Is Becoming Wealthy Inherently Evil?

Is Becoming Wealthy(ˈwelTHē) Inherently(-ˈher-,inˈhi(ə)rənt) Evil(ˈēvəl)?

By Steve Pavlina

Is it morally(ˈmär-,ˈmôrəl) wrong to attempt to become wealthy?

It’s no surprise to me that the Million Dollar(ˈdälər) Experiment(ikˈsperəmənt), while mostly getting a highly positive reception, has also uncovered(ˌənˈkəvərd) some opposition(ˌäpəˈziSHən) from people who believe the pursuit(pərˈso͞ot) of financial(fī-,fəˈnanCHəl) wealth(welTH) is inherently greedy, selfish, immoral(i(m)ˈmôrəl), or just plain(plān) evil.

How do you feel about the whole idea of having more money than you need? A lot more. Excess(ikˈses,ˈekses) cash. Does that concept excite(ikˈsīt) you or make you feel uncomfortable(-ˈkəmftərbəl,ˌənˈkəmfərtəbəl)? Is is attractive(əˈtraktiv) or repulsive(riˈpəlsiv)? A mixture(ˈmiksCHər) of both perhaps? Do you feel you’d have to compromise(ˈkämprəˌmīz) your integrity(inˈtegritē) in order to achieve this goal?

What about earning money very quickly? A fast turnover(ˈtərnˌōvər). Making a quick buck(bək). Does that raise(rāz) some level of indignation(ˌindigˈnāSHən) within you?

If a friend were to say to you, “You know what. I’m going to go ahead and become rich,” how would you react? Would you assume(əˈso͞om) this person has become a “sell out” or is about to compromise their integrity? Would you ridicule(ˈridiˌkyo͞ol) them for even setting this goal? How would you feel after they achieved the goal? How would you feel if they failed(fāld) and gave up?

Isn’t it interesting to witness(ˈwitnis) the complex(ˌkämˈpleks, kəmˈpleks, ˈkämˌpleks) feelings that arise(əˈrīz) when we examine(igˈzamən) our beliefs about money? Notice(ˈnōtis) that I haven’t even addressed the actual(ˈakCHo͞oəl) process of acquiring money in any of these situations(ˌsiCHo͞oˈāSHən), merely(ˈmi(ə)rlē) the notion of wealth itself.

What role does intention play in the pursuit of wealth? Is the very idea of intending to be wealthy inherently evil, corrupt(kəˈrəpt), or somehow wrong? Or can one become wealthy and still have integrity?

The level of “good” or “evil” you associate to money comes from your own beliefs and intentions, not from any innate(iˈnāt) quality(ˈkwälətē) that money possesses(pəˈzes). By itself money is neutral(ˈn(y)o͞otrəl) and powerless. Your own thoughts will serve to define the role of money in your life.

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https://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2005/11/is-becoming-wealthy-inherently-evil/