Today, we live in a world where wealth is prioritized over health. We live in a world where wealth and income are more important than our planet's well-being, and the consequences are already showing. Today, temperatures are increasing rapidly, and glaciers are melting at rapid rates- resulting in new records in sea levels- thanks to our greed of us as a species. We, as a species, have evolved to associate everything on our planet with money. We judge the value of something, and even sometimes, someone with fortune. People use people's wallets as a source of comparison, and companies are constantly finding new and creative ways to increase their revenue. The cost? Our home, our future generations, and our health. Sometimes, I sit and reflect- how much destruction will it take for us to realize the toll of our avarice? I've seen the toll of money on families. My friends in previous years were neglected by their parents, as they prioritized work over time spent with their sons. We work our butts off for a paycheck and tend to forget that there is a way more profound meaning in life- of family, happiness, and fulfillment. Something worth more than any amount of paycheck could offer. My cooperation- with Calvin Industries and CalvinX is directly created to simulate some of that. It's sad to see the reality that our world has delved into. Instead of seeing everything with money and associating the value of everything with cash, we should change our mindsets and perspectives to see our world differently beyond money. We should change our perspective, so we aren't worried or prioritizing money over well-being. Instead, we should be grateful for living in the beautiful world that mother nature has brought us. We should see nature as our home and an ecosystem we share with the other millions of species below us instead of seeing our ecosystem as a new business opportunity. Changing our ideology and mindset allows us to be more grateful for our world and what we already have around us. Why are we so focused on getting more? We should be thankful for what we already possess. How fortunate are we to be alive now and experience such a wonderland? The odds rank nearly 1 in a quadrillion. So rather than focusing on what we don't have, let's work towards building a society in which we are overseeing what mother nature has accomplished and what humanity has established as a community. Let's make a world where others' well-being, health, and home are prioritized over money for our future, home, and the many generations to come.

Was there a time when your opinions changed upon finding out the worth of something based on currency and money? I'm sure you have. Everybody in their lifetime has altered their opinion upon finding the price of an object. No matter how significant something may be, we tend to change our views about it upon finding out its value of a particular thing. Sometimes, that includes our health. We have all once in our life done something in which we hesitated, but we couldn't resist the cash reward. When was the last time you remembered that we as a society did a good deed, not for their benefit of obtaining money? An entire field in psychology covered how money impacts and changes the way humans behave and how we're prone to its value.

Money is an essential resource embedded into the economy. We all strive to have a lot of it one day. It's understandable, but I can't help to wonder how we as a society have made currency the only purpose and fulfilment in life. What you can get money has made it so we associate the value of everything with money, but sometimes, we fail to see a perspective and see something worth more than money, The truth is, many say that money doesn't buy happiness. That's not true. We've all been given something as a gift. Upon opening that gift, a smile of satisfaction opens up the fulfilment of joy deep inside. But that happiness is temporary- that feeling of joy only excites and lingers for a brief. Money can make us release dopamine, also known as the happiness hormone- which makes us feel satisfied and motivated, but only for a brief moment. Money has become an addictive drug far more dangerous than any other substance, but we don't realise it and keep wanting more. It's a silent killer that I can confidently say has steadily become more dangerous than any disease, and it's separating people from their families. Slowly, we are finding new but destructive ways to get it, and people are dying because of it. It's evident already that people have found new and catastrophic ways to obtain a weasel paycheck by putting money over our health, or some even go as far as committing mass crimes to obtain such a fortune. Did you know that the most committed crimes are related to theft and financials? A scientific study showed that most suicide and depression cases are somewhat linked to financial issues. On the other hand, what isn't temporary is the value of happiness, friendship, and getting to fulfill life with those you love. Raising a family will remain with you for centuries, even after you die. Living a fulfilled life is far more valuable than having a mansion. Humans aren't intended to be happy- they were meant to survive and reproduce, so we aren't ever grateful for anything. And that includes what we already have. We think about what we want and wish we had- a private jet, a mansion, a private pool, but how many of us think about what we already have? - food on the table, a roof over our heads, clean drinking water, a family. It's the little things that count in life. We have adapted to having all the essentials to the point which we want MORE than what we already need. To us, having food may not be as impressive in value as having a Bugatti, but if we change our mindset and perspective, we may be able to see a worth that values something far greater than any amount of money. Money is what we exchange for our everyday needs. We need to exchange money for food, water, and clothes; sometimes, we need to exchange money to live. We have all been in a position where we wish that we owned a private yacht or a golden private jet similar to what you would expect within a video game. Fortunately, we live in Canada, where healthcare costs are the least of our worries, but not everybody has that type of fortune. It's understandable why humans strive and work hours daily in hopes of possessing such wealth, but at what times is our desire for wealth a bit overboard? Throughout history, money was never a priority in life. People bargained and traded for what they needed. But today, our greed and hunger for money have resulted in and cost millions of lives worldwide and trillions of dollars in destruction- mainly because of how dopamine, or the "happiness hormone," is released in our brains. This makes us keep wanting more, similar to the human reaction to drugs and other addictive substances. Our greed for money has made us do things we all haven't wanted to do before, and sometimes, our desire for money has nearly cost our lives. From my experience, I've seen people risk their lives following a deadly stunt. The reward? A measly five bucks, which they easily could've earned elsewhere. The crisis for money has likely killed more lives than anything else- more than any disease, more than any drug, and yet, it's gone detected under the radar for far too long. Industries across our planet choose money over sustainability, and the effects are starting to get noticeable and slowly becoming more apparent. Money has slowly dominated our world; where we once were fortunate and grateful enough to have a roof over our heads, but now, we want some of the biggest luxuries to be satisfied with our lives. At what point will we realize our neglect? A survey shows that nearly 80% of Americans would be far happier if they had more wealth. Another survey shows that more than half of the world's population is unsatisfied with their life because of their financial situation. I'm sure you've encountered these thoughts, where luxury would probably fulfill your long desire and purpose. The point is we as a human species have prioritized everything for money. We prioritized the well-being of others; we prioritized the well-being of our planet; some companies even prioritized money over the safety of their consumers. (Boeing) It made me wonder- do people not see the actual value of something besides cash? Everything on our planet is here for a reason, and they aren't here for the sake of being seen as a source of income. Everything on our planet is underestimated by its actual value, and it takes a particular person with a specific perspective and mindset to be capable of seeing that. Rather than looking at something and its worth by its price, we must consider the other perspectives involved. Humans perceive everything in terms of money, including our environment. But, how many of us saw our environment as somebodies home? An ecosystem to us may seem like a source of income, but to the millions of other species that share a planet with us, they see it as a home. Everything has a value that is more fundamental than money, but not many can see it. To you, a doll may be cheap junk, while to somebody else, it may have been their childhood best friend. Rather than judging the value of something based on money, we should change our mindsets, so we can be happy with the things we have and distinguish a potential beyond, rather than on the things we don't have. We underestimate something based on its value in money, but instead, we should focus on a potential beyond cash. In appreciating what has already been gifted to us rather than what hasn't, we can distinguish a value that is a thousand more significant than money. In a currency-ruled society, humans mustn't prioritize money over what mother nature has already gifted us. Likewise, money shouldn't be our only priority in life- as health, mental health, and many other aspects are just as impact. Instead, we should see and distinguish a value beyond money and work towards understanding the boundaries between how much money we need and how we should obtain it. Rather than seeing everything for its importance in cash, we should see the value in the minor things in life. While we're too busy seeking new alternatives to obtaining such a scarce commodity, it's important to remember and be grateful for what we already have and not cross the boundaries. Rather than seeing the true worth of something through finances, we should see the true value of an object through its potential and existence. Us living on just a beautiful planet is already a prestigious opportunity, and yet, we often take it for granted. Anything has its own story, significance, and value that can be worth more than any amount. It all begins with your mindset and how you perceive it.

To my quote, I think the homeless crisis in western societies, like Canada, the United States, and other developed countries, is directly linked with currency. Most people see Canada and the United States as free countries where their populations thrive in life and have one of the most outstanding qualities of life on our planet. Although that holds, many fail to include and remember our homeless population. There are an estimated 235,000 homeless people in Canada alone, meaning nearly 3% of all citizens in Canada have experienced the life of living on the streets. The United States- known for the American Dream, has one of the highest homeless populations on the planet, ranking top 10 in nations with the highest population which live without a roof only their heads. Canada even made it on the list with one of the highest homeless populations in the world. That number is only increasing today, yet governments have failed to account for these groups of people. In places like Singapore, on the other hand, the homeless population is nearly down to 0. Their low crime rates, high minimum wages, and government programs ensure their citizens flourish in financials so they can focus on the bigger things in life beyond money. So, why can't Canada do the same thing? We have all seen homeless people in Calgary before. They roam the streets mainly in downtown areas, and I can't help but feel pity for them. Many people who encounter homeless people may leave a little donation, while many just stare and walk by without a care. In places like Papa New Guinea, Bhutan, and little remote villages- it's astonishing to see that they have no knowledge revolving around homeless people. It's absurd for them to know that there are people in the world who live without a roof over their heads and strive to ensure that homeless people are accounted for in basic needs and essentials.

In Papa New Guinea, everyone gets their needs, no matter how much money they have. So, what's up with western society failing to have the same outcomes? While many stare and look on the streets in Canada, people in Papa New Guinea show empathy and compassion for their fellow citizens. So why can't Canada have the same outcomes? I think it's directly tied to my original idea of currency and money- which has since dominated our society. It's so rare to see somebody do a good deed, not for the sake of money, but for the sake of helping out others. Money can buy you security, health, freedom, rights, and sometimes happiness, just not permanent. But that's precisely the problem with our currency.

In a capitalist society, people only see the value in something for money. Money is a complex resource to earn, considering Alberta's minimum wage is only 15 dollars an hour. But access to it can buy us pretty much everything we want. Money has dominated our society and is perceived as more valuable than anything. When we pass a homeless person on the streets, I think we're unwilling to make a simple donation because we genuinely value our money. Considering the number of hours, it would've taken to obtain it, humans have seen money for its bright value.

We wouldn't want to give it away to a random stranger on the streets- because we value it and understand the amount of dedication, education, motivation, compartmentation, and innovation to obtain that particular currency. It's sad seeing how humans only see the value in life to be associated with money. We tend to only care for ourselves and not others, and money plays a massive role in why we do it. In North America, money has dominated our capitalist society. But, in compression, the homeless population is far lower in remote villages where transactions aren't made with currency. People help others for the sake of helping others and don't care because they aren't losing money. They have excess food, so why not give it away since they probably don't eat it? In Canada, if we have something we don't want, we would likely sell it for money since it's an easy method to obtain it. In places like Papa New Guinea, if you have something you don't want, simply giving it away would be a better alternative because there isn't a reward if you decide to sell it. Therefore, I believe our ways of helping others are lacking due to our perspective on money. While in other places like Papa New Guinea, they can do things without worrying about money. This relates to my quote because I see how people perceive something only for money. But, humans should work towards establishing a purpose that lies beyond money.