Interview Follow-Up

Interview two people about money. Whose picture is on a twenty? Ask them why they ‘believe’ in money. Do they imagine a time in which people might not believe in money? Why is money important? What is the most important thing you have bought with money? If I told you, I would give you a million dollars in exchange for 5 years of your life, would you accept?

After interviewing a few people about money, I found the overwhelming attitude towards money is one of passive acquiescence. While everyone knows, whose face is on the twenty-dollar bill, when asking him or her why he or she believes in money the answer is one where they had no other option but to believe in it. “From the beginning I have been taught that money is the only currency we have, money is pretty much everything nowadays,” one of my younger interviewees responded. We have to believe in money because money claims a soft of authority. The government printed it and we have to believe in it because we are citizens of our country. “If we could get around and not have to rely on money, I would.” However, money is important; we cannot do anything but make money, and spend money to survive. When I asked the next question about if they would ever not believe in money, everyone responded with a no. The reason we have social classes, the reason we have power and authority is because of money. Money is power and if you have money, you have an influence on people. With no influence, you are just another human. That is how we are trained to behave, as people who have to make money and spend money in order to be considered good people. No one likes to associate with people who have no money, no aspirations or goals, and the only way to have that is through money. To most people money is very important. Money runs businesses, it sustains families, it provides shelter and food. With money, you can do whatever you want. You can save money, you can spend money and most importantly, people are defined by money. You can dress to look impressive and daunting, that comes with money, and if you do not have money, no matter how much you do, you can never make enough money. When I asked my interviewees what is the most important thing they have bought with money, they had to think a along time to come up with an answer. My younger interviewees said nothing was important, maybe in the future it would be their house. For some people nothing important was bought with money, and the only way to actually have happiness was without money. For some, a house was the most important thing. It is a status symbol and it provides protection and security. Even if I asked myself that question, I would not have an answer that was not a material item, because after all money only can help you achieve the material. For my final interview question I wanted to see how much of a hold money has on our lives. How much we value money more than our lives and ourselves. As it so happens, out of all the people I interviewed, when I asked them whether they would accept a million dollars in exchange for five years of their life, the answer was a resounding no. While our belief in money and its importance has been shown time and time again, in practically everything we do. Somehow, the notion of loosing years off your life, in exchange for an amount that could have you financially sound for more than five years, is not an appealing option for anyone. Money still seems to be something that we have to deal with, only because it is there, the government has declared it, and it is necessary for our survival. Nevertheless, money is not so important that it should be the reason why we are living. It should be how we can amplify our lives, and live for the better.