Most of these discussions really miss the point. Money is merely an amplifier, an enabler. You can think of it like technology. Does the Internet make people ha

Most of these discussions really miss the point. Money is merely an amplifier, an enabler. You can think of it like technology. Does the Internet make people happier? Nope, but it sure enables a lot of opportunities to be happier. How would you answer the question 'does technology make people happier?'. Surely, having (say) a computer is not what life is about? When you stop to think about it though, having a computer is a gate to all kinds of things - communicating better with friends and family, a more flexible (and hence less stressful) work environment, and so forth. Does a computer necessarily lead to these things? Of course not. Is it a huge enabler for these things? Absolutely. Should you want a computer? In the vast majority of cases — yes. There's a qualifier though: the happiness you get out of a computer depends mostly on what you do with it, not you owning it. Bringing the discussion back to money. Does it necessarily lead to happiness? No, but it sure opens a lot of opportunities. The same qualifier also applies: the happiness you get out of money depends mostly on what you do with it, not you owning it. Should you go after money? That's a question that probably has no universal answer. My father likes to jokingly say: 'it's better to be rich and healthy than poor and sick', and he has a point. All things being equal, it's hard to see how money could be a bad thing. Problem is, all things are not equal. If what you want to do with your life leads away from money, then doing what you want to do surely matters more than being rich. If you do choose a path which will not lead to money however, don't try to belittle money's benefits by saying things like 'money does not make people happy'. That really is not the point. Money is a wonderful enabler of opportunities, and we should recognise that so that we can make better decisions.