Money:
Is
it
Really
the
Root
of
All
Evil?
Throughout
history,
wise
men
and
women
have
commented
on
money.
Which
one
do
you
agree
with?
- "Money
alone
sets
the
world
in
motion."
Publius
Syrus,
42
BC
- "Remember
that
time
is
money."
Benjamin
Franklin,
1748
- "How
pleasant
it
is
to
have
money!"
Arthur
Hugh
Clough,
early
19th
century
writer
"Money
is
the
root
of
all
evil"
is
perhaps
the
most
famous
adage.
Unfortunately,
it's
a
misquote.
The
actual
words
come
from
Timothy
6:10:
"The
love
of
money
is
the
root
of
all
evil."
If
you
think
about
those
two
added
words,
the
original
meaning
changes.
In
fact,
8
verses
later
in
Timothy,
the
rich
are
encouraged
to
use
their
wealth
"that
they
do
good,
that
they
be
rich
in
good
works,
ready
to
distribute."
I
can't
help
but
think
of
all
the
good
works
and
"readiness
to
distribute"
exemplified
by
people
like
Bill
and
Melinda
Gates,
who
in
2004
gave
$3
billion
to
their
foundation,
and
there
are
Oprah's
numerous
charities,
like
her
Angel
Network.
There
are
the
Rockefellers,
who
have
been
giving
money
to
charity
for
decades,
and
Ted
Turner,
who
seems
more
obsessed
with
giving
money
away
than
making
it
and
says
philanthropy
is
"better
than
sex."
In
2005,
Slate.com's
list
of
60
most
generous
donors
totaled
$4.3
billion-with
the
smallest
donations
at
$20
million
and
the
largest
at
over
$400
million.
Who
benefits
from
all
this
philanthropy?
All
kinds
of
people
and
places
and
programs.
McDonald's
heiress
Joan
Kroc
earmarked
her
donation
to
the
Salvation
Army
for
construction
of
more
centers
where
the
indigent
could
find
food
and
a
place
to
sleep.
The
Gates
Foundation
is
organized
around
fighting
killer
diseases
around
the
world.
Many
benefactors
give
money
to
universities
for
scholarships
and
to
fund
research
that
benefits
countless
people.
Others
give
to
environmental
and
animal
welfare
organizations.
Of
course,
the
average
person
is
no
slouch
when
it
comes
to
giving,
either.
Donations
to
the
Red
Cross
flood
in
whenever
there
is
a
disaster:
9/11,
the
tsunami
in
Indonesia
and
Hurricane
Katrina
are
just
a
few
examples
of
when
ordinary
people
showed
their
generosity.
The
average
American
gives
a
little
over
$400
a
year
to
various
charities,
and
that
doesn't
count
money
given
to
religious
organizations
or
the
value
of
personal
property
they
donate.
Of
course,
there
are
plenty
of
immensely
wealthy
people
who
are
complete
misers.
They
won't
give
anyone
a
dime.
You've
probably
seen
Dickens's
A
Christmas
Carol
a
dozen
times.
Scrooge
woke
up
just
in
time,
but
there
are
plenty
of
Scrooges
out
there
who
never
will.
Loving
money
just
for
the
sake
of
being
rich,
and
refusing
to
share
your
wealth
with
others,
that
may
indeed
be
a
teensy
bit
on
the
evil
side.
I'm
reminded
of
a
boss
I
once
had.
Born
into
a
wealthy
family,
he
was
a
multi-millionaire
at
26.
My
desk
was
right
outside
his
office,
and
I
have
to
admit
I
eavesdropped
on
his
phone
conversations.
It
wasn't
hard
to
do
when
he'd
call
up
a
friend
and
shout
heartily
into
the
phone
"Hey
Mark!
Let's
go
to
Switzerland
this
weekend
for
some
skiing!"
I
asked
him
once
what
it
felt
like
to
be
rich.
He
explained
it
like
this:
"The
only
thing
having
money
does
is
free
you
from
worrying
about
money."
The
only
thing?
I
was
struggling
to
make
ends
meet
at
the
time,
and
freedom
from
worrying
about
money
seemed
like
it
would
be
the
most
wonderful
thing
in
the
world.
It
wasn't
that
I
wanted
to
go
out
on
a
shopping
rampage.
I
just
wanted
to
be
able
to
pay
the
rent
and
eat
something
other
than
spaghetti
for
dinner.
Of
course,
being
without
money
was
something
he'd
never
experienced.
But
let's
get
back
to
our
quotes.
I
like
them
all.
Having
money
is
indeed
pleasant.
Not
having
it
is
decidedly
unpleasant,
especially
when
the
bills
roll
in.
And,
to
rephrase
Publius
Syrus,
money
does
make
the
world
go
'round.
My
favorite
of
the
three
quotes
is
Ben
Franklin's,
though:
Remember,
time
is
money.
You
exchange
the
8
or
10
hours
a
day
you
spend
at
work
for
money.
The
time
doesn't
belong
to
you;
it
belongs
to
your
boss.
The
company
decided
how
much
money
your
time
was
worth
when
you
were
hired.
It
may
be
a
lot;
it
may
be
insultingly
small.
Either
way,
what
would
it
feel
like
to
control
both
your
time
and
your
money?
If
you
work
2,000
hours
a
year
(fifty
40-hour
weeks)
at
$18
an
hour,
your
gross
income
is
$36,000.
Suppose
you
could
average
twice
that
hourly
wage.
You
could
either
get
1,000
hours
of
your
time
back,
or
you
could
still
work
2,000
hours
and
make
$72,000!
What
if
you
didn't
have
to
spend
an
hour
or
two
commuting
every
work
day?
That's
500
hours
a
year
in
traffic,
burning
up
gas
and
feeling
frustrated.
If
you
spent
that
500
hours
at
home,
averaging
$36
an
hour,
you
could
add
another
$18,000
to
your
income.
Now
you'd
be
at
$90,000!
Of
course,
this
is
just
an
illustration
of
how
true
Benjamin
Franklin's
quote
is.
He
understood
that
a
person
should
be
able
to
decide
what
their
own
time
is
worth.
It
also
illustrates
the
wisdom
of
considering
a
home-based
business
where
you
are
in
control
of
time
and
you
decide
how
much
it's
worth.
Interested
in
finding
out
more
about
the
home-based
business
that
is
allowing
me
to
have
both
financial
freedom
AND
the
freedom
of
TIME?
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