<Author>Aaron</Author>
<Topic>Can Money Buy Happiness?</Topic>
<Source>CET6 Composition Topic of January 1995</Source>
<Nationality>USA</Nationality>
The Bible proclaims, "Money is the root of all evil," while an economist (Keynes?) states, "Lack of money is the root of all evil." While such statements sound antagonistic to each other, they really express the same meaning, namely, desire is the root of evil. Buddha probably had it right when he explained that, "Desire is the cause of suffering." Theology and economics aside, does money promote or decrease overall happiness? 
Aristotle's moderation principle should be applied here. Common sense reveals that without money, one will surely die of hunger or exposure. On the other hand, possessing too much money fills one with an insatiable avarice that blinds one to more important matters (i.e., family and friends). One should ideally have enough money to support a healthy mode of living, without becoming fanatically attached to accumulating ever more amounts of money.
The above advice is suitable for the majority of people, but of course not everyone. Some people with large amounts of thymoes (desire to gain) are only happy when driving themselves to further economic accomplishments. Others, such as monks and nuns, feel called to renounce the material world in favor of the contemplative life. Everyone must decide for him/herself what way is right.
