more financially relevant

often used is the phrase "money doesn't buy happiness." nobody denies a certain amount of basic human needs being covered allows us to at least survive, yet there are more valuable things than money and a very important (yet sometimes forgotten) element than things - people.  

humans often disregard other humans in favour of money, as if earning a bit of extra cash can help ease some essential human need. even certain legal decisions favour those who negatively effect the liberty, health and existence of others; those who take away someone's money are sentenced heavily while some drug dealers selling poison that kills people get a pat on the wrist in the form of house arrest. though minimum sentencing has come into effect recently in regards to drug dealers, the comparison is still troubling. 

such actions by society create the illusion that cold hard cash should be guarded and respected more than human life. even the way drugs are dealt with is worth examining - drug dealing is a crime but rarely examined as the deeply rooted social ill it is, one that cannot be eliminated by legal action alone. and what do drug dealers want to earn by selling drugs? money. it fuels their actions, their desire to sell that which takes away life. and they walk away free, either immediately or in a few months on parole.

there's no easy answer to deeply rooted societal ills, but focusing energy on eliminating or, at the very least alleviating, such harmful elements, would be a step forward. society must first understand what causes the harm, why people need more money and want to sell drugs, for example, as well as examining why a demand exists for them, and from there a strategy can be implemented to redirect misguided individuals and show them opportunity and life are so much more abundant away from drugs.  

:: written July 29, 2015
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... related: "the market"