Can money buy happiness?

It is often said that money can not buy happiness, but is that really correct? There are many stories in which people win a lottery and it ruins their lives. Also, there are stories of people who manage to get a lot of money, such as actors/actresses, sports stars, corporate executives, etc. and they are not magically happy. This makes it clear that getting money does not mean that happiness will follow.

Then it is interesting to consider the religious aspects. If money will not bring happiness, then why do religious organizations want your money? If money is the root of all evils, then religious organization should not want it, but it is clear that they really want your money.

What about charities? If money can not buy happiness, then why do all these charities want your money in order to do good things for people?

Perhaps "they" don't want you to know that money can buy happiness. If you knew that, then you would want money and not want to give it to others. But this is where there is a problem and where people get confused. It is the giving to others which can bring you happiness. Having the money and spending it on yourself will not bring you happiness, although some will claim otherwise. The ability to help others and make a difference in the lives of others can bring you happiness and money can make that possible. This is what Make A Wish does and others can do the same thing too.

If instead of being selfish with the money, you use the money to help others then it can really buy you happiness, although it is not a direct thing. Imagine taking a child to a place like Disneyland, seeing the smile on the child's face can make a person happy.

It is what you do with the money which makes a difference. It does not always take money either, just helping someone and doing random acts of kindness can make a difference and bring happiness, not just to you, but to others.

So, if you come into a large sum of money or have a large sum of money, why not decide to live in a reasonable manner and see what you can do to help others and bring happiness into their lives. In doing this, you will bring happiness into your own life. Sometimes when people try to help others it can actually harm them instead, welfare is a good example of this. It can be a lot of work since there are many people who are more than willing to take your money and it is not always clear what can be done to help someone. The end result is well worth it though, both in helping others, as well as helping yourself.