Meanings of Money Nurtured by Nature

Abstract

Based on the experiences of his family members, peers, and himself in China since the 1920s, the author suggests three individual-level factors that combine to have a huge impact on people's attitudes toward money and property. One is the influence of parents or parental figures. The second is one's life goal or lack thereof. The third is the role that money and property (or the lack thereof) play in achieving that goal. There are, however, societal-level factors that loom large at the background. The dramatic changes in the economic and social systems and conditions contributed to the differences in the attitudes among Chinese of different times. Similarly, the differences between China and other countries in the economic and social systems and conditions contributed to the differences in the attitudes of Chinese and the attitudes of other peoples during a given time period.