I Love Money

After the holiday season which has become more glorified by spending and what you are receiving then by its religious origination, the question my colleague brought up "Can you love money?" is a quite valid one I thought. 

While I'm sure this topic has been debated before, the topic was brought to me by an article a colleague had read by Bob Burg.  In my opinion, Bob made a great argument for why someone would say that it is not possible to love money. But where I disagree with Bob is that while he believes it is impossible to love an idea, I believe it is possible.

Not only do I believe that it is possible to love the idea of money. I believe that is what the majority of people actually fall in love with, as opposed to the physical cold hard cash. How many times have you seen people who did everything in their power to become wealthy thinking that it would boost their social standing and thus their happiness? While I am sure some people are tickled pink that they have a nice new Corvette or a house that they could get lost in, I do believe a lot of it is rooted in the idea that being of a higher class will make you happy, and to achieve that higher class means more money. 

As for Mr. Burgs philosophy that you can not be in love with an idea. I give him the argument of love itself. I know plenty of people who are actually in love with the idea of love. They are blind to the fact that the person they are in a relationship with is an egotistical, selfish, manipulative liar. They do however thrive on the idea that being with a person, any person, means that they are no longer alone. It perpetuates their idea that they will now be able to get married and live happily ever after, even if that won't be the case, the idea of it all is like a drug to them. They are in love with the idea of love. 

So to me yes I guess it is possible to be in love with an idea and in this discussions case with money. The idea of money and what it may bring is what keeps people moving ahead day after day hoping to catch their big break, hoping to find the pot of gold, hoping for that lucky day when they can say "We're moving on up..."