The Curse of the World

There is a persistent belief in the world: those who work hard earn money, and those who earn a lot of money have made it. Our society praises economic growth, wage increases and career advancement as signs of success. But while our savings accounts grow, our mental wealth seems to shrink. I have a different opinion on the eternal debate about whether money makes you happy. Where most people focus on accumulating wealth and financial security, I propose a different compass: work on lifelong friendships instead.

A good friend will help you when you are in trouble. They will call you back when you are in a panic. They will stand at your door with soup when you are sick. Money does not do that. Money solves practical problems... until it runs out. And if you have relied on it and it runs out, then you have a bigger problem: you are on your own.

We live in a society in which we have become accustomed to attracting everything to ourselves. We want a bigger house, a better car, more comfort, more status. But what if we lived by a different principle? Take only what you need, and leave some for someone else.

Because everything you take too much of, someone else will lack. Every euro that lies dormant in your savings account while you do nothing with it, is a euro that someone else could have used to pay the energy bill. Every home that is bought as an investment object is one less house for someone who becomes homeless. Wealth is not neutral, it has a price. Not only for yourself, but for society as a whole.

We dare not say out loud that your abundance often feeds the poverty of someone else. But it is time to face that reality. In a world of abundance, scarcity is often the result of inequality, not of lack. The balance between wealth and poverty is not a coincidence, it is the result of choices. Of systems that we unknowingly maintain. And we can change those choices.

Many people measure success by their bank balance. But money is a misleading yardstick. Those who confuse happiness with possessions remain empty. Those who define success as the number of friends you can call when things are not going well are full. Instead of financial goals and salary expectations, we should use a different yardstick: a happiness score. How many times have you laughed today? Who have you helped? When did you feel truly connected?

The real curse of the world is not too little money, but too little connection. We are wealthy but often lonely, successful but tense, rich but restless. It is time to ask ourselves a new question: not “how can I get more?”, but “how can I live better?”

The first step? Call a friend. Not to invest in stocks, but in each other.