There is a well-known proverb that says, “Money corrupts people.” But is this really true? If we were to approach this well-known phenomenon head-on and scientifically, which is neither the time nor the place, we would first have to define more precisely what it means to be human and what money is. The omnipresent relativity and subjectivity alone are enough “maglajz” for such a phenomenon. Take the example of a person who earned only the lowest living wage in his or her lifetime.
If such a person earns $100,000, it is an absolute treasure to him. But that money does not affect him in quite the same way as a millionaire who earns the same amount. Also, is the concept of man itself a totality of physiological, psychological, and social concepts, or is it only character or “behavior”?
It depends on how you look at it
Money definitely corrupts a person, but it is an unhappy and self-centered person. A social person is more likely to say “easy, easy” and donate half to charity than someone who has been juggling pennies all their life and can suddenly “stretch” themselves. They are predisposed to “pampering” themselves from the start. Of course, even those who are mentally and healthily well off are likely to succumb to the influence of money, especially if they are not accustomed to such large sums of money. Ultimately, however, education, insight, and empathy will increase the degree of “happiness” that such a person can achieve with the same amount of money. On the other hand, a person who is poor in spirit, character, and wallet will always strive to “fill” his emptiness with money. But more often than not, he ends up exactly where he started.
A tortoise is a tortoise without a shell
A farmer remains a farmer in soul, and a poor man remains a poor man in Bavaria. This is the sad truth. You cannot change your core and inner self so easily. It is the amalgamation of all your experiences, both positive and negative, that shapes who you are today. And money is one of the things in this world that will not help you become happier. That is why it is sadder.