Axiology or the philosophical study of value provides two interesting notions of value systems – the intrinsic and the instrumental. When something is desired as an end-in-itself, it is said to have intrinsic value. But when we desire an object as a means to obtain something else, such object has instrumental value. Most things we desire in life have instrumental value; they are pursued as a means to achieve different psychological states such as pleasure, happiness and satisfaction. Why do we want to earn money? You may say that we earn money to become rich. But being rich is not an end in itself; we want to be rich so we have freedom to live life pursuing objects that give us a sense of happiness. But again: do objects give us happiness?
A guru and a disciple were on a pilgrimage. Troubled by the difficult journey, the disciple exclaims, “If the good God is pleased with our penance, may serendipity let us discover a lump of gold on our way”. Hearing this, the guru asked the disciple what he would do with the lump of gold. The disciple said that he would sell that gold in the market for a price so that they could buy whatever they desired with the money. The guru smiled and asked the disciple “Then why not pray to God for money instead? You would save yourself the pain of going to the market and selling the gold for a desired price”.
The disciple agreed and exclaimed, “Good God, may we come across a bagful of currency on our way”. Then the guru asked, “But what would you do with the currency?” Answered the disciple: “I would buy palanquins, carts and mansions.” Responded the guru, “Then why don’t you ask God to give you those things directly? Why bother to buy them with money?”
The disciple agreed and asked God to give them mansions, carts and palanquins. Then the guru asked, “But why do you want all those things?” The disciple replied, “So that we can be happy”. Smiling, the guru asked, “Then why don’t you ask God to bless you with happiness? Doesn’t that solve all your problems at once?” The disciple was taken aback.
The guru continued, “If you are prudent, implore God not for riches, but for everlasting happiness that comes with contentment. We desire objects not for their intrinsic value but to get happiness through them. Acquiring objects provides pleasure, sense of achievement, appeasement of ego and more but they are all transitory. Even these mental states are desired because we believe they lead us to happiness that is embedded at their core. In fact we are constantly in pursuit of everlasting happiness but in the meantime we come across different coverings which we mistake to be the source of happiness. The moment we come across pristine happiness that is at the core of everything, we no longer are inclined to pursue objects or mental states. You would begin to look at them as contaminating pristine happiness.”
Money and objects are good servants but bad masters. A rich businessman on deathbed lamented that he busied himself throughout his life earning money thinking that someday he will find time to live his life to the full but never did. Living life remained a dream. Realising the instrumental and intrinsic values of objects of our pursuit would save us from such a predicament.
