with, and it was money itself that showed over time that practically everything and everyone has a price (with very few, rare exceptions).
But it is true that there are many things money can’t buy, and I am going to take inspiration from a Quora thread for the ones that caught my attention and that I completely agree with. I am also going to add my own view of what money can’t buy.
1. Time.
Nobody knows how long we will be on this earth, but for now we all have a maximum limit, so when your time comes, not all the money in the world will stop us from spending eternity in some place we don’t know right now, and where I am sure money won’t help.
Still, it isn’t entirely true that money can’t buy time. Money lets you outsource many tasks so you have more free time, and it can mean you don’t need to do a job you dislike or spend more hours on a task than you would like. Let’s say it buys time for your freedom, but not time on earth, although as a rule money will make better health more likely.
2. A sense of self-esteem.
Remember the case of the “Virgin Killer”. He was the young American who recorded several YouTube videos saying he couldn’t understand why girls weren’t interested in him when he had lots of money, a very expensive car and wore designer clothes. He ended up carrying out a mass killing at the high school and then killed himself.
This young man’s problem was that, as well as being a sick lunatic, he thought that because his parents had lots of money, girls would flock to him like flies to ****, but he died a virgin because girls saw a person with money who was very insecure, and probably a madman. Self-esteem is something you either have or don’t. It can’t be bought.
3. Skills.
You can pay for hundreds of courses and even buy dozens of qualifications, but if you want to acquire a particular skill, you will have to make an effort, sweat and work very hard, just like someone who has no money.
In other words, you can even buy a university degree (make no mistake, they are bought), but you will probably be a terrible professional in the field your degree is in. Money can open the doors for you, but knowledge and skill can’t be paid for.
4. True respect.
People may act as if they respect you as a person, but sometimes what they respect is your position or your power. At other times respect is confused with fear. Respect can only be earned through your actions. In fact, there are very few people I truly respect.
5. A good reputation.
Money can pay for a good marketing agency or a PR person to polish your image, but it rarely works when people are of average intelligence. You can be the president of a country, but if everyone knows you have taken bribes, your reputation is not that of a president. You can sell yourself as a model business owner, but in the end, your reputation will reveal itself for what it is.
6. A real, living dinosaur.
True: not even with all the money in the world could you buy a dinosaur. Homer Simpson said that 🙂
We’ll finish with a thought from Arne Garborg:
You can buy food, but not appetite; medicine, but not health; comfortable beds, but not sleep; books, but not intelligence; entertainment, but not pleasure; acquaintances, but not true friendship; servants, but not loyalty; you can buy quiet days, but you can’t buy peace.
See also: 11 reflections on money that will change the way you see it
Featured image: Zissoudisctrucker, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
