Do not get lost in the money trap

Blog Post One
Kiki He

As a student at Notre Dame, I find money an especially hot topic here on campus. I remember in my first year’s Moreau class, we were asked to name the biggest obstacle we had in trying to make new friends here on campus. Many of my classmates mentioned the wealth gap among students. It turned out to be the most active discussion we ever had. We all had a lot to say about money, success and how money can both build and destroy relationships. 

In my opinion, money is not bad, but sometimes people’s attitude towards money gets distorted and therefore, money becomes a bad thing. People start doing crazy things in order to get money and get lost eventually in the money trap. As Michael Phillips talked about in the third law of money, money is a dream. It is a dream that people get so obsessed with and desire so badly for their whole life. The anecdotes about Michael’s friends made me question myself - Is it t worthy to sacrifice so many valuable things just for more money to spend? Can’t people find a way in which they can realize their fantasies without loosing any other meaningful things? I get so confused by these questions and tried to find an answer by myself based on examples around me. Based on my own insufficient experience, I think people fail to find the balance between money and other aspects of their life because they tend to forget their original beliefs and passion. Without money you can do nothing, but money is not everything. While trying so hard to realize your fantasies, please do not forget those valuable things you used to do - meditating in the beautiful spring morning, going to museums once a month, spending time with your families and friends etc. 


Last week one person asked me about my plan after graduation. I told him I want to go into investment banking because I’m interested in finance. He replied “Okay, well, I would be happy to see an emotionless but super wealthy Kiki in the future.” I was embarrassed while felt sad for him. Money, happiness, friendship and colorful life are not mutually exclusive. I wish one day I can show him that I am able to find the balance between my personal life and work. And I will try my best to always remember things I value much more than money - kindness, gratefulness and happiness.

Comments

  1. jdoutJanuary 29, 2018 at 10:43 AM

    Very interesting, Kiki. Your friend may not be so misguided as you think, at least if we assume that the "world as it is" will not change. To get an idea of what it is like to be a young woman working in finance in the USA, I recommend reading Maureen Sherry's book, _Opening Belle_. Spoiler alert: at the end she quits her job at a large financial services company (Bear Stearns & Co.), moves out of Manhattan, and starts her own business. http://maureensherry.com/books/opening-belle/backstory/
    At any rate, good luck keeping your life goals balanced with your interest in finance! Perhaps what the system needs is more people like you. Perhaps you, Kiki, might help rebalance the financial services industry, and its long-standing tendency toward misogyny, workaholism, and greed (see Shiller for examples of both bad and good practices in FIN).

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