Have you ever noticed how often money appears behind the problems in society? Manycrimes are occurring in modern society, and discussion about this continues. The phrase “the love of money is the root of all evil” comes from 1 Timothy 6:10, which states, “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” This quote suggests that the problem may not be money itself, but the way people value it. And also actually, many people have pointed out the relationship between poverty and crime. “Although numerous factors play a role, there is a consensus based on evidence that poverty significantly increases the risk of criminal behavior.” Whether you have seen crime or not, a large number of cases are connected to financial motives or pressure. Like this, it is reasonable to say that money can be seen as the root of all evil due to greed for money, increase of criminal behaviors, and corruption of society.
First, it is possible to see money as the root of all evil because it increases human greed. If a person excessively desires money, there is a high possibility of them prioritizing profits rather than proper judgments. According to Cowrywise, they say that “desperation led by desire can lead people to wrong choices and actions and especially for greedy people, their hope to get rich even faster could destroy morality in the end.” Mitchell B. Liester M.D. also introduced that “Research shows materialistic individuals experience less happiness despite having more things.” This shows that an obsession with money does not always bring satisfaction, and can instead harm personal well-being.
Secondly, most of the time, money is the reason for the increase of criminal behaviour. Lisa Myers says that “When basic needs such as food, shelter, and health are not available, individuals may commit theft, drug trafficking, and other crimes just to get by the day and feed their relatives.” Also, according to Numberanalytics, “In areas with high levels of poverty, residents may be less likely to trust one another, and community organizations may be underfunded or absent.” These examples show how financial insecurity can push people toward actions they might not otherwise choose.
Lastly, this is mainly because money is the primary cause of corruption in society. Especially in a political system with weak systems, monetary resources are essential for maintaining power. As stated by Jade Miller, “Holding political power in weakly institutionalized political systems requires resources to make deals within and outside of formal institutions. Corruption is one way actors amass the resources to afford dealmaking politics.” In addition, the environment is destroyed in the process of using natural resources for human profit. Greta Jimenez also claims that “The pursuit of profit can drive industries to exploit natural resources, contribute to deforestation, pollution, and greenhouse gas emissions, ultimately accelerating climate change.” This suggests that the desire for money can damage not only society, but also the environment we depend on.
In conclusion, money can be seen as the root of evil for the reason of people making wrong choices due to their greed for money, which possibly can lead to crime, and money maximizes inequality and corruption in society or the environment. However, this raises an important question: is money truly the problem, or is it how humans choose to use and value it? Therefore, excessive obsession with money can have a negative impact on people.
By. Heeseo Kim