Pursuing Wealth

To some young people, however, reasonableness seems a hindrance rather than a help in reaching their goals. Such students believe that the key to success is a high-paying job and the riches that such a job produces. Pope encountered that kind of thinking among some of the young people she met. She observed: “These students wished they could get more hours of sleep and improve their health, but their busy schedules, including school, family, and work obligations, did not allow this change. Similarly, they wished they could spend more time with friends, pursue other activities, or take a few days off, but most believed they could not do these things and still maintain their high grades. They recognized that they needed to make a choice, and for them, future success was more important than present happiness.”

Such hard-driving students do well to consider what a wise man once said: “Will a person gain anything if he wins the whole world but loses his life? Of course not! There is nothing he can give to regain his life.” (Matthew 16:26, Today’s English Version) With those words Jesus Christ warned that the goals we may strive to reach in this world are not worth the physical, emotional, and spiritual price required to attain them.

In her book The Price of Privilege, psychologist Madeline Levine wrote of “the fact that money, education, power, prestige, and material goods offer no protection against unhappiness or emotional illness.” Pope, cited earlier, made this observation: “I see so many kids and parents striving for perfection​—according to a flawed definition of success.” And she added: “We should be striving to be healthy​—mentally and physically and spiritually.”

Some things are far more important than money. These include emotional and physical well-being, a good conscience, and friendship with our Creator. These are priceless gifts from God. If you lose them in the pursuit of fame or riches, you may never regain them. With that in mind, notice what Jesus taught: “How happy are those who know their need for God, for the kingdom of Heaven is theirs!”​—Matthew 5:3, The New Testament in Modern English.

Many young people have come to accept that truth. While they do their best in school, they know that academic excellence and material riches do not produce lasting happiness. They recognize that the pursuit of such goals brings them unnecessary stress. Those students have learned that satisfying “their need for God” is the foundation for a truly happy future. The publishers of this magazine or Jehovah’s Witnesses in your area will be pleased to show you how to be happy as you satisfy your need for God.

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AN IMAGINARY WALL OF PROTECTION

“The valuable things of the rich [man] are his strong town, and they are like a protective wall in his imagination.” (Proverbs 18:11) In ancient times, people depended on high walls for protection against attack. But think of living in a city surrounded by a wall that only existed in your mind. As hard as you tried to convince yourself otherwise, that wall would provide no defense against your enemies.

Like people living in such an exposed place, young ones who pursue riches are headed for disappointment. Are you a parent? You would do well to help your child avoid the trap of materialism and not take up life in a city with an imaginary wall.

The following Bible-based truths can help you reason with your son or daughter:

◼ Great wealth often brings far more problems than it solves. “The plenty belonging to the rich one is not permitting him to sleep.”​—Ecclesiastes 5:12; 1 Timothy 6:9, 10.

◼ With good planning, a person does not need wealth to be happy. “The plans of the diligent one surely make for advantage.”​—Proverbs 21:5; Luke 14:28.

◼ A moderate income that covers one’s needs leads to contentment. “Give me neither poverty nor riches.”​—Proverbs 30:8.d

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