How Do We Make Friends with Mammon?

How do we make friends with Mammon? Let us count the ways:

1. A friend is one who is your peer or co-equal. So Mammon, first of all, should be treated as such, not as a master or even a slave. Those who treat him as a master (they actually serve those who have the abilities to multiply wealth) fall prey to their own greed for power and more things. Think of all the world’s dictators. Those who treat him as a slave (they spend money as if it were a means to satisfy their desires), on the other hand, lose grip of its power to benefit them and others. Think of the prodigal son.

2. A friend is one who is there when you need him. But we usually look for what a friend can do for us, not for the friendship alone. Money – not necessarily wealth – has indirect value for all. We all work literally for the money we get. But we don’t need the money; we need food, clothes, a house, education, etc. Those who “need” money are so shortsighted they miss out on the truly important things in life.

3. A friend does not leave you in times of trouble. How can we apply this to money? Simple, don’t run out of money! Easier said than done. In one way, we can turn to friends (real people) who can bail us out in times of crisis. The best way is to save enough money for the lean seasons. Discipline yourself enough to know when not to abuse your friend Mammon so that he stays when you really need him. In short, if we know how to make real friends, even money will follow.

4. A friend builds up your confidence in the proper way. Pride often comes with wealth. Many rich people remain humble because their confidence is in their dignity and self-worth, not in having much money. Think of Midas. Yet, even a little money can make some people crazy. Heard of the construction worker who spent all his week’s salary on liquor? Not that much; but it was his family’s support for a week. Self-respect is the mother of self-confidence.

5. A real friend wants you to have more real friends. Good money attracts more good money. So does bad money. Your values, however, determine how long your legacy to the world lasts. By the way, by good money we mean that which is used for good, not just much money. But remember: Good money blesses the world and gains you many friends; bad money degrades it and leaves you desolate.

6. Finally, a genuine friend thinks of your own good and not only his own. Most people should realize, like right now, that money has no brain or soul to begin with. Mammon was just a name the ancients used when they began to give him life, power and majesty. (I sort of like the phrase used in the King James Bible to describe wealth and the detestable things that the love of money can bring: filthy lucre. It conjures dirty pirates gaily bearing bloodied treasure chests on shore. Now, that is no ghost story or fairy tale.) Money became a god a long time ago and until now so many people still worship him. Think of all the empires of the world. They call Mammon by other names; but he is still as dumb and as dead as the paper or metal used for making money.

So, you see, Mammon or money -- if you worship him or not – can only do good to you if you do good to yourself at the start. Your friends treat you the way you treat them. And since you are practically dealing with an abstract thing (not really dead, as we said, because gods have a way of acquiring wicked spiritual existence; putting God’s name or the faces of heroes on the money doesn’t seem to exorcize all that evil from the minds of people), it is best to think first of what is good and what is right and then investing your efforts on those things. We said efforts, not money; money comes only when you put in the effort.

You – yes, you who is tapping your wallet – are still your own best friend. So, all that talk about money being able to buy or not to buy happiness simply misses the point: it does and it doesn’t; you can have happiness, with or without money. The question is: Will you live long enough – meaning forever -- to experience real happiness with the true God and not just with a false god?

Be a good friend to yourself and Mammon or money will be a good friend to you. And even if he does decide to leave you, you can turn to your living friends who have benefited from your friendship. Such friends will walk with you to your final destination. For, remember the saying: You really can’t take money with you to your grave. Think of the Pharaohs!

We do not live by “bread” alone but by the grace of the living God. But the god Mammon only lives because we allow him to. Some god is Mammon! But Mammon as a friend -- yes, we can live with that.

(Photo above: The unfinished flyover at the entrance to Baguio City (taken last April) remains today almost as it looked then -- a symbol of the folly of some led about by Mammon.)