“Anybody who tells you money is the root of all evil doesn’t f*ckin’ have any. … They say money can’t buy happiness? Look at the f*ckin’ smile on my face. Ear to ear, baby.” — Jim Young AKA Ben Affleck, Boiler Room
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Can you buy happiness?
I recently found an old Dr Seuss book, The Sneetches (and other stories), and my wife wanted me to read it to her.
In case you’re not familiar, The Sneetches is about two groups of creatures called “Sneetches.”
They’re these funny-looking yellow animals with long noses or beaks or something and big round bellies. Basically, pear shaped bodies.
Anyway as the story goes, some Sneetches have stars on their bellies and some don’t.
The star-bellied Sneetches are uptight elitists whiles the plain-belly Sneetches are “plain folks.”
Star-belly Sneetches walk around with their noses in the air and look down on the plain-belly Sneetches.
Plain-bellies aren’t allowed to the star-belly Sneetch parties and the kids are kept separate from one another… kind of like America before the Civil Rights movement.
Of course the plain-bellies were a little sour about the whole thing.
But, one day, a clever peddler named Sylvester Mc Monkey McBean came to town. He’s the “fix it up chappie.”
He offered to put stars on the plain-belly Sneetches for $3 eaches using his “star on” machine.
And of course the plain-bellies bought it.
But old McBean is a smart fellow.
Once the plain-belly Sneetches had stars on their belly, the old star-bellies realized they weren’t special anymore. And so… McBean whipped out his “star off” machine and offered the Sneetches a deal to once-again become the best Sneetches on the beeches… for only $10 dollars eaches.
I hope you see where this is going.
The star-bellies became plain and the old plain-bellies now had stars on their bellies but… now the new star-bellies wanted to be plain-bellied Sneetches again.
So McBean kept selling them a “solution” to their “problem.”
Sneetches would get stars put on their belly, then get upset, then would pay to have them removed. They were always looking to do the opposite of the other group of Sneetches.
Eventually everyone runs out of money, except… Mr. McBean, who is now rich.
The Sneetches eventually learned (the hard way) that they never really had a problem that needed solving.
Why do I bring this up?
Probably you have come across products and services at some point that offer you a Sneetch-like “solution” to a Sneetch-like “problem” you’re having.
And you have a choice to make.
Do with that information what you will.
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