“Time is the most valuable thing a person can spend.” —Theophrastus. This ancient Greek wisdom reminds us that time, once gone, can never be regained. Yet in modern life many people pour their energies into earning and investing money, often believing wealth alone determines success. A Utah credit union’s blog notes that money “provides a safety net, shielding us from the uncertainties of life”, letting us cover basic needs and gain peace of minduccu.com. It adds that money also “equates to freedom and independence,” enabling people to pursue education, travel or business according to their valuesuccu.com. In short, “money impacts our well-being, relationships, opportunities,” serving as a tool for personal growth and dreamsuccu.com.
However, research shows there is a dark side to this money-centric view. As the saying goes, money “really does change everything”greatergood.berkeley.edu. Studies find that the pursuit of wealth can corrupt character: for example, even simply handling (fake) money made students behave more aggressively toward less-wealthy peers in a Monopoly gamegreatergood.berkeley.edu. Psychologists report that people of higher socioeconomic status are often less attuned to others’ emotions – i.e. less empathetic – than people with fewer resourcesgreatergood.berkeley.edu. In practice, the wealthiest may even act with a sense of moral entitlement. One study noted that drivers in luxury cars were several times less likely to yield to pedestrians than average driversgreatergood.berkeley.edu. In short, a fixation on money can distort our ethics and empathy.
All this brings us back to time. Unlike money, time is finite and cannot be saved up or banked. We only have a certain number of days allotted by nature. If spent on wasted pursuits, time – and life itself – is gone. Ironically, social science suggests that valuing time over money actually increases happinessubc-emotionlab.ca. One study developed a measure of “time affluence” and found people who habitually prioritize time report greater well-being than those focused on accumulating wealthubc-emotionlab.ca. Other experiments show that thinking about time makes people cherish social connection and meaningful moments, whereas thinking about money shifts focus to work and self-interestubc-emotionlab.ca. In other words, when we treat time as priceless, we tend to invest it in relationships and experiences rather than blind consumption.
The School of Obedience
Education is supposed to teach us how to think, dialogue, and build a just society – yet today’s schools often miss that mark. UNESCO defines quality education as inclusive and transformative: it “encourages critical thinking” and “fosters creativity”theasu.ca, empowering students with knowledge, values and empathy. But historical analysis shows public schooling was originally designed for a very different goal. Researchers at UC San Diego found that early state-run schools were created not to uplift common people, but to instill obedience and social ordertoday.ucsd.edutoday.ucsd.edu. In fact, in the aftermath of rebellions and unrest, elites often expanded schools as a tool to “teach obedience” and acceptance of the status quotoday.ucsd.edutoday.ucsd.edu. The curriculum and routine – from marching in rows to learning loyalty pledges – were intended to shape conformity and respect for authoritytoday.ucsd.edu. Secondary and higher education remained largely elite, while primary schools were used to influence the masses’ children to “respect authority, the state and its laws”today.ucsd.edu.
Today’s critics argue that vestiges of this system remain. Standardized testing and credentialing often reward rote learning and competition rather than critical debate or empathy. Some observers say modern schooling has become a conveyor belt for consumerist attitudes: it teaches children to be obedient workers and niche consumers, not thoughtful citizens. In effect, the system can produce individuals who follow orders and chase material rewards, rather than independent thinkers committed to the common good. This serves a powerful few — the “ignorant elite” – who benefit when most people lack the critical thinking and empathy to question social injustice.
Two Currents in Finance
Time and money meet again on a larger scale: today’s financial world is split between two opposing currents. On one side is an accountable, law-based finance. These investors and institutions emphasize balance sheets, transparency and social justice. They practice socially responsible investing, aligning their portfolios with ethical values (environmental care, social equity, corporate ethics)investopedia.com. These players support rules and regulations that ensure fairness and discourage excess. Their guiding principle is that markets and laws should work for the whole society.
On the opposite side flows a speculative, opaque finance. This current thrives on secrecy and short-term gain. It includes shadow banking, tax havens, and predatory speculation – all designed to bypass oversight and enrich insiders. As one analysis shows, a sprawling “parallel” financial system of offshore accounts and hidden trusts has grown so large that it “undermined the very principles of onshore political capitalism and democracy — chiefly the sanctity of the rule of law.”journalofdemocracy.org. Tax havens offer permissive regimes with no ownership disclosure, tailor-made for tax evasion and corruptiontaxjustice.net. In this world, unfettered profit is protected above accountability; any effort to enforce rules is seen as a threat.
- Ethical/Accountable Finance: Embraces rules, ESG criteria and social impact. It demands “environmental sustainability, social justice, and corporate ethics” from investmentsinvestopedia.com. It relies on transparency, the rule of law and social fairness.
- Speculative/Corrupt Finance: Relies on secrecy, tax loopholes and leveraged bets. It preserves private gains at public expense. This faction maintains its power by skirting laws and regulatory oversightjournalofdemocracy.orgtaxjustice.net.
The clash between these two ways of handling money reflects a deeper choice between selfish enrichment and shared prosperity.
Honesty as True Wealth
“Real wealth is not the weight of coins; it is the net value of your honesty.” — Munia Khan. In these words, poet Munia Khan reminds us that integrity and conscience are life’s greatest assets. No matter how many bills we collect, wealth rings hollow if we’re dishonest or unkind. It is never too late to turn our lives toward honesty and purpose. We can step back from blind individualism and seek out like-minded people who want to build the common good. We should not fear different opinions or debate — in fact, we must be willing to recognize more reasoned perspectives than our own. Education and continuous learning become acts of empowerment, fighting the ignorance at the root of injustice.
Psychological research confirms what many sense: focus on money alone can make people less caringgreatergood.berkeley.edu. By contrast, knowledge and empathy knit societies together. As one study notes, when laws are selectively ignored by elites (through offshore secrecy and hidden wealth), the social contract breaks down and public trust collapsesjournalofdemocracy.org. In other words, chasing only coins leads to resentment and chaos, whereas embracing truth and fairness builds harmony. Let us choose our side: align ourselves with reason, facts and compassion, not with greed or ignorance. Fill your days with meaningful pursuits and honest work. Choose to make time count, because real wealth — for you and the world — comes from living truthfully and with purpose.
Sources: The above reflections draw on philosophical and scientific insights. Notable sources include Theophrastus’s classic reminderbowdoin.edu, research on time vs money and well-beingubc-emotionlab.caubc-emotionlab.ca, studies on wealth’s effect on empathygreatergood.berkeley.edugreatergood.berkeley.edu, historical research on education’s originstoday.ucsd.edutoday.ucsd.edu, UNESCO’s vision for educationtheasu.ca, overviews of socially responsible investinginvestopedia.com, and analyses of financial secrecy and rule of lawjournalofdemocracy.orgtaxjustice.net. These inform our understanding of why honesty and thoughtful use of time truly make us rich.
Author: Vlad Shapran
My life is a story about continuous education, which makes a person's life meaningful and useful.
