I think most people would say yes and rightly so. Recent Research findings suggest that money does indeed buy happiness. Money is not everything but it goes a long way.

Imagine waking up for the rest of your life knowing you can afford whatever you want and don’t have to put off certain things, say medical procedures or other projects simply because you can’t afford them!

If your close family and loved ones are financially stable, then you don’t have to worry about spending half your salary trying to take care of your parents and siblings. When both spouses are well-off, children will attend good schools and never have to go to bed hungry.

Too many children are taken advantage of in their neighborhoods, where they have to do laundry and other chores just so they can make some extra money to buy Mandazi or Chapatti at break time while others are forced to drop out of school because their parents can’t afford the fees.

Don’t quote me on this but I feel like if we all had money in amounts we deemed sufficient (which in itself is cause for debate because our lifestyles and needs vary and so what may be considered enough by one person may be paltry for another), but to keep it simple, the world would be a much better place and there would be less crime if the gap between rich and poor wasn’t so big.

People lie, steal and kill for money so there’s no doubt that if they had enough of their own, they wouldn’t feel compelled to take other people’s money. I don’t think most pickpockets just wake up and decide to do that for a living.

It’s often out of desperation. Someone needs their next meal or transport fare back home. A sick child, overdue rent and other bills to take care of and without regular income, what other option do they have? Now, granted, some people are just greedy and want more money than they even know what do with.

My argument has always been that if you already own a house and a plot of land somewhere, have a car, can afford at least three meals a day and are debt-free, there’s no reason to steal or siphon funds, often Aid money meant for those less fortunate. It goes back to being selfish.

Don’t be the man or woman who pockets money assigned for mosquito nets and clean water only to spend it on ridiculously expensive clothes or that trip to Dubai that you totally don’t have to take. Same goes for colleagues who sabotage each other in the workplace.

Why is it okay for the Manager to get a raise but not the receptionist or driver? I’m also reminded of friendships that ended over money issues. I think we all have that friend or colleague who borrows too many times but never pays back. Instead, it’s excuse after excuse as to why they can’t pay you back. The worst is when someone pretends they forgot!