Have you heard the famous “quote” that money is the root of all evil? Of course you have… It is probably the most popular quote that relates to money. Only problem is that it is misquoted, and in my opinion, very misunderstood.
Think of all of the “sayings” that we hear everyday about money. How many of them are positive? Not many. Most of them paint money as dirty and those who have a lot of money as evil, dishonest or unethical. Why are we being taught through generations to dislike money and those who aim to acquire it?
The full quote is from the Bible and it is;
“But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” – Timothy 6:10
Let’s take some time to dissect the quote. We can start with this part which is very different from what people are saying.
“for the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil”
What is “Love”? It is probably the most powerful force on earth. People live for it, die for it and will do anything in their power for whatever they truly love. So if you feel this strongly about money then it is the number one priority. You can imagine that would lead to all sorts of evil, temptation and foolish and harmful desires.
Money is a tool. It is a resource. It to be respected but not loved. In today’s world, we do need money but that doesn’t mean we have to love it. Money is exchanged for value and if you are focused on bringing value to people then you will be paid in money.
I believe that the lack of money is probably more harmful than the love of money. Since we need money in order to buy the resources to live, like food and shelter, if you lack money, that will lead to all sorts of evil in order to acquire the things that you need.
It is time we stop encouraging an unhealthy relationship with a vital tool such as money and we start encouraging people to respect it and accept it for what it is.
