Three Things That Money Cannot Buy

IT SEEMS so ironic: Even when people face the threat of losing their job, their home, and even their pension, many of them are still obsessed with getting anything and everything that money can buy.

Such people are easy targets for advertisers, whose seductive marketing campaigns tell us that we must have a bigger home, a better car, and brand-name clothes. No cash? No problem—buy on credit! For many, the goal is to look well-off even if they are deep in debt.

Of course, sooner or later reality sets in. “Buying flashy consumer goods on credit in order to look and feel like a winner is similar to hitting the crack pipe in order to improve your mood,” says the book The Narcissism Epidemic. “Both are initially cheap and work really well—but only for a very short period of time. In the long term both leave you penniless and depressed.”

1. FAMILY UNITY

Money cannot buy family unity. That only comes from spending time with your family and giving them adequate love and attention.

 2. GENUINE SECURITY

There is more to a secure future than stockpiling money. After all, money can be stolen—and it cannot cure disease or prevent death.

 3. PERSONAL CONTENTMENT

There is more to life than money and the things it can buy.