We are often told of the infamous quotation, “money makes the world go round“, and we often see the powerful ways in real life or in media of how money can alter situations/people/businesses/lives, etc. But does it truly power the world? Do humans really have such little respect for themselves in the way that they are essentially controlled by a piece of paper or plastic? We often view totalitarians and dictators as the epitome of evil, but truly, it’s money. Of course, it’s far too late to drastically change the society and economy on how it works nowadays but has anyone ever stopped to think about how much does money define you? Do you meticulously plan on every single purchase, keep track of all the transactions ever, save like there’s no tomorrow or do you just take out the card without flinching and make purchases without thinking twice? In almost everything we do, we often think about the ramifications of spending or saving or using or giving and no matter what, it’s always in the back of our mind in everyday life. Am I making enough money? I don’t want a life of poverty. Is it worth it? I often notice that some of the happiest and kindest people don’t think too much of money but rather as a byproduct of society. They do not let their world revolve around it nor do they let it define what kind of person they are, either poor or rich. There’s always a way to be happy without having letting money be the center of gravity.

When I went away for exchange and then did some extensive travelling afterwards, one of the most common questions that people ask is, where’s the money coming from? That’s a good question but I rather you ask about my experiences or tips on the destinations I’ve been instead of the appearance of mysterious plastic notes. In an attempt to answer that question, I tell them that I got a job in Australia, which paid a lot and therefore I was able to use that to fund most of my travels. Of course, there’s also the help of student loans, bursary, scholarships, and parents. Truthfully, I was just really good at handling my money and planning my trips within budget, but my job did pay pretty well. Overall, if you’re constantly focusing on the money aspect of things instead of what you really want to do, you might as well stay in the same spot forever. If you really want to travel but you’re scared that you’ll run short of cash, there’s always (legal & safe lol) ways of obtaining extra money while away. (for example, get a job) But if you’re generally too scared to leave where you are to go out and explore, then you might as well just dwell within your bubble.

One thing I often cannot wrap my head around when you’re a young individual is the thought of saving up. Yes, I think that saving up is important and generally a good idea for the future but let’s not forget that you can save while spending as well. I believe that as along as you budget your money well enough, you can have a good amount for those extra activities. My mom often nags me about saving money and stop spending so much, but if I have a job and I spend money from tht, what’s wrong with helping the economy? Besides, this isn’t my time to save, I don’t have a kid I need to start a RESP for, what’s that saved money good for because in the end, you’re going to spend it anyhow.

In general, money is too big of a topic to discuss and even if you do have extensive conversations about it, there’s nothing you can really change about how the economy works nowadays. I would go on and on about the complications of how money changes people mostly for worse but that’s for another day. You may not agree with my point of view and would like to dispute about it but instead you should just think about why you would argue about this matter anyhow. This partially ends my rant for today but if you thought this post was tl;dr then my main point is, stop focusing your life on money because in the end when you’re almost reaching that light at the end of the tunnel, money will still prevail for many eras to come.

(Peace)