If the love of money, as St. Paul instructed Timothy (cf. 1 Tim. 6:10), is the root of all evil, then the lack of it is what? By my tunic, the lack of money is as good as the love of it – the root of all evil. Period! As much as the love of money has motivated horrible things, so has the lack of it unleashed untold mayhem on those affected. Let’s be a bit more point blank here. People have watched dearly beloved ones die of both preventable and curable diseases simply because they couldn’t procure medicaid. People have lost next to everything to greedy relatives because they couldn’t afford the services of a lawyer. People have dropped out of school and lost their chances of finishing up on the sunny of life because they or their sponsors couldn’t foot tuition. What is more, the lack of money has proven to be capable of crashing the party of one’s life. To say the least, food, shelter and clothing, which are the very basics of life must be bought – with money.

And then the presence of money. There is a seeming consensus that money makes the world go round, that money comforts the present and secures the future. Of course, there is no gainsaying that money is the passport to travelling the world, playing ownership to exotic toys, hanging out with sophisticated women, acquiescing with the nobles and the “mightiests” of the land, having a say in matters of state, having a stake in the big businesses in town, being greeted obsequiously and treated to royalty in public, cruising in speed cars and living in palatial homes. Isn’t money so beautiful? Of course.

Truth be told, before British Pounds or American Dollars, Indian Rupees or Nigerian Naira, the emotion elicited is the very same. The reason is not far-fetched, as they’re basically the same passport, only with different coats of arms on them. The chase after money is so hot and the pursuit of it so swift that one begins to wonder what money is all about. Why would someone, for instance, disregard his/her health in this hot chase after money only to end up spending most or all of the money made on recovering from ill health? Why would a parent, for instance, devote so much time and energy in the hot chase after money, with the goal of providing his/her children the best possible education, and ends up been estranged from his/her family because he/she failed woefully in apostolate of presence? The whys are many. Personally, I quite don’t get it, especially how the place of money is overrated.

Yes, the place of money is overrated. And, at this juncture, it behooves on us to call a spade a spade. It is this: money is only a means to an end and never an end in itself. Never forget. Money is never as important as the good life it secures, it is never as good as the good educational opportunities it affords, it is never as wonderful as the good health it ensures through the procurement of good food and access to quality medicaid, it is never as fun as the fun it bequeaths a home, and it is never as interesting as the people it draws close to us.

In essence, be both keen and quick to convert money to purpose. As soon as you can afford something of value to your life and happiness, go get it. And stop glorying in a fat bank account. As soon as you can take your significant other outing, go get it done. And stop thinking of it as a waste or loss of money. Come to think of it, what was the money meant for in the first place? As soon as you can afford a better neighborhood, move! And stop tying yourself downtown. As soon as you can afford further studies, start. For God’s sake, that’s what the cash is for.

You must immediately realize that there is not point where money is ever enough. It is so funny that the craving for more gets crazier by having more, which is exactly why one should savor the sweetness of one’s financial status at every point. If you can afford a Jeep, get yourself one; if you can’t, buy what you can. When you can comfortably afford shopping cloths in a boutique, what are you still doing with open-market clothes? If not for religious reasons, then stop being miserly on yourself.

Finally, I request that you don’t get me wrong. I’m not asking you to go blow up your savings or drown your investments in order to feel your class. I expect you got the simple message I’m passing across: use money; don’t live for money.