Characters vs. Money

A couple of weeks ago, I shared two questions as my WhatsApp status, and the responses I received were quite intriguing. This blog reflects on the psychology behind people’s answers.

Question 1:
Given a choice, what would you choose: Rs. 100,000 or a good habit/character?

Question 2:
Given a choice, what would you choose: Rs. 10,000,000 or a happy family?

For the first question, most people chose a good habit or character.
For the second, most chose a happy family.

However, two unique responses stood out to me.

One acquaintance chose both, reasoning that without money, life feels incomplete. To live in this materialistic world, they believed both are necessary.

My 17-year-old co-founder, on the other hand, chose the money. She explained that she already possesses good habits and a happy family—what she lacks is the money, so she opted for that.

These answers sparked some out-of-the-box thinking for me. The human mind tends to focus on what it feels is missing or where there’s a gap. There’s nothing wrong with people’s choices, but it certainly offered a refreshing perspective for me!

Personally, I would not compromise my character or my family’s happiness for material gains.

If we take a closer look at how money flows, we see an interesting cycle. The wealthy deposit their money in banks, and the bank pays them interest. The bank then lends this money to the common man at higher interest rates. Big companies, funded by these banks, create enticing advertisements that make people feel like they’re lacking something. Many end up purchasing these products on EMI, once again paying more interest. Ultimately, it seems that most of us are either working for a bank or helping make someone else extremely rich.

The key is to live a content life, upgrading our lifestyle not out of envy or comparison but because it genuinely benefits our family.

What kind of life are you living, my friend?