Welcome to the second BlogFlash event! The first (#BlogFlash2012) was so well received that we decided to run it twice yearly. It’s a great opportunity to get creative, meet other bloggers and get a new audience. Whether you join us for the full month or just a few days, the main aim is to have fun and be inspired. Anything else is a bonus. Worried about word count? Don’t be! It’s a guideline so the month doesn’t feel overwhelming but if you feel inspired to write more, feel free. Good luck!

#BlogFlash2013: Day Eighteen – Money: The Makers and The Takers

#BlogFlash2013 (March): Day 18 - MoneyThere are few subjects as charged as money. Money is clearly important. Without it, unless we barter, we have no way to purchase necessities. Once we’ve covered our basic needs, though, money becomes something else-a means of self-identification, a source of pride, a badge of success, a reward for and recognition of achievement.

The problem isn’t so much with the moneymakers as the cultural significance we accord financial success and the acquisition of wealth. In college, a wise teacher said this: If a friend is in need, given the choice of studying for an important test or helping the friend, even if it means losing valuable study time and accepting a lower grade, the successful person is not the A student, but the one who helped the friend.

As a culture we idolize the wealthy. Some may deserve our admiration, but using money as the framework for defining success, celebrating those who earn the most money,accumulate the most wealth-or sell the most books-undercuts our vital responsibilities toward one another. The founder of a tech firm may make hundreds of millions a year, but financial success alone makes him or her no more important than a caring nursery school teacher who wouldn’t earn as much in 10,000 lifetimes.

Politicians may be right when they speak of makers and takers, but they’ve got the labels backward. The takers, it seems to me, are those who use the system, hoard the resources, and grab the money-while the makers, the truly successful people, forge the connections, give a helping hand to those in need, and care about others.

Next prompt: City (27th March)

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