The modern business ethic seems to be to make as much money as possible, but
with little purpose for making that money other than to enhance the wealth
and status of those who make it. No wonder Paul the Apostle wrote that "the
love of money is the root of all kinds of evil" (1 Timothy 6:10). It isn't
money itself that is evil. Money, like fire or firearms, can be used for
good or ill, depending on the character of the person who possesses it. But
money can be worshipped with as much fervency as that golden calf in Moses'
time. In Dow we trust!
Part of our problem is a failure to distinguish between needs and wants.
Until the last century, most people were familiar with the Puritan ethic of
living within one's means. The Gilded Age in the late 19th century
demonstrated the folly of rapacious living, yet the Roaring Twenties
generation had to learn the lesson anew from the Great Depression.
When the Forbidden Fruit was handed to Adam and Eve, they were allowed the
moral choice to accept or decline. I know people who have refused to feast
on the money tree. They live simply, within their means, and seem far more
content than those who are trying to horde their wealth while clinging to
the ladder of "success," terrified to let go. That isn't real living. The
Puritans rightly saw that as covetousness.