Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Money, money, money...


Please answer the following prompts in a detailed, fluent response. Make sure to comment on other people's views within your own response. Take your level of thinking higher. Make sure you are being thorough and honest.
What are your perceptions of material wealth/money?  Is it something your desire? What is "wealth"? Do we see too much excess today? Are we always wanting more? Do we "want" too much? Is being content or fulfilled enough? When is enough, enough? Is your financial status a reflection of how successful you are? What is success to you? (Remember that I am asking questions to challenge your thinking, you write what you desire).

28 comments:

  1. I believe money is what drives people to do what they do, everyone wants to be :successful" and in our society success is being wealthy and having what everyone wants. I desire wealth and success but i want happiness before all that, if I'm barely making it but I'm happy why should i give that up to be miserable and rich? I don't want to work to make money to keep living the life i hate living. Its totally illogical! Everyone wants too much because everyone wants what they can't/don't have. Nobody is satisfied because you can always be better or have more. Your financial status reflects your success in others eyes but not in your own perspective. I believe success is finding true happiness, waking up each morning loving what you do, loving your husband/wife, doing things with your kids if you have any and doing things for your family.

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  2. I think money is obviously an important part of life, but we fret about it too much. Life is always "When are we going to pay for this?" or "I would do this but I can't afford it." We are always caught up in situations involving money because we all want more of it. We want to have enough of it so we don't have to worry about anything. I do desire money, but I know it would be something that I have to work for. Wealth is having enough money for most people, but for some people it could be having a lot of knowledge or a lot of just anything. I don't think we see too much excess of wealth, but between the super rich people and upper middle class people is a huge difference. I also do believe that we want too much. Like I said before this, we always want the better version of things we have: televisions, cars, and the biggest one I see is a phone. I don't think being fulfilled is enough. If you come home from work every day and weren't happy, or don't enjoy the things you do, then something needs to change. It's very hard to tell when enough is enough because I've never really been there, except when I'm eating food. I think there has to be a moment of self-realization where you have to realize that you don't need all of this stuff, like the TV show hoarders. They have to recognize at first that they have too much stuff. Money doesn't necessarily mean success in any way. Alex Rodriguez of the Yankees makes $29 million a year. That is more money than the combined 25 players of the Astros. A-rod didn't even do that well last year and he is out for half of this year. So, basically he is making $14 million by doing nothing. The inventor of Super Soaker is hardly successful. He's a millionaire because he thought of a cool way for kids to squirt water at each other. Success to me is how well you benefit others/the world. That can also lead to happiness.

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  3. I think money is the stupidest thing in the world. There are so many issues that the world faces today with money being in the picture, that we lose sight of what is really before us. We have so much, and we never acknowledge it. We are constantly thinking about what else we could get or how many of that said thing we could get. When was the last time you really took the time to be thankful for everything you have? I'm guessing probably never. We were raised in a society that teaches us that more is better, and the better it is, the more successful you will be in life, because you have more to go off of. Being successful, in my opinion, has nothing to do with how much money one has. It has to do with one's happiness. Think of it in terms of marriage. A successful marriage is one where they are happy, not overwhelmed with money! I do not believe that there is any link between success and money. Would you be able to have nothing and be happy? Because I strongly believe that is the only way that you will find true happiness.

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  4. Money is something tricky. You need it to survive in this world. But It can lead to greediness and pride. I think that as humans the harder the worker the more money they should make. Take a doctor and a person who works at a fast food place, I think the doctor should make more because he went to school and worked hard to become a doctor, anyone can work a fast food place. No one can say to someone that they made too much money. If they worked for it and didn't cheat to get it then its theirs. What's sad is when someone just wants to make money and keep it for their selves. Then their God is money which does no good. I know that there are a lot of greedy people in this world but there are also rich people who help others out. Even if they are good with their money or selfish with it I have no right to tell them they need less or whatever. Its there decision to be greedy.

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  5. I believe money is one of the main reasons people want to get a good job and a good education. Our society tells us that the only way to get a good job and success in life is to go to college. I'm sure everyone desires money one way or another but it's not on the top of my list of priorities. Yes I desire it, but my family and my friends come first. Wealth for me is my relationships. I have a really strong relationship with my family, we don't usually fight and I feel blessed with that.
    I believe there is way too much excess it is sickening. If you look into my Current Events class you will see 90% of the students on their smart phones scrolling down Facebook right in front of the teacher. It's the teacher's choice to tell them to stop but they don't. When you look at 3rd world countries, kids our age barely get educated or don't get educated at all because they have to take care of their families. We are always waiting for the next iPhone or Apple product and we take advantage of our education. Education is a luxury that is handed to us, while in other countries it's a struggle. We don't need a "better" phone or computer we always want too much. Being content or fulfilled can never be enough when we are never content or fulfilled with the luxuries we have. Enough is enough when you have all your needs and a few of your wants.
    Your financial status does not reflect how successful you are. I think that success can't be measured or reflected because your success is what you think is success. When you feel like you have finished the race and you are content then you have reached success. Success to me is the people in my life. If I find people that I care about and people that I am happy to have them in my life, that is when I would be called successful in my eyes.

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  6. My perceptions of wealth and possessions if it is really what you want why do people have to back lash at you and call you greedy. You should be allowed to have wealth because most people who do have worked hard for it. They are something I desire a lot. Wealth matters for each person but it is to me having enough money that some of you stressful problems go away like how are you going to pay the bills. If someone has enough money to not need to worry about that then they could be considered wealthy to me. I do think that we are seeing to much excess with stuff like people buying expensive technology and either not using it or using it in a pointless way. It is especially excess in children. We are always wanting more because they are the things that we want most of the time. Some people want just to want which is a waste. You can never be fulfilled there is always something new around the corner. There is not enough for an entire lifetime but when you have to much and to little time than that is enough. Your are successful if you are wealthy but you don't have to be wealthy to be successful. People can be happy with what they do in life and feel like they have success.

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  7. My perceptions of money are that money is obviously important because it buys us everything we have material wise like food, clothes, a house etc. I believe that I desire money, but not so much that if I didn't have a lot of it I would believe that I was a failure or that I didn't succeed in whatever I was doing. When people are considered wealthy, its all about money. That's the thing that is sad to me because nobody ever refers to someone as wealthy if they have a lot of happiness, or nobody refers to someone as wealthy if they love what they are doing regardless of if it pays well or not. I believe that there is a lot of excess because if you take all of the people in the upper class and upper-middle class compared to everyone else, there is a huge difference in wealth and money. I do believe that people always want more which is sad to me because even if someone has a fantastic life with no worries or troubles, a good house, and a good car, for example if they see someone riding around in a car that is nicer than theirs, then they might feel the need to try to get more because they want something like that. People do want to much because there are not that many people who are completely satisfied with their lives to where they wouldn't need another thing. Being content or fulfilled is definitely enough because there are many poor people out there who are extremely happy because they enjoy the little things in life compared to some richer people who might take the small things for granted. Its hard to tell when enough is enough because people always want more. Financial status does not determine how successful you are because whether you make millions, or don't make millions, those two people could be equally successful. Success to me is when I feel that I am doing what I love for a living.

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  8. I believe that having physical money is not the desire of people, maybe not even the fact of having many things but instead reflects the ideal of greatness. We all strive to have that pat on the back and have someone be proud or jealous of us, i believe that it is human nature to want to be better than our peers. This is the representation of the societal success. This is not the only version of success though i believe that the whole goal of living life is to live a happy one without too much thought and conforming but instead living independently. Life revolves around this sense of happiness and that's where our desires come from if you really think about it happiness is what motivates just about everyone sometimes it can just be in a sick and twisted sort of manner but they still seek the same end result, happiness. The only problem some cant find a way for their happiness to coexist with that of others. Which causes things like greed and gluttony and most of the seven deadly sins. That's the thing though everyone makes their own decisions, mind control has yet to exist, i think, so everyone makes their own decisions so only they can decide when they are satisfied. Going back to the idea of coexisting happiness, with that you can be as happy as you want or as i consider it "successful" its the whole closed minded selfishness that causes problems and people to believe that people have too much desire. Money definitely plays a factor within this success though, living in a capitalistic society things revolve around money so some things require at least some wealth to kick start your true success.

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    1. It's good to know that you realize that while money is important and can be helpful in a capotalist society that it's not necessarily a requirement or necessity

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  9. I believe money is something believes is a nice thing to have. Sure I am someone who dreams of making enough money to own a Ferrari and live in a mansion. These things in my opinion would be nice to have but I don't really believe my life would improve do to having this money. I believe that those that have to work hard for their money and things that they own are more successful rather than those who are just given anything they want. It is something many of us may believe it is a must but some people with no money living on the streets probably live a more enjoyable life then we do. I think wealth and happiness go hand and hand. Those who have wealth are those who have happiness. Wealth may not always mean having money. It means having something you really care about and love. The idea of want is the reason our country has become a world power. When things are harder to get people have more motivation to push themselves to work harder to achieve the goal of finally getting this material good that makes us happy. Confidence really helps people propel themselves to become someone who really stands out and to a boss this is something they really want to see. You will know when you have enough when you start buying stupid things that you may only use once and then just sits around taking up space. You must spend your money on practical things that you will use until it breaks on you. Success to me is achieving goals you have set for yourself and not letting others down when you promise to do things for them.

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  10. I believe money is something that everyone wants to have to prove to others that they are successful, but I don't believe that money is necessary to have to prove that you are successful. I would love to have a lot of money and be able to do what I want because I have it, but I believe that if I have all the money that I could have it would take away from me being happy and if you have all the money and things that you want I think you will take things for advantage. In many peoples eyes wealth is having all the money in the world and being able to get everything they ever wanted, but wealth has many different meanings it could mean having something that you care about or being successful in what you do, but not have very much money. I think people want more then what they already have because they see others getting all this other stuff that sticks out to them. Once a new iphone comes out everyone is going to go and get it or others are going to dream about having it, but can't have it. I think others look at other people and can tell whether they are "rich" or not and they judge people by that if you look at famous people they are making all this money and they don't really spend it in good ways it just totally depends on who you are and how happy you are with your life right now.

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  11. My perceptions of material wealth/money would be that money controls everything. Money controls how we live, what we eat, who we are friends with, our education and even how we act. In order to get all the materials we own, we had to buy them. Money is definitely something I desire. Im a spender and in order to spend, I have to have money to spend. “Wealth” can be described many ways. You can be wealthy at heart or wealthy with money. Wealth is a great quantity or store of money, valuable possessions, property, or other riches. The only people who see too much excess of money and wealth would be the 1% that has most of the riches. People always want more. If someone has more than you than you feel like you need what they have so you want more. I don’t think we want too much but we do desire more then we need. I think that being fulfilled is enough but being content is not. Enough is never enough in normal human eyes. Personally, I think that your financial status is a reflection of how successful you are with money. To me, successful in being able to maintain a steady home life and be able to pay all your bills without much stress.

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  12. My perceptions of material wealth are that it is a blessing and a curse. We spend so much of our days wanting more money, thinking that it could "complete" us when in reality; money may be a bit over-rated. I would be lying if I said that money was something I didn't desire because it is important for sure. I mean, let’s be honest, prom isn’t going to pay for itself. I think that the idea of wealth is much skewed. It has many meanings, but for most, wealth is the equivalent of success. People think that money is going to make their lives better when in all reality, it won't. My family has been through some tough times the past couple of years and we have been struggling financially. Ya, it has been hard at times, but I think that it has made us better people. It helped us develop a trust that God is going to get us through the hard times. I have really been pondering the next question, "Are we always wanting more?" I think that this is an important idea to think about. From a very young age, we are taught to save our money. We are also taught that the more money you have, the happier you are. This honestly saddens me. Just the fact that people can spend their WHOLE LIVES wanting lots of little pieces of paper amazes me. Do you really think that Bill Gates enjoys sitting at his desk all day? No, he doesn't. Happiness is not going to come from paper; it is going to come through experiences, through people, maybe even through foods. The bottom line is happiness is going to come through doing what you love, not what makes you the most cash.

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  13. My perception of money/wealth is that it's just an object used to make ourselves 'feel' happier. We can all agree that money is always good to have, but does it really make us happier? Some people who work even hate their jobs but just feel the need oh having money. Supporting your kids and putting food over a table is important, but is working a full time job benefiting you better than having the time to spend with your kids or lover? I believe that money blinds people though out our lives. I don't have the desire of obtaining a lot of wealth. I feel like having too much money will lead to more amounts of problems. Money is good to have, but it will never be a priority in my life. "Wealth" is how successful you are in life with money, home security, and a good paying job. I do believe that people are always wanting more money and more wealth. I myself, work for money. Even though I sometimes may dread the job one day or if i'm called in to cover another's shift, I always take it. Why? Because I can't get enough of money. Money to me should be spent on important values like dates with the person I love, or being able to pay dinner to my lover. This is the main reason of my money usage. I don't think there's a need for too much wealth. Maybe for others there is, but a need for too much wealth will impact one's life in a bad way. I feel like being content and fulfilled is enough. Knowing you did your best and having a decent amount of money should make you content. People should be happy with what they have and that they earned. Wanting more is in our systems but being content with that you received should make you feel a whole lot better. Having 'enough' is hard to compare. Some people just don't know when they've had enough. Sometimes having more and going beyond is their goal. Having enough for me is when I know I can support myself and the person I love without having to stress. How successful we are is not determined by our financial status. Success isn't measured by the amount of money we make. Success is accomplished by how your perception of it is. Sometimes, even the richest of people have the most unsuccessful lives. As in love and time for the things that really matter the most. Success shouldn't be defined by me, but should be defined by your own point of view. My success would be to live a life filled with love and happiness with money to help support me fulfill that love and happiness.

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  14. I really don't care about money, yes it's nice to have but I couldn't care less about how much I have. The money I have now goes towards gas for my car, my music, and food. That's basically it. I don't ever have money to just blow away for the hell of it, now am I jealous or emvious of those who do? No, of course not. when I'm older, more mature and if I possibly have a family and a wife to support than my income would go towards them, if I happen to be beyond wealthy then my money would go towards charities, or people who are suffering. Money doesn't mean anything to me, I believe most people would say money determines success and it means the world to them. Well good for them, I don't believe that's true on everyone's part though.

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  15. I would like to say that I don't depend on material things too much. I want to focus on relationships, religion, and more important things, but I think it is human nature to want money. We always want more stuff. Things that we want and "need" are always being shoved in our faces. We are taught that more is better. There is a perception that the more money you have, the happier you will be. I do think that I fall in this category. I like to get things, I want whatever is the greatest. I tend to forget that money, and what it can be is temporary. Clothes will get too small, things will break. I need to focus on memories, accomplishments, and relationships that will last forever. We tend to think that the people with the most money, are the ones that are the most successful. I don't agree with that. I don't think that Bill Gates works harder or is more successful than teachers, my parents, or low income families. Success is a personal measurement. Each person can decide their own "success." If you feel you have accomplished what you need to and work hard, yet don't make a lot of money, you should still be able to consider yourself successful.

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    1. I agree I also like to focus on the things I see as more important than material things, but yes it is human nature for someone to want money becuase we see it as a great way to fill in the cracks in our lives that can't be relpaced by relationships or religion.

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  16. To most people money is what makes the world go round. It is what keeps our society organized and is also what causes chaos. To me money is just an object im not too fond of it and I dont look to the value of it as much as others do. Its not something I live for or drive myself out to get, it is simply something I see as a tool in life to provide. To me wealth is having your good health and great satisfaction in life without relying on the money. To many others wealth is success, having the most money to people usually means having the most success which in reality is true. It seems like the more spending we do the more gaining we desire. We want more materialistic things because those things are what keep most people happy, they use money to keep themselves happy with buying materials and end up wanting more when they become bored with that material. I think its possible for someone to feel fulfilled or 100% satified with their lives, but most people avoid that possible road and they start to take a different road that leads them to greed and wanting more of what they already have. I think someones financial status does and does not reflect the success someone has, it all depends on the individual. One person can see success in his money and being wealthy and another could see success in his health or family or his own happiness. To me success is not being wealthy it is being satisfied and happy with my life. Having good health, happiness, friends and family is enough to keep myself satisfied and that is what makes me succesful, by becoming happy without relying on the materials and objects.

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  17. Money is an object that drives the actions that we make everyday. Most people fail to realize that even when you have all the money in the world that you won't be the happiest person. Some of the happiest people in the world are the ones that make the most impact on the world and they make the least amount of money. Personally, I would rather barely make it through life then have all the money in the world and be miserable. People always want more money but that isn't always the solution. Money causes us to want too much. The more money we have the more it causes us to get greedy and get frustrated much easier. Money isn't an accurate reflection of our financial situation. When Walt Disney bought his land in Florida when he wanted to open up his amusement park he dressed as a "hill-billy" farmer in order to make the property sellers think he was just trying to buy some farming land. After Walt purchased his land he drove to the bank laughing because of people perceptions. In my opinion success is being happy with what you do and that's what will keep you going to work everyday with the same positive attitude.

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  18. I would say wealth is definitely something I desire. This is because money basically runs the world. If a person has more money then they are going to have less stress because they don't have to worry about how they are going to pay for food or the mortgage. I'm not saying that I will do anything just to be wealthy, its more that I would like to be wealthy. If the thing I'm passionate for is not going to make me a lot of money I am still going to do it. We as people will always want more than we have. It happens even in little kids when they see an add on T.V. and its a cool toy they immediately say that they want that even if they can't have it. I feel that this carries over into adult hood because as adult the things they want just turn into nice cars and bigger houses but the same concept is still there. The doesn't mean that they are UN-happy they just would like to have more things. I don't think that your financial status is a reflection on how successful you are. for example if you have a life that is satisfying to you then you are successful regardless how much money you make.

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  19. I think that these days money is the central desire among most people. Through things such as media we learn that a large amount of money is equivalent to success. Personally I believe that money means nothing. I would much rather die with being known as a person who lived life to the fullest and that didn't need money to make me happy, rather than die with loads of money to my name. Money means nothing when that's all you have in life. Money does not define your success in life, the way you lived, the things you do, and the adventures you have define your success in life.

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  20. My perceptions on material wealth is having things around that make you happy not just having a lot of money because that doesn't make everyone happy, money might actually be something that makes you miserable. The reason I think that is because most rich people are the ones who die with no one in there life and no one to take their fortune. Some material wealth is something you desire but other could be things you do or you take interest in. Wealth is being rich in happiness and dying a happy person with family,friends, and people to live on your legend. I think that some people once they get a taste of a little they want more and more we all have that hint of greediness in us it just the right item or person to bring it out of us, think about a homeless person only wants a warm place to stay, a shower, and clean clothes, they are content with the little items but we all want a better car or more money. Can we not just be grateful for what we have and then be rewarded with more in the future?

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  21. I personally don't believe that "money is the root of all evil" as some people say. I think that having money is a good thing and can help you in life but that completely depends on how you handle your money and wealth. When people let their wealth completely consume their lives and decisions that's when I believe that it is evil. I also believe that most people desire wealth because it has become such a big deal in society today. Society today bases success on wealth. I believe that when you have more money you are treated very differently in society, whether good or bad. I learned in law this year that the worse the economy is the more the crime is especially robberies and break ins. People become so consumed with the idea of having money to become "successful" that they will do anything to get that money. And that is when I believe that money has gone too far. But being wealthy and having money is in no way a bad thing.

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  22. What are your perceptions of material wealth/money?
    I believe that our material possessions are a way of show how broken our world is. However, at the same time, we have material possessions in order for us to feel/show superiority.
    Is it something your desire? I don't desire wealth, however, it is not something that I am opposed to either. As long as I am doing what I love, it won't really matter what the material benefits are.
    What is "wealth"? Wealth is the presence of items and feelings which belong to one's self. Do we see too much excess today? Yes and no. We have stuff, yes. But we don't have the excess of love or happiness. I think our wealth in America overflows with material things.
    Are we always wanting more? Do we "want" too much? Of course we always want more. God is the only true thing which can completely satisfy anyone. We only want too much because we can't have perfection and a unbroken relationship with God.
    Is being content or fulfilled enough? When is enough, enough? As I have said above, we will never be content with what we have until we are in the presence of God. Enough, will never be enough for us on Earth.
    Is your financial status a reflection of how successful you are? Yes. It shows how successful you are at making money. That's it though. It will not show if you have saved a life, powered through cancer, or completed a lifelong goal. What is success to you? Success is completing a goal in the best fashion you see fit. If that is too have a roller coaster by buying it, go for it. But if you goal is to have a roller coaster by learning how to build one, go for it.

    Response: It seems like people value money more than anything on this blog. But I would argue that money will never satisfy.

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  23. Through my eyes, money is money, it’s just an object. Money doesn’t have a sentimental value to me. Of course I desire it, I can do or buy so many things with money, but I don’t fully rely on it. Wealth is having a lot of excess money that you’re financially smart with; today you don’t see much of that. People waste money like crazy. Yes, people are always wanting more, however, I feel that society as a whole doesn’t “want” too much. There are those few people who will do anything for a little extra money. Enough is enough when you’re able to pay for the necessities for yourself and for your family—plus some for being able to be involved in activities and a little extra spending money here and there. Your financial status is a reflection of how successful you are. If you can’t hold onto money, odds are you can’t hold on to anything that can be of importance to you. To me, success is being able to take a step back, take a breath, and admire what I have accomplished.

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  24. I think money really takes over the world. If you don't have money you can't do anything really in life. MONEY is something that some people have a ton of and then what some people dont have a lot of. I think when you have a lot of money, you don't really care what you do with it because you know that you have a lot and if you see something you like then you say ill just get it but if your the other part of the world who cares about money then you would be the person like should i get that or should i save this and get something i really need. success to me is doing something that makes you happy and that you will always be happy with what you are doing.

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  25. I believe that money is essential to life. It gives us the ability to do things and provide for others. Without money we can’t go places, eat or enjoy life. In our society it allows us to do things and to have things. I do desire to become wealthy. I believe that it opens the doors for opportunity. Without money you cannot sustain yourself without having assistance from others. I know that it may sound materialistic but we need money to survive. It’s not like the old days where you made your own clothes and grow your own food. This is the 21st century and without money you can’t do many things. I do believe though that at a point someone has too much wealth. It is nice to live a comfortable lifestyle but I also think that when you have that much money that you need to give back more. It’s not as if your wealth was handed to you. Ether you worked for it or previous generations had to work for it and I believe that you deserve what you work for. But at times money must be given to those in need in order to remain down to earth.

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  26. For me money means success. But that is only if you earned it yourself. I definitely desire money because it can and will take me anywhere I could dream of. Wealth is like family money. It means you can never be poor. You have basically unlimited money. I think excess is the biggest problem in today’s society. Kids have ipads and they are spoiled rotten. They are being taught to want anything and everything. Even I wan these things. I think we as America want too much. I believe that as long as you have what you need to live and a little extra then you should be happy with what you have. I think that your financial status is a life status because if you are successful I your life then you are probably living large but when you are failing then you are probably not in the best of places. But I think that financial status has little to do with your level of happiness. To me success is fulfilling my dreams. All of them no matter how childish they may be.

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