It is sad that we have a willingness to give our whole lives to producing items of no social benefit. Is that what we want to do with this one single chance at life? Money is not just about paying bills. It must also be connected with making some contribution to life, others, and history.
Money is an empty symbol precisely because it stands for anything and everything besides the paper or metal it is made of. It stands for me and my importance. Money has no inherent meaning, which is why it can hold any false meaning that we want to put on it. In fact, the paper and metal in themselves are practically worthless. This is why directing your life toward the making of money is so dangerous. It is a life commitment to making what is inherently meaningless and worthless, yet we project onto it all sorts of value and importance. Jesus makes a quite clear and authoritative statement: “You cannot serve both God and money” (Matthew 6:24).
—from the book From Wild Man to Wise Man: Reflections on Male Spirituality
by Richard Rohr
