The young people nowadays think that the money is all and when they grow up,they find that out for certain

6 a.m.: a wake –up call, a shower, a coffee, stiff collar, a suit, a briefcase and off to work for eight, maybe ten hours . Then a fake smile, constantly sitting in front of the computer with a short break for a stressful business lunch . And then again: thousands of rows of numbers, which are to be rebuilt into a logical conclusion and to become the basis for a far-sighted prediction . After that back home : irritated by a careless driver, robbed out of joy of life and vitality, with a desire to rest at last, in peace and quiet, analysing the last exchange quotation . Dinner and a shower to fill up the day and going to bed . Till six a.m. ...

Reservedness , moderation, rivalry and a headache ten hours a day, six days a week. STOP! What is this all for? Oh, right - the money. But what can a man really buy for it? There are a lot of things: a university degree, management, judges opinions, authorities decisions and social status. All of them are very expensive, all of them are booked for so called `upper classes’, but are they really necessary? Does buying them give any kind of satisfaction to the purchaser? For example: a man can buy a university degree, but he cannot purchase the knowledge - his brain remains as empty as it had been earlier. I know that qualifications, even those written on paper, increase the possibility of getting a job, but then an employee still has to prove his leadership on his field at work and it might be difficult without proper education. Each of us is different – not everyone can be Einstein, but everyone can develop the talent he has got. It is unfair to buy a Master`s degree, just because it might give better prospects for higher wages. People should be themselves, not pretend pretend to be geniouses.

Very expensive bad purchases are also authorities decisions, thanks to which, for example, a company can easily win an official tender, no matter the conditions it offers. But what can it give – only more money and power. Are they really something worth living and fighting for? Sometimes, when a young man is considered to succeed, I mean, when he already has extremely high social status, five cars, a huge villa, servants and a lot of `friends’(ready to stab him as soon as he fails), it suddenly turns out, that he has no aim in life, no one to share his good luck with. It turns out that his life is meaningless, because he has already achieved his aim – became one of the richest and the most powerful men in the country, and...it has changed nothing. He is still the same John or Janek or Johan he has been so far, he is not happier at all, maybe he has only become stricter to himself and his subordinates. He has a lot of money, he can buy e v e r y t h i n g, but not e v e r y t h i n g. The best things in life are free – health, love, peace, happiness, a soul, and a smile (if you do not count those in toothpaste commercials).People must learn appreciating `free’ things like the beauty of the coming storm cloud, the rain, the touch and the lyrics. Through the ages there were a lot of young people, who did not care about money at all. Their biggest problem was living in agreement with their souls and believes – just to mention saint Frank, lord George Gordon Byron and Oskar Wilde himself, though he might have been saying something else.

Saint Frank lived in the XII century. He was a rebel in his youth, but has always been generous to poor people. After the serious illness he gave his goods away, became a wanderer and a tutor. He propagated the philosophy of love, hope, peace and joy. He claimed that human`s soul was made for love and joyful faith in God, he did not mention material goods even once. He was a beggar and ... a happy man.
The fact, that lord George Gordon Byron did not care about money can be confirmed by his waste of those amounts of money , which he had inherited. Furthermore, he also ran in debt. He was not only a genious and a poet, but also a rebel and a scandalist. His favourite occupations were parties, travels, love affairs and sports.He took part in the uprising of Greeks against the Turks, in which he lost his life (at the age of thirty six).He died fighting for his beliefs.He did not live happily (like saint Frank), but he lived the way he wanted and never thought the money was all.
Oskar Wilde resembles lord Byron in his delights in partying, travelling and love affairs. He said that young people thought the money was all , but he did not believe that at all. Wilde`s actions were not conformed to getting money – he has always done what he wanted, whether it could give him profits or not. He has always complied with his inner voice – conscience.

Those great people were guided by emotions and ideas , both in their youth and in maturity , so they did not find the money the most important thing in the world in spite of the experience captured . They did not sacrifice to getting the wealth anything . They knew that living in order only to get means for life, forgetting the spiritual dimension of a man is called vegetation . And they wanted to live. How about people nowadays? We are divided into three groups: those, who want to be rich, those, who are already wealthy and those, who could not care less about that. The last group is definitely the happiest – people do not have too much money and they do not feel like taking part in the race to get it . Those people are usually humanists . Most of them graduated from studies , after which they can not get a well-paid job , but they had chosen the studies because of love : to history , archeology , teaching , art history , theology , poetry and etc. But most of humanists are aware , the money is not the source of happiness and some of them are able to give up a well paid job to do something they really want . They have time for the sunset , for the leaves in the autumn and for the other men . They are trying to be the brakes for people , who , rushing to the wealth , have lost the real meaning of life ; for those , who have forgotten that , except for money , there are also : national culture and history , the literature , the art , the feelings , the beauty and dreams. But `the rich` usually do not want to listen to `romantics` they meet on their way . They believe in their system , according to which the money is a means that gives people wealth , happiness, respect , popularity and the power to decide about other people . And that is what they call success .Some think that their lack of self – confidence can be hidden behind securities, others – selfish and imperial – think that being rich lets them feel better and look down on people.

The biggest and the youngest is the group trying to get money. Young students are begining to work for big companies too early and finish – too late. Yet five or ten years ago Polish dormitories in the evenings and at nights were the places of constant fun, dances and conversations about arts, politics and feelings. And now more and more often they are quiet. Students either are out at work or in their rooms, working with the computers. The age of twenty is the high time to look for a permanent job and your own place in life. If not, it might turn out that the age of twenty five, as you have already graduated from your school , can be too late. Most of the students straight from the lectures run to work, where they stay all day long. Chasing for money and manager`s post they are giving all their strength : they are always smiling , trying to be efficient , full off ideas and enthusiasm . At the age of twenty four they can afford a car or an apartment . In the run for money they do not look back at anything – especially their young lives . Only that , at the age of thirty , it turns out that they are already burnt out and that their post will be given to someone younger . As they were very young they had thought that money was all and had been giving their youth to the companies , where they could get money from . Usually they did not have any time to think about the emotional side of life . And there they are : in the emotional emptiness and loneliness , with lots of money on the account and the feeling that they had lost much more than they have gained . But that is a fact.

Unfortunately William Shakespeare`s `To be or not to be?’ has lately turned into ‘To be or to have? ‘. If someone asked me, I would definitely say:` To be!’ Money is just a temporary value and trying to get it at all costs is very improper. It is impossible to live without it nowadays, but making it the main aim is a huge mistake. MONEY IS NOT ALL! And we, the young people, know about it(at least most of us).We will not give in to the power of it!