Most people might think that having money is all they need to achieve happiness. However, I do not think this way. There are many components in life that money cannot purchase. These include a state of being ¡°perfect¡±, a permanent break from stress, and a relief from the dangers that lurk in the world.

When I was in third grade, I had many friends who were greedy for money. They thought, like most people, that money would solve all their problems. It was not until that one incident where I realized money can not solve all problems. That day, my friend and I were obsessed with computer game. We were having a fun time, until I broke an important item of my friend¡¯s by accident. My friend stared in shock for a couple of minutes. Everything seemed to pause, as if suspended in space. I, thinking foolishly that money would fish him out of despair, offered to pay the price of the item broken. Immediately, my friend screamed, sound waves shaking my eardrums. He shouted that it was a unique item; an item that could not be bought anywhere. I soon realized that the item I broke was so valuable to him that even money could not soothe him. From this experience, I learned that money cannot replace a person¡¯s treasured possession.

People tend to think that possessing a lot of money will make them satisfied. However, people would actually gain more stress from possessing a lot of money. For my birthday, I got a lot of money as a present from my grandparents. Once I received my present, I stayed suspended in a moment where everything seemed perfect for a period of time. Sadly, this moment did not last permanently. The instant I told my friends about the money, they asked if I would divide the money and give it to them. Stress descending from dealing with the money started encircling my consciousness. It brought me to a state of depression where I began to wish I had not received the money. With this experience, I realized money cannot buy happiness, and might also bring a person to a depressing state.

I always wondered why some rich people donate their life savings to charity and save only a small portion for their children. The answer would be directed to the children. If the children inherited all of a rich person¡¯s money, the children would be very rich. Many people tend to think that they do not need to work anymore. Even though that child could have accomplished great achievements, he or she might decide not to work at all. In 5th grade, I had a friend who was very rich. Instead of working hard to accomplish something on his own, he bribed others to do work for him. When he bribed me, I earned money while gaining knowledge at the same time. Through this experience, I learned that people controlling others with money will not gain knowledge as the one being controlled.

Through a variety of experiences, I came to feel this way. I still feel it, although the feeling might vanish soon as I grow older. Money is necessary for modern life, but I realized having too much of it will make me think that I have no goal to achieve anymore. The taste of life is to achieve a certain goal, and an abundance of money ruins the desire to reach that goal. I believe that money is not everything, since even money cannot make a person happy.