Money and the seemingly endless pursuit of riches have led many a man down the path of moral turpitude.

Some view money as an end rather than a means and will pursue wealth regardless of the legal or moral implications. Money has grown to become an obsession that can take over a man’s life and turn him into a greedy capitalist who gauges success by the number of decimals in his account.

Many have fallen victim to the ramifications of such a pursuit and have lost family and friends and any sense of ethics and humanity they may have had, Al-Riyadh daily reported.

Our consumerist society

Dr. Sulaiman Al-Husseini said there is nothing new about the pursuit of riches. However, it has become an increasingly-popular pursuit in which many people resort to unlawful means to acquire wealth by taking advantage of loopholes in the penal code, he said.

“Corruption is mostly seen in commerce as there is no clear legal system protecting the vendor and consumer alike in a just manner. In order to protect society, a rigid legal system must be present. This system should not only be implemented by the government, but also by the people by means of ihsan (showing faith in both word and deed),” he said.

Social specialist Yousef Al-Ghamdi said some people who are never satisfied with what they have and believe acquiring whatever they don’t have will bring them happiness and such a self-defeating pursuit can have negative consequences.

“Naturally, man will lose his values and ethics in pursuit of these materialistic values such as a house, car or even a sizable bank balance. The possessiveness that some people have has forced them to place their own self-worth in these materialistic things,” he said.
Dark picture

Dr. Mohammad Al-Husseini, psychiatrist and educator at Najran University, said gauging society based on how rich or poor people are is part of the problem. Instead, he urged people to use money to gain an education.

“If we consider money as a means to acquiring a good education and decent living, we will find that we are living a much more fruitful life. One should not seek work to gain money. One should work to learn and gain experience and knowledge. With a multitude of skills and experience, money is bound to come,” he said.

Money is not an end but a means to happiness and luxury in our lives. People should learn how to be smart about their money. We must be wise about our spending as gaining money is harder than keeping it and perhaps that is the difference between a rich person and a poor person. One must learn how to secure and invest his money in order to live a stable and balanced life,” he added.

Faith

Writer Huda Alsadi believes religion is a good deterrent for would-be criminals as many worry about having to answer to Gid for their sins.

“If we were to ask ourselves why we aren’t stealing to become rich, we will find that most of us would answer: Because it is forbidden and we will have to eventually answer for our sins. This kind of caution and fear of consequences is part of human ethics, which one must maintain. The law plays the role of implementing the feared consequences,” she said.

Dignified life

Family consultant Dr. Mansour Al-Otaibi said money problems often stem from man’s greed. To some people, earning money at all costs, legal or illegal, has become their sole aim in life.

“People have become unhealthily obsessed with the idea of earning money as if it is the only way to live. We are required to provide a dignified life for ourselves and that is not always through riches,” he said.

“People no longer knock on your door without asking for a favor. Things were much warmer between people and in society in general in the old days even though people hardly had any money,” he added.

 
[wpResize]