Money Notes and Quotes

Recently I heard a Harvard educated physician who holds esteemed posts within the university assert definitively that "Money Corrupts." At first swing, it would seem to be true, especially as we've witnessed the news about Bernie Madoff over the past few days. Corruption in living, breathing color.

As usual when contemplating the meaning of experiences and thoughts, I go to my worn and torn dictionary to help me grasp the essence. In the case of "corrupt," I learn that it's defined as "immoral, perverted, depraved." From that uplifting beginning, it continues to " marked by venality and dishonesty," then on to "decaying, putrid."

The question immediately arises, how could something that is inanimate like a dollar bill or a one hundred dollar bill, or even a quarter be immoral? Money doesn't have the ability to make moral decisions; it has no cognitive capacity, nor a brain. It's paper and metal.

The thinking behind "Money corrupts," is perverted and backwards. It's not the money that corrupts the humans; it's the humans who corrupt the money! The money itself cannot be corrupt.

Therefore, we get to choose, for ourselves, whether we corrupt or sanctify the money in our wallets and in our lives.