Money Corrupts
This one is the logical, ruthless continuation of last month’s belief:
If money is bad, having a lot of money will make me a bad person.
We’ve all heard the phrase “money corrupts”.
And I freely admit it’s a belief I am familiar with. Because it’s so easy to look at the drug tsars and think that yes, they are doing it out of greed and because it’s so easy to make money with drugs.
And it’s highly criminal. All organized crime has to do with power and money. And that combination can be difficult – but is it really “just” the money? Or is it about the personality of people who think nothing of breaking society’s laws and being criminal?
And although I usually stay out of politics, I will say that the actions of the current US government and Congress is a glaring example of how deeply money can corrupt people indeed. We still aren’t seeing all of it, yet.
But no matter where you look, one thing is really clear:
If you believe that money will corrupt you as well – you’ll stay away from it.
And somehow – this is just occurring to me as I write this out – it feels as if there’s also a lot of self-doubt and possible blame and excuses hidden in this belief.
If money makes me a bad person… does that mean I’m that easy to corrupt? That my moral compass is so weak that money will overwhelm it? At what point? A million? Or two? And do I get to blame money when I do bad things?
Oh, I couldn’t help it. Money made me do it!
Woah. Big can of worms right there!
But you know, there are also examples of people who do the right thing with money. Who remain honest, decent and caring, even if they make a lot of money. They use their money to do good, to save animals, to finance research into obscure diseases, they support poor kids in college, or buy homes for the homeless.
So maybe money can be what you make of it – it is a choice. Maybe money only has the power to corrupt those people who allow themselves to be blinded by greed.
I believe that you and me both know what’s right and wrong. And I like to think that we both (and all of my readers!) are on a path of personal growth and integrity.
Maybe it is totally okay to have money and make lots of money, take good care of ourselves and use any surplus to do some real good.
That’s why this belief that money corrupts everyone is so insidious. It undermines our sense of who we really are.
Let’s tap on that.
Even though it’s so easy to believe that money corrupts, just look at organized crime, and a part of me is afraid that I’ll turn into a bad person if I have lots of money, I’m okay the way I am, and I’m now open to the possibility that this is not an automatic process.
Even though it’s so obvious in our society that money and greed make people do horrible things and break laws, I’m okay the way I am, and I’m now open to the possibility that money doesn’t automatically turn people into criminals and bad persons.
Even though a part of me is afraid that having lots of money might turn me into one of those ugly drug tsars or gang bosses, I’m totally okay the way I am, and I’m now open to the possibility that money is not to blame for that kind of choice.
Your Turn:
Does this belief sound familiar?
How did that make you feel?
What happened while you were tapping?
And finally – what are you writing right now?
Would love to hear from you!
Image Source: F. Moebius
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