OPINION (AN COLÚN): The negative impact of money on our lives

WE can find never-ending examples of the negative impact of money on our lives. Money is strongly linked to fear and evil, and is at the root of countless problems.
Money maintains a tortuous squeeze on our lives. During the current Cost of Living crisis that tortuous squeeze has tightened.
Here is one example which I came across this week. This week the Central Statistics Office (CSO) published its Survey on Income and Living Conditions (SILC) figures. These figures throw into stark relief the fact that thousands of families across Ireland are living under significantly reduced circumstances because of the cost-of-living storm. The report reveals that there has been a rise in the level of child poverty over the last year.
It states that 27,382 more children are living in consistent poverty. The number of children living in consistent poverty rose from 5.2% in 2021 (61,906), to 7.5% in 2022 (89,288).
It points out that 34,525 more children are experiencing deprivation. The number of children experiencing enforced deprivation rose from 17% in 2021 (202,385), to 19.9% in 2022 (236,910).
And it points out that 19,048 more children are at risk of poverty in 2022. The number of children at risk of poverty rose from 13.6% in 2021 (161,908), to 15.2% in 2022 (180,956).
It is extraordinary that despite the fact that we have the fastest growing economy in Europe, we are seeing more and more children being pushed into this deprived state of being. A commentator for Children's Rights Alliance pointed out that families in consistent poverty “live on the breadline with the constant worry of how they will keep their house warm and how they will afford to put a dinner on the table. We are seeing increases in the number of one-parent families, families with children and those in rented accommodation experiencing enforced deprivation. One parent-families are experiencing the highest rate of deprivation across all households. There is a widening gap between families’ incomes and daily financial pressures.”
As I say, there are countless examples, such as this particular example of child poverty, which show the iniquitous effect of money. How did we come to this backward state of affairs? Books could be written answering this particular question! I think the answer is very simple - our society is not humane and compassionate enough. The writer Ursula Le Guin pointed out that the great failing of capitalistic societies is they are not sufficiently compassionate. Compared to authoritarian regimes such as Putin's nightmarish, monstrous Russia we in the West are far better places to live in, but there are still many standards which we are failing to meet. Le Guin was simplistic about it, but I think she was right. She wrote, “We live in capitalism. Its power seems inescapable. So did the divine right of kings. Any human power can be resisted and changed by human beings. Resistance and change often begin in art, and very often in our art, the art of words.”
As you can imagine, much has been written about the psychological implications of money. Many writers on the subject point out that money often transforms our motivational drive for the better. The desire to make money can compel us to create things and systems which bring a benefit not only for ourselves but also for our societies.
Many writers also point out that frequently this desire to make money brings a deterioration in the behaviour of the money-makers towards others. Money is the end-goal and the end-goal justifies the means, even if the means are devoid of decency and humanity. We justify this behaviour in various ways but when all is said and done we are walking a path which is dark and ugly.
One writer I read recently argued that we are hard wired to seek the rewards of money and possessions. He says the chemical dopamine is released when we get the objects of our desire because of money. Dopamine is also released when we consume caffeine and cocaine. Unfettered capitalism, where individuals can generate obscene amounts of wealth, is an addiction for some, with rewarding chemicals sweeping your brain upon each object of desire achieved. However, as with any addiction, there is a cost to be paid. This selfish and greedy path can lead to fractured families, and severed friendships and relationships. Addicted to acquisition we can lose the greatest gift of all - love. You don't have to be an oligarch to fall into this bracket. It can happen to anybody who gets the work-life balance out of sync. If we put too high a premium on work and money then it can adversely affect the relationships which are the food for our soul, the relationships which make us feel fully human. As Lao Tzu said, “ Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.” Or as Johann Hari wrote: “You aren't a machine with broken parts. You are an animal whose needs are not being met. You need to have a community. You need to have meaningful values, not the junk values you've been pumped full of all your life, telling you happiness comes through money and buying objects. You need to have meaningful work. You need the natural world. You need to feel you are respected. You need a secure future. You need connections to all these. You need to release any shame you might feel for having been mistreated.”