If I had a billion dollars

I've caught a lot of flack for saying that money can buy happiness, but I really believe that it can help. It can also cause havoc in the lives of those with little self control. Nonetheless, in the hands of a reasonable person money isn't about money, it's about the freedom to exercise your ideas and dreams on the one life you get. It's about the ability to help the persons you feel deserve a hand. If I could do whatever I wanted without concern for financial cost, I'd spend a lot more time with my family. I'd also go back to school, and not necessarily to master a particular discipline, but to learn for the sake of learning. I would travel and bring along any friends or family who wished to come. Eventually I'd try my hand at business but on my own terms.

But am I really buying happiness? Well, I'm not unhappy right now but I am concerned about the mundane things in life like buying a home, saving for retirement, getting that project completed on time, whether my kids will be able to take those piano lessons, and on and on. So I'm not buying happiness as much as peace of mind and the ability to choose my lifestyle--instead of having it assigned by my particular circumstances. Maybe they're right, money can't buy happiness, especially if you're already happy. Money can, however, ease the mind of the incessant overhead associated with just living. That means money can improve quality of life, if not happiness directly.