Even Elon Musk Agrees That Money Can’t Buy Happinesss

When money is the goal, people are the tools. But when people become the goal, money is the tool.

From an economic standpoint, money is simply the yardstick by which products and services are measured, quantified, rewarded and provided. When an individual seeks to accumulate wealth, they are essentially seeking to accumulate access to options and possibilities external to themselves, that are based on labor via pricing.

Just a few days ago, Elon Musk, now worth a staggering $800 billion, posted that money does not buy happiness, agreeing with the old adage. Musk claims his purpose is to "advance humanity," and it is through that vision that he likely derives his sense of meaning.

The Alchemy of Tzedakah:

However, there is a deeper truth found in Jewish tradition. The Divine command to perform Tzedakah (charity) is not merely about "doing the right thing." It is a balancing act.

When a person of means gives back to the world, they are returning the labor that others gave to them, but in a "distilled" form.

Through charity, the wealthy man effectively places himself in service to those who were previously "subjugated" to him.

He gives from a place of abundance, becoming a servant to his fellows out of choice, when perhaps those who work for him have not this privilege, his privilege is not only that he serves others, but that he chooses to do so.

In this ecosystem, the worker receives from the employer twice:

The basic profit mechanism of our world must reward people.

It is designed to disproportionately compensate those who provide exceptional services or hold unique niches upon which we all depend.

The Tavern and the Realtor:

I was reminded of the fragility of this balance recently during a chance encounter at a tavern. I met a man who introduced himself as a real estate agent. When he heard my budget for an apartment, he responded with something incredibly negative, some might even say "sickening."

While he is not Jewish, he mentioned he works with Jews. Looking at his cynical attitude, I couldn't help but wonder, "G-d have mercy, what kind of my fellow tribesmen is he working with?"

The encounter led me to a vital realization: To think "big" in business, one must recognize that every human being is a potential for a "wonderful innovation", whether they are the giver or the receiver.

It is truly a pity for that man who has yet to realize this rule.

Perhaps if he grasped this principle, he wouldn't be a realtor; he’d be a developer. But to develop, one must understand business. To understand business, one must understand people. And to truly understand people, you must understand the nature, and the limits, of money.

Had he understood that people are the objective and money is merely the instrument, he would have realized that communicating in a courteous manner would have helped him reach the very people who he is looking for. And that in turn this would have helped him refine and grow his own "tools" (Money).

In the end, chasing the dollar at the expense of the person is a losing game. Unless your offering is truly irreplaceable, focusing on the 'coin' ensures you lose both the profit and the human connection that fuels it. Value is the objective; money is simply the reward. measurement of the value we provide to our fellow man.

Those who live for the people will find that the coins take care of themselves.