Dollar Blamed
Not Guilty
You’ve heard that money is the route of all evil, that one cannot serve God and mammon. What power the dollar must have! Is it fair to characterize it as the evil one?
Yes, many marriage breakups have been blamed because of money problems. One speculates, what devastating role did the dollar play? At the heart of many gambling addictions is the chase for more and more dollars. Really?
I ask you, like members of a jury, to consider the facts carefully. First, a foundational reality––the dollar is a thing, an object, not a living breathing entity. It has no ability to think or manipulate. It is merely a tool in the hands of a thinking person. Therefore, it’s use or misuse lies with the person possessing or wanting it.
In the following passage Joseph struggles with why he works so much. He has a vague impression that it has something to do with money, but he can’t grasp what is driving him to earn more money, what is the real cause of his troubles.
Joseph notices that Sarah is studying him. “Yes, Sarah.”
“Dad, I just wanted you to know,” Sarah pauses. “If something happens to me like what happened to Amber, I will understand. You can’t help it if work has to be first.” Then she gives her father a hug.
“Thanks, honey,” he says as he maneuvers her to sit on his knee. “Can I try to explain something to you?” He pauses. “And perhaps something to me too.”
Sarah looks at him expectantly.
“I’m not sure that work is the real problem. I’m beginning to think it has to do with money.” Correcting himself, he thinks, Controlling the family’s spending. “And that is something that is controllable, something I should be able to handle. Maybe me saying that will help.” He looks at Sarah’s blank stare. “Don’t worry, honey. Dad’s just thinking out loud.” Holding up the little note, he thanks her again.
Sarah starts to leave. She stops at the door, turns, and gives a slight wave to her father. He responds in kind.
When he can no longer hear Sarah’s feet on the steps, the implication of her words haunt Joseph. He’d always thought his family was first. Has work really become more important? Or is that just Jill’s impression? Have I lost control over my life? Have I become that weak? Has this job made me that weak?
Here, we see Joseph dancing around a hard-to-accept truth. His long hours of work are driven by a need to make tough mortgage payments. Thus, he must earn sufficient money. But why does he have such demanding payments? When buying the new house, he knew he was putting himself in an undesirable position. The bank manager made it very clear. The answer lies in his top priority, to make his wife happy, something he rightly senses she has never been. A worthy undertaking you might think. And it would be if her request was realistic.
Joseph is right. He has become weak, like his friends have told him. He backed away from trying to convince Jill to seek professional help for her melancholy spirit. He refused to tell Jill that the house she most liked was not financially wise. When on their Disneyland holiday he couldn’t control her souvenir spending. Earlier in his marriage he didn’t persuade Jill to wait until he had saved enough money to buy new household furnishings. Before his marriage, he never had money problems. He worked for the joy of working. Money earned was a bonus.
The fault for Joseph’s marriage problems lies with his failure to take a firm stand for Jill to get professional help. The dollar is not to blame for his troubles. The scales of justice must tip in favor of finding the dollar not guilty in this case.
haiku capsule:
Mammon on trial
Tool? A mighty evil force?
Gun in the wrong hands
Wake up call––the dollar is innocent of any wrong doing. Next week’s blog will show how Jill’s love of spending money and thus her love for more money is a symptom of a much deeper problem.
Next blog: Wake Up Call––The Dollar Is Innocent
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Magnifying money problems exposes the real source of troubles. What example do you have that shows that money is being falsely blamed?
I’d love to use it on my new website that’s being developed.
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