Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Money, money, money

Hello everybody,

A simple topic this week. Money. What's your opinion on it? Have you got too much money? Haven't you got enough? Do you think the best things in life are free? Do you think money is the root of all evil?

Looking forward to reading your comments.

Paul

10 comments:

pmmrb said...

Huge amount of money allow high quality of live, luxurious houses, cars, boats, etc, but the best things related with feeling become very inaccessible and false, I don’t believe when a very rich woman or man get married
Is a result a true love, even the called close friend isn’t based in a true friendship “maybe it’s more a relation of interests”.
Lot of money makes awakes feelings, like ambition, jealous, power, lie, greed, makes us forget the reality and the difficulties of normal people, approach enemies and false friends.
When money isn’t present in excess the relation between a man and a woman has more probability to be more pure and true, the friendship isn’t based on interests, the concerns are more realists, they are related with the basics feelings like love, health and family.

I haven’t got too much money, if it was the case I wouldn’t be working for others, maybe at this moment I would have set up my own company or I would be retired and enjoy my money, at the moment I can say that I have enough money to live and pay my bills and obligations.

Yes, I believe that most of the best things in life are free and essentials, like air that we breath, true friendship, health and all the feelings “imagine a true love between woman and man, joy that we feel when a child smile, smell a beautiful flower, touch a just been born, enjoy a beautiful scenery, taste a fresh fruit collect in a fruit tree nearby, hearing the birds chirping etc”, even the food that we need to survive we almost can get it in a free way if we live in a rural area, for instance cultivating the essential goods, like carrots, tomatoes, potatoes, and creating hens, pigs, rabbits, etc.

Of course that nowadays money is essential and necessary to have the minimum quality of life, but we don’t need too much money, if we earn enough to afford a house and a car, buy the food that we need, and even have enough to go to the cinema, theatre, restaurant, etc, we must feel a lucky man/woman.

JR said...

MONEY

1)Seriously...

For me, money it's a mean not a purpose. It's important insofar as it makes me free, and freedom is the most important value in my life!

I never need and I never had much money but I always had health and work, and the enough money to live alone, the second most important thing in my life!
I'm a very organized person even with money. To tell you the truth I don't like jewels, cars, big houses (still less with piscine), shellfish, caviar, etc. I have to admit I buy expensive shoes and some expensive clothes but not many pieces and I use it for some years. I travel a lot but I never stayed in a 5 stars hotel (and I don't want). The only thing I need is a couch and when I travel the important are the place and the people I will meet.
To be honest the only thing I spend money without thinking is in books. When I go to a bookshop I always buy several books! "The book" is my favourite object, the touch, the smell, the colour, the printing type and the story...

I apreciate the simple things. I love the nostalgy of the fall of day, I love looking at the sea and imagine the endless, I love to share, I love people, I love talking, I love laughing, I love to love...

2) Opening my heart...

At the beginning of this year my life changed a lot in different ways and I'm learning to live day by day. I have to spend much money but I feel happier. One of this things was that I decided "to save" Hugo. Hugo is a wonderful, clever, sweet, tender teenager from the institution where I'm volunteer . As he's 17 and as the poverty rises daily and a lot of children go there he has to leave the institution. I was there at the exact moment I heard he said he didn't want to go to the psychologist. I didn't know what was happening and I went out with him to talk and to dinner. We had talked for 3 hours and we had the most amazing conversation I ever had. He talked about his life since he was born (maybe before) and he cryed like a child. I always seem strong at these moments but I'll never forget this moving story in my life. I couldn't to turn my back on him and I decided at that moment I'll support everything in his life. So, I'll pay his studies, his clothes, his singing lessons, etc. I've the responsability to the tribunal and the social work for his success, he only sleep at his mother's home. I teach him to live in family (he never lived in family!!!) and to be a person like us!
Of course, from now on, I'll spend too much money. But what I receive is much more that what I give!

When I was a left teenager I believed I could change the world! Now, as a left woman I'm almost happy if I could change the life of someone!

For me, in this sense, money is very important!

Judite

Ritucha said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Ritucha said...

Dear All,

This week subject isn’t very easy. Money divides the Man and the world. If it doesn’t exist I think that there was less wars, less poverty, less envy and so on.
But money does exist. It’s a fact that we have to live with, and so I think money is very important. Not the most important thing in life. It doesn’t come in first place. I think in first place comes health and after comes money. Sometimes we need money to by health but other times health can’t be buy with money.

I have a very sad story (for me) about this related with my father. He passed away three years ago because of a colon cancer. He suffered very much for two completely years. Thanks to money, we could give him a better quality and end of life but unfortunately we couldn’t save him. That’s why I think health is the most important thing in life. If my father was an healthy person we was with us today.

If we have money, we can have a comfortable house, a car to go everywhere we want, we can by food, we can go on holidays to rest and we can by some other things we need to have a good life. I don’t think we need much money. For instance, I have the money I need to do everything in my life, and it’s not too much. I think I’m a very lucky and happy person because I have everything that money can by for me and everything that money cannot: a husband that I love, some friends, family and peace of mind.

I don’t think that “best things in life are free” because sometimes we can by health, that was supposed to be free and I don’t think that love and friendship can be quoted in this ranking – these are things that are independent of money: they don’t have price and can’t be buy.

Has I’m not a very romantic person, I don’t believe in “a love and a hut”. Money is essential to live the life we are used to, but with a small amount we can be very happy.

See you monday!

Rita Rebelo AB 2.1 19 MA

Joana said...

So… I agree if we say “Some of the best thigs in life are free”! The love, the family, the friendship, the recognition, the peace, a chid’ smile, a loud laugh, a kind kiss, a hug, … all of these are incredibly beautiful and take the first place in my list of the best things in life.

However, there are other things that I think that are too essential for an happy life, like food, comfortable house, clothes, hygiene conditions, scholarly education, … this only the money can buy!

As I neither haven’t won the lottery yet, nor I don’t have wealthy parents, nor I haven’t gone to “BES” yet, I don’t have enough money for all that I would like to have.

It’s true that I’m an happy person because I have family’s love, my boyfriend’s love, little but good friends, a job; nevertheless fail me my own house and money enough for travel, for to buy more books, etc.

Other thing that I think is important in life and isn’t free is the “luck”! The luck of grow up with health, to be born in the boson of stable family, to be born in free country, don’t lose a member’s family or friend suddenly because a illness or accident, etc.

JMendes

MJ said...

Judite, your story about Hugo is very moving as you know. These cases are very important and are the most important things in life. I admire your courage in this project. Good luck.
But, talking about money, I think the money is the oxygen of life. I don’t have much money but enough for living comfortable. I have the most important things: family, friends, health and I`m feeling very happy; but the money is also important.
In opposite of Judite, I like to stay in a good hotel, receive a beautiful jewel, go to a good restaurant, to have a big house and travel around the world. For all these things you need money. The money is the reason why you work.
You can ask if the money is the most important thing in life! I answer, maybe yes. You don’t get anything without money, but in excess could harm you as the oxygen.

Joana said...

Yes! Judite deserves a big and honest congratulation for our “new Project”. If we can’t change the world, change a person’s life!
So, for do that fantastic action is necessary money for to have a comfortable life and can help other person, for this be able smile, too :)

Mália said...

Hello everybody,
For me Money isn’t the best thing in life, but I need to admit that it can help us to do what we really want.
I never had too much money… my family was poor but my parents always try to keep some money in the bank to help us if we have some Disease.
When I was in the Scholl I saw my colleagues with nice bags, nice clothes and I don’t have this but I have a family who cares about me. When a grown up I understand that is most important thing in life.
I know that rich people have always friends but sometimes isn’t a real friends, and maybe their family and husband, boyfriend, etc…isn’t true, but if it is real society thing it’s only because that person has money.
We know that real fellings don’t need money, and we can live without a fortune but Obviously how much money we have, much things we can do and have.
Now, If I have much money I will start study, I never had the opportunity to go to the university, but now I think it can help me.
Judite your attitude is wonderful, I admire you.

Unknown said...

Hello,

The subject of this week is to write in English about money. I thought some verbs relationship with money: to win, earn, lost, pay!
I like money. To earn money signify money as payment for work that I do. Then I thought that in January I was invited to lunch by an English friend who I know since I was a teenager. He was the director in an International company and my father worked with him as financial director. Although he speaks portuguese, but he spoke with us in English. He asked me to give some legal advice. I worked for him. We changed some e-mails in English. In February, on Monday that we hadn´t English lesson, I met him and his wife, we went to a private notary to finish the contract. The notary was a middle-aged man, he doesn´t speak English. In that moment to have certain of person´s will, he just asked them to read the text and confirm. The private notary told me that he never had English clients, he never had the necessity of learn English, just knows to say yes, good morning and no thank you. His secretary knows English.
I think my father was proud on me, because I spoke with Mr. John and understood all he asked me to do. I earned money, but not enough to pay my holidays. I want to learn more English language and who knows if next year I´m learning legal English…..
I like to have money. Until today I think I can control my costs so I have enough to live. The money is necessary to buy a computer, to learn working with it, to buy the Office, to write in word and have internet at home to send this homework. If I have more money I know where I will spend it.
The subject “some of the best things in life are free” God give me the ability of to see, to smell, to hear, to touch, to taste. It is free to see the sun, smell a flower, to hear a bird´s sing or feel the rain, because I have health and appreciate it, if not I must have money to pay a doctor. But money is necessary to buy all things we need, even the seeds of plants in our garden, but the pleasure to see them grew is free.I need money to travel and traveling is very good.
Do you think money is the root of all evil? No, for some people can be.

John Lenon sang:
"The best things in life are free
But you can keep them for the birds and bees
Now give me money
That's what I want"

see you later,

Sílvia Almeida B2.1

Beyba said...

I think that the best things in life haven’t got a price so, I don’t need money to have love, friendship, trust, happiness,…
I need luck to find the right people!

I need money to get cloth, food, better insurance health, house, car, holidays,… I never had too much money, I only have the enough! The enough to buy new things when I need (for me, my family, my friends and sometimes for people that I don’t know – children’s in needs, volunteer institutions,…)
I like new watches and new spectacles, I like to have dinner in good restaurants, I like to travel and visit new cities, but I can live without these.

I can’t imagine how it would be if I had too much money but no family!

There is a Portuguese sentence that shows my life style “Never worst!”