Money CAN Buy You Happiness

Call it the mood of a human or a change in the season; August 16th and 17th - 2011 seemed way too dark for my comfort! Primary concern was the visibility of happiness and the path that leads to it, including the thought – Do I need to earn more money to be happy?

Confused and in a state of introspection, I went down with my friend Rahul (who is always my partner in crimes) for a road side Chai, unaware about the fact, as to how the ‘sayings’ would be made to feel hammy today.

“People can get used to anything, including wealth. So the joys of being rich tend

to fade over time” – these words come from http://www.forbes.com/ so here we are – fighting a case.

Saying is – Money can’t buy you happiness!

Answer is – It sure can.

Most of you (expectedly and with valid reasons) would not agree to it and counter attack my thought process. But, this is not what I think, but what I saw that makes me believe that sure can.

After consuming our chai, we gave 100 bucks to the young lad on the stall who was helping his parents late night, and for him to return the change. When he did, my friend gave him 10 bucks to keep to his pocket, which brought a smile on his face that even angels would be envious of. Walking back to stall he showed that money to his parents, who were smiling too and looked at us in appreciation and for me that was the moment to be captured (irony – none of us was carrying a camera or a phone that could click well).

Keeping aside the fact that the smile could be a short term achievement and distant future would have no impact, the only thing I could come to term was – Money bought him his happiness. It was a moment that I felt good about, the dark was gone now and a smile was there on my face too (did we also buy happiness with those 10 bucks? Bet we did), and that moment I felt proud and felt alive – yet again.

The water drops that were to arrive after that were not of some disgustful feeling of life to be spent on road, but, that of happiness, that was unveiled and captured in that one moment. For that young lad, the moment when we exchanges smiles would be remembered forever, and those 10 bucks would be the currency that bought him – His happiness.