Is Money the Root Cause of all Evil?

Author: Minna Adlan

Is money the root cause of all evil? In a capitalist society, money defines both our value in the world and our value to ourselves. It's what defines us, what liberates us, it both inspires and defeats, and at the end of the day, it is intrinsic to the human condition. Money is the reason many obstacles arise but is also the reason things have the value they rightfully deserve. It coordinates politics, the economy, media, and human morality.

Money can be misleading. Many are blinded by what it can offer and do not see what it can take. Money, as we know, is used for:

Your Needs (food, shelter, clothing, education)

Your Wants (jewelry, entertainment, travel, electronics)

Now, we all spend our money between these two categories. However, when someone goes overboard, they could fall into a different category of money usage. In money management, there are limitations restricted by the user to ensure that they don’t 'waste' any money. However, in our 3rd category of money usage, the user buys whatever they desire, or are 'guided' by that desire to get what they want and satisfy themselves. It is a severe stage of being actually ‘addicted’ to this wasteful usage. The user usually spends their money between categories 1 and 2 but when they ‘excuse’ their overspending behavior then they end up falling into this harmful category, splurging on luxury and satisfying their hedonistic desires. Unable to stop themselves from the toxic cycle of spending and wasting.

And no, it does not stop there…they build this cyclical habit and lose all self-control, posing financial problems and damages to themselves, yes, pretty much like an addiction we do not realize. This leads to a continuous negative impact seen on different aspects of their lives, whether it be relationships, academics, work, and much more!

Nonetheless, if you think about it, that person is not addicted to spending money...but the feeling and power that money gives access to.

This is Materialism, which, according to the Oxford dictionary is: The belief is that money, possessions, and physical comforts are more important than spiritual values.

Not everyone is like that, though, but this common belief has influenced many different aspects of society. We have seen politicians, criminals, CEOs, millionaires, and more give value to what is ultimately lifeless.

A part of human nature is to chase our desires, and money came in as a form of medium between humans and their materialistic desires. While some learn to control their impulses, many don’t, so to maintain their lifestyle with money, some use cruelty and callousness to leave behind evil in the world.

Another perspective is that poor people or disadvantaged people would turn to immoral acts such as stealing. However, not to chase desires, but to fill their basic needs, yet some still view them as evil. An alternative outlook is, The more money you have, the more your ego skyrockets. Money did land in the hands of large empires, most of which were in favor of white supremacy, fueled racism, and assisted in degrading other races like Arabs, Africans, and Natives, all of which lacked resources and as you guessed it, money.

However, there are so many aspects that we can discuss regarding this matter which does have some advantages. The problem is we may not know how to limit or control ourselves, which is a skill to master if you don't want to fall into the money trap. I believe money grants us the ability to give value to what deserves to have worth, but of course, it's a whole issue of the "we humans don't know how to healthily deal with money!" kinda thing. And if you look back I mentioned the "money trap", that trap isn't necessarily the money but You.

I wanted to look for another opinion and luckily had a friend help me out. Matthew Trail, an Interim Administrative Director had a great answer, and here’s what they said about money:

"Money," like the social recognition of skin colors or racial supremacy, are in the end social constructions–, meaning that they don't have an objective reality outside the definition we give to it. We create them to meet individual and social needs (both good and bad), where the concept of "Money" is a human creation to help people assign value and efficiently exchange things (but it can also be a tool for domination).

Racial categories like "white" and black" may reflect a certain observable difference, but take on their negative value out of human fears, insecurities, and needs. Human creations such as money can indeed make racism much worse. Actually, racism can also get in the way of money’s usefulness as an exchange medium, because it distorts its supposed function.

So...is money the root of all evil? In my opinion, no. The "root of all evil" lies in our instincts, our fears, and our insecurities--in our psychology and in our nature. We can and should fight racism inequality from the negative effects of money, but we shouldn't pretend that we can ever "win the battle" completely and create a world free of all evil from money, forever.