Money:
Is
it
Really
the
Root
of
All
Evil?
Throughout
history,
wise
men
and
women
have
commented
on
money.
Which
one
do
you
agree
with?
- "Money
alone
sets
the
world
in
motion."
Publius
Syrus,
42
BC
- "Remember
that
time
is
money."
Benjamin
Franklin,
1748
- "How
pleasant
it
is
to
have
money!"
Arthur
Hugh
Clough,
early
19th
century
writer
"Money
is
the
root
of
all
evil"
is
perhaps
the
most
famous
adage.
Unfortunately,
it's
a
misquote.
The
actual
words
come
from
Timothy
6:10:
"The
love
of
money
is
the
root
of
all
evil."
If
you
think
about
those
two
added
words,
the
original
meaning
changes.
In
fact,
8
verses
later
in
Timothy,
the
rich
are
encouraged
to
use
their
wealth
"that
they
do
good,
that
they
be
rich
in
good
works,
ready
to
distribute."
I
can't
help
but
think
of
all
the
good
works
and
"readiness
to
distribute"
exemplified
by
people
like
Bill
and
Melinda
Gates,
who
in
2004
gave
$3
billion
to
their
foundation,
and
there
are
Oprah's
numerous
charities,
like
her
Angel
Network.
There
are
the
Rockefellers,
who
have
been
giving
money
to
charity
for
decades,
and
Ted
Turner,
who
seems
more
obsessed
with
giving
money
away
than
making
it
and
says
philanthropy
is
"better
than
sex."
In
2005,
Slate.com's
list
of
60
most
generous
donors
totaled
$4.3
billion-with
the
smallest
donations
at
$20
million
and
the
largest
at
over
$400
million.
Who
benefits
from
all
this
philanthropy?
All
kinds
of
people
and
places
and
programs.
McDonald's
heiress
Joan
Kroc
earmarked
her
donation
to
the
Salvation
Army
for
construction
of
more
centers
where
the
indigent
could
find
food
and
a
place
to
sleep.
The
Gates
Foundation
is
organized
around
fighting
killer
diseases
around
the
world.
Many
benefactors
give
money
to
universities
for
scholarships
and
to
fund
research
that
benefits
countless
people.
Others
give
to
environmental
and
animal
welfare
organizations.
Of
course,
the
average
person
is
no
slouch
when
it
comes
to
giving,
either.
Donations
to
the
Red
Cross
flood
in
whenever
there
is
a
disaster:
9/11,
the
tsunami
in
Indonesia
and
Hurricane
Katrina
are
just
a
few
examples
of
when
ordinary
people
showed
their
generosity.
The
average
American
gives
a
little
over
$400
a
year
to
various
charities,
and
that
doesn't
count
money
given
to
religious
organizations
or
the
value
of
personal
property
they
donate.
Of
course,
there
are
plenty
of
immensely
wealthy
people
who
are
complete
misers.
They
won't
give
anyone
a
dime.
You've
probably
seen
Dickens's
A
Christmas
Carol
a
dozen
times.
Scrooge
woke
up
just
in
time,
but
there
are
plenty
of
Scrooges
out
there
who
never
will.
Loving
money
just
for
the
sake
of
being
rich,
and
refusing
to
share
your
wealth
with
others,
that
may
indeed
be
a
teensy
bit
on
the
evil
side.
I'm
reminded
of
a
boss
I
once
had.
Born
into
a
