Persuasive Writing from Orlando Blacksmith

To kick-off the year, we have an excellent persuasive essay written by Orlando Blacksmith. He urges us to re-evaluate how we approach money, and the people around us. We're looking forward to reading more from Orlando. Enjoy!

The Root of all Evil.

    For most people in our modern world, it is the first thing, and sometimes the only thing that measures success in their life. It makes them feel powerful, important, and sometimes even desired. People will do ANYTHING just to get it. People lie, cheat, and steal to obtain it. Some people even sell their bodies to obtain it. People will even do harm upon another person’s body. Some people would even kill for it. This is used to get whatever they want. Yes, I'm talking about money: Silver, gold, coins, bills, checks. Money. The money we use daily. The money we might greedily abuse. The money we might cautiously use. The money that may, or may not, bring joy to us. The money that can’t buy love or happiness. The money that will lead to our untimely destruction.

    I believe money is the root of all evil. It makes even the purest person into a monster. Money DOES NOT give you the right to hurt other people. Money DOES NOT give you happiness or long lasting joy in anyway. Money might give you temporary joy - that is, joy that won't last long. People who don't have too much money find constructive ways to use it. On the other hand, people with too much money waste it on anything that "looks nice". Luxury does not equal happiness. Power does not equal mirth. Why do we, the people of Earth, desperately try to obtain money? Do we want to be known? Do we want to show off our power? Do we want it just to buy love? I don't know why people want money so badly, but I do, on the other hand, know what money is capable of and what people would do just to get their greedy hands on it. You know what they say, "Once you get a taste of power, you want more!”

    Money is the slow-but-sure route to earth’s destruction. An example of this is War. Wars are fought for money, or "power" which, in turn, is money. Countries invade other countries - for money. Innocent people are killed - for money. Good, modern people like you and I are killed - for money! Why is money so important? What's the point of having money, other than buying things you might not even need? That's the thing, there isn't one. People measure their worth, and other people's worth based on money. Sure, you have more money than he does, but are you happier than this man?

    Although I say this, I do believe there are some good ways to use money. Imagine this; you’re a street kid. You only want to feed yourself and your little brother, maybe even just your little brother. So you steal money from a rich person. This money might, or might not, have been stolen from another poor family and now you're using it to feed yourself. Because you never know where this money comes from or who had it before you did, or even how it was obtained. You might even walk down the street and see a man with nice clothes, hair, and shoes, but you never know. That man could be a thief, a killer, a blood spiller. He might do anything for money; even destroy a whole country if he could. Now, I'm not saying we should judge every rich man like that. Some rich people might have earned their money by being the best hockey player, by being a famous actor or model, or even just working his ass off to make it to where he is.
 
Like I said earlier, money does not bring you happiness, but it can bring the thought of buying something that might give you a little joy. I, personally, don't know of another way to obtain happiness except by being with your family and friends. I don't know of any other joy than hearing people say "Thank you" or "You're welcome." There must be several thousands - no, millions of other ways to obtain joy other than buying yourself shiny junk.
  
  I might be a hypocrite, because I too, desire money, but I can't help it. It's a common daily necessity for us, humans, to live on in this cruel world. But whenever I think about money, all I can think about is the pain and suffering it causes. For all we know, the money in our wallets could be blood money - that is, money obtained by doing something wrong, like killing or stealing. I don't think there's a real solution for our problem. Money is a resource, and resources are essential. And without money, you starve, which will inevitably end with death. I don't have a personal solution to stopping the greed of money or "power", but maybe sometime in the future you'll look at your money and say "Hey, that Orlando guy was right! I'm not any happier with all this unneeded money!" And maybe, just maybe, you'll do something nice for someone else.

By: Orlando Blacksmith