SOME QUESTIONS FROM THE FIRST NIGHT OF CLASS:

1. Does evil exist? Does God exist? If so, what is God’s nature?

2. Is human life fated? Or do we have free-will?

3. Why do some people seem to attract bad luck?

4. Why are some people prejudiced?

5. Why do people commit suicide?

6. Will money make me happy?

7. Will money, meeting goals, love, fame, glory, etc. make me (or anyone) happy?

Prewriting Part II

WILL MONEY MAKE ME HAPPY?

This question gets asked many times and I used to really believe no, but to sit and think about it, in a way, I think it really could for me. From personal experience in not being overly blessed financially, many of my problems, stresses, and worries stem from being broke. It is unfortunate, but true. And if given the money to get out of all debts and pay for school, I would indeed be content. I would not have a valid reason to any longer complain, I would just continue striving academically, socially, and professionally. Which is interesting because you see on televeision all the stars, millionaires, who never have to worry about money again, yet they are always in the news with emotional and psychological problems. Why is it that many poor people or not necessarily even poor, just say average people’s problems mainly stem from money while the rich people’s problems rarely ever become an issue for the average person? And why is it that in this country, unless one is above-average financially, that we operate so much on credit? We can finance ANYthing! In many other countries it is not so. If a person does not have the money, that person simply does not have the product. This refers to anything, like the major purchases of a car or house that we take for granted paying for over years. While somewhere else, if they ever even do financing, it is over a much shorter period of time, like a year or two. It really makes me wonder and question this system because while it seems good, it is also very bad. If I pay for something out right, I will never have to worry about it again. However, with the appealing option of buying (getting) now and paying later, as far as the average are concerned, it is like having a proverbial “monkey on your back” for perhaps decades. The financial state I am in now can change in ten years (positively or negatively), yet I am still paying for the same one item??? The obligation has not changed one iota. But now after coming into some hard times, as many people do, my credit will get destroyed and that is when people are forced into a system of only buying what a person has the money for at that moment (which may be how it should be anyway). Though, of course, it also raises the question regarding the poor/average, do we all make enough for the necessities? Or you can venture off to get a co-signer and risk negatively impacting a loved one’s creditworthyness.

Prewriting Part III

WHAT MAKES THIS TOPIC INTERESTING TO ME?

This topic is personally interesting because I both need and want to get out of debt. And if I had the money to do that, most of my worries would be alleviated.

WHAT EXPERIENCES, EVENTS, OR SITUATIONS HAVE LED TO MY DESIRE TO KNOW SOMETHING ABOUT THIS?

My experience is being single, living alone and solely supporting myself and I have too much debt.

I also think about how I was raised. By my standards, we were not poor, but hardly upper-class either. I wish, like a friend was raised though, that money-management and the importance of good credit were stressed more or period rather. Because I honestly can not remember that ever being a topic of conversation in my home, not even once. I’m 25, so it’s not as if it was so long ago that I can not remember my childhood and teenage years.

WHAT DIFFICULTIES MIGHT I ENCOUNTER IN FINDING AN ANSWER TO THIS QUESTION?

The obvious difficulties are people not agreeing that money would make me happy. And of course they are right to an extent. But what I’m mainly arguing is that the many things that impact my life negatively surround money or rather the lack there of, so if I had it, my state of being would definitely change for the better. I could focus on sincerely fulfilling myself instead of always worrying about money.

WHAT DO I HOPE TO DISCOVER?

Well, it would be nice to prove my theory by somehow getting the money to pay off debts and be able to breathe that deep sigh of relief.

WHAT MORE DO I NEED TO KNOW?

I would like to know more about the economic state of countries where the people are similar to Americans. I would like to know how my peers, co-workers and friends feel about the question would money make them happy. And if I had the opportunity to speak candidly with a millionaire or someone wealthy, I would like to know if their money makes them happy.