I Got Plenty o' Nuttin

"I got plenty o' nuttin, and nuttin's plenty for me" are the words to one of the many songs in Gershwin's opera titled Porgy and Bess. The character who sings this, Porgy, is a crippled beggar who, until he fell in love with Bess, was unhappy. He sings this because even though he does not have many things, he appreciates the non-material values in life such as Bess, the moon, and stars.

Which brings to question, who's happier: the rich or the poor? And does more money mean more happiness?

This reminds me of a poster Mr. Tompkins has on his wall. It is of a monkey sitting on a curb and he's saying, "I've been rich and I've been poor. I like rich better." I believe that having some money and possessions does make the quality of one's life better. It brings security and flexibility. However, Porgy does make an excellent point,

"De folks wid plenty o' plenty/ Got a lock on de door/ 'Fraid somebody's a-goin' to rob 'em/ While dey's out a-makin' more/ What for?"

Having things does add on to the amount of stuff one has to worry about. However, work put into making money is worth it as long as it does not consumes one's life to become the reason for living. Money and material things have the potential to distract people from what really matters, such as love, family, and nature. But as long as balance is kept, money should not interfere with happiness.

More money does not mean more happiness. There comes a point where the excess of money is not needed and so becomes something without value. After that point, money is an object that when enough is owned, greed can start to corrupt one's ambitions. Living in Confucian modesty as shown in Chinese history, is the key to a happy family.  Money means more options and  can lead to a better life if used properly. One such way to benefit yourselves and others is to donate or fund promising projects that will help people.

Money is a human conception and does not necessarily equal happiness. It is a tool used to live a more comfortable life but should not be the object that fuels one's desires in life. There are things more divine and precious in life than money.