On my way to a household prayer meeting on Thursday night, I heard on the car radio that operatives from the NBI raided the Click Mart office (the old SSS building infront of BISU) and confiscated documents which were believed to contain records of investments from members.

Perhaps by now, the public already knows that Click Mart engages in a money scheme from its members and holds pay-outs after 21 days with a whopping 33% return on interest.

Well, such a huge return is too good to be true of course. And added to that is the fact that Click Mart is not a financial institution, therefore is not allowed by law to take in monetary investments from members.

But despite these facts, many still succumb to the trick, to the lure of easy money. Why are we so attracted to money…more money? The obvious answer of course is that money allows us to buy more things and enjoy them. We dream of having much money because we desire the freedom and the power it provides us. With this freedom and power comes also happiness and enjoyment – but not contentment.

You see, the prospect of having a lot of money and the possibilities that go with it have the same effect with that of drugs, alcohol, or sex. It gives people a sense of high that in turn provides tremendous pleasure – but temporary pleasure at that. And because it does not come all the time, it all the more feeds our desire to get it and have more of it.

But even if we have reached a level where our money is enough to provide for our needs and want, we still have the tendency to continue to look for more because we are in constant search for something new. That is just our nature. We are built to seek for activity and growth while at the same time maintaining equilibrium. We never get contented because it so hard to still our minds which naturally is inclined to look for more possibilities in the future.

And so we continue to accumulate. And because we are naturally driven towards something that gives us pleasure and abhor that which cause us pain, the lure of easy money is so compelling that it will drive us to gamble even if sometimes the scheme clearly defies reason and logic.

This outward behavior of desiring money actually has a biochemical correspondent in the brain. The mental process, the hope of gaining much, triggers the release of endorphins in the brain, the hormones that gives us happy feelings. And this can become addictive. When it gets addictive, the desire becomes greed and that’s when it becomes pathological. And just like sex and drugs, it can be hard to stop.

Don’t get me wrong. We all need money; we want more than enough money. But our attitude towards money is more important than how much money we have. Our attitude determines whether we end up winning or losing in the game of money.

In money matters, it is wise to avoid the two extremes: too much money and no money. Too much money is when we hoard it for ourselves and not share it to bless others. This is pathological in the sense that our identity and security is too tied up with money and we all know that while money is instrumental to give us many things in many ways, it is just that, an instrument and nothing else.

Perpetually having no money is as well pathological because it reflects how we have not managed to use our God given talents to support our material needs and provide for our loved ones. This is an equally dangerous situation because even those who vowed to be poor as part of their calling in life need at least some money to continue with their work.

It is important for us to check our desires and attitude toward money. While we dream to have more so we can enjoy the freedom and power that money brings, this must be balanced by temperance and generosity. Because when only greed rules, it’s not just money, we could also lose our minds. What is more miserable than that?

Let us all learn from the tricycle driver who recently returned P88,000.00 to DYRD. What went on his head and heart when he saw the bundles of money? Why did he not keep it to himself? And how does the public react to such a show of honesty? Indeed, rare during these times. Let’s talk about it next week.

P.S. For consultation, contact me at 416-1248/09177201218. Or you can also email me at kitbalane@boholchild.com. (By Kit Nemenzo Balane)