Money is NOT the Root Of All Evil.
We have all heard the saying “Money is the root of all evil.” While I can understand why people believe this to be true, I very much disagree with it. Money is inanimate. It’s just a tool used for exchange and can be used to execute your will. If money didn’t exist, then some other placeholder will assume its role. The root of evil lies more in desire. That may not be an entirely accurate assessment and needs more thought, but I know it’s not money itself.
It's VERY easy to fall in to the trap of hating money. Especially if:
❎You never seem to have enough.
❎You never seem to get ahead.
❎You're constantly stressed out about it.
❎You feel uncomfortable talking about it.
❎You owe a lot of it.
These are totally valid and understandable reasons why someone would harbor negative emotions about money. BUT, money is involved in just about every moment of our lives whether we like it or not. We give and receive money all day. Money is the physical manifestation of an exchange of energy and purpose, and a manifestation of the time we traded for it. When there's a disconnect of understanding money this way and you only view it from a place of lack or focus only on the ways it brings you pain, then it's easy to only see it as a necessary "evil".
When you look at a dollar bill in your hand, it doesn't seem like much. But when you think about how many hands that dollar has passed through and for what purpose then it doesn't seem so small. That one dollar was at one time the last bit needed for a new couple to buy their dream home. Or an entrepreneur to start their business. Or to hire an employee for the first time. Or a single mother to purchase groceries. Or a stranger to buy a hot coffee for a homeless person on a cold day. That single dollar that we often spend indiscriminately actually holds a lot of potential and kinetic energy. If we don't know how to wield that energy though, you can end up in a bitter place. But if you do know how to wield it, then it can have a profound impact.
I would love to hear some of your positive examples of how money has affected you and the ways you used money to positively affect others. Looking forward to your comments!