by Brad Homer
The Apostle Paul said "the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil." He did not say "money is the root of all evil," even though many people mistakenly shorten it (and by so doing change the meaning.) There is a world of difference between implying that "money is the cause of all evil" and saying "the love of money is the root of all evil" The word 'all' is also misused in the shortened (incorrect) version. "All kinds" logically allows for evils within kinds to not have money as its root. I'm sure you can think of many evils which are not necessarily born of a love for money; jealousy springs to mind, for example.
So what am I trying to say? I agree with the statement, "The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil," but I do not believe this means money itself is the slightest bit evil. Money is power. Money is a representation of value. Money is created through labor; by creating something of value and then exchanging this thing for money. Loving power leads to all kinds of evil. Loving the representation of a thing, rather than what good that thing can bring to us is a perversion - a root of evil. Money is similar to electricity in that it can be used to warm a room where a baby sleeps or it can kill indiscriminately if not properly controlled. Money is no more evil than electricity, which is to say: not at all.
The point of this article is to shake loose some old time money fear and guilt in many of you that is based on a misunderstanding. Money can be used for great good. It is powerful and as such it must be used wisely. Loving money itself is stupid. Money is a means to an end. It is the temporary representation of value, waiting to be released to cause action and exchange of goods. The more money you have, the more good you can do and the more evil you can do. The choice is yours. Be wise, work hard, provide lots of value to your fellow humans, reap the rewards (including money) and then use that money for every good thing you can for yourself, your family and others.
Millionaire 2020™ can help you accumulate large wads of money to create all kinds of good in your life...and it starts with good budgeting.