I asked Perplexity GPT to apply the 5 why to “why should one earn a lot of money?”, here’s it’s response

1. Why should one earn a lot of money? To achieve financial security.
2. Why is financial security important? It provides peace of mind and stability against unforeseen events.
3. Why is peace of mind valuable? It allows individuals to focus on personal growth and relationships without stress.
4. Why is personal growth important? It leads to a fulfilling life and the ability to contribute positively to society.
5. Why contribute positively to society? It fosters a sense of purpose and enhances community well-being, creating a better world for future generations.

Would the world be a better place if we make point 5 as a priority for our children from childhood? Is it practical to do so?

In this Katha Upanishad video Swami Sarvapriyananda quotes the following for happiness (from the book Why Buddhism is True)

Happiness = Pleasure + Engagement + Meaning

He gives an example of watching a game on television as “pleasure”, whereas going out and playing the same game as “engagement”. Pleasure is a temporary gratification, whereas engagement is more for the long term and “Meaning” to be something that when one tries to help others (make them achieve more or live a better life), which always increases happiness.

He quotes from the Katha Upanishad that the short-term gratification falls under the category of “Preyas” and the long-term engagement to be “Shreyas”. Shreyas is good for the long term. Though Preyas seems attractive and pleasing in the short term, it adds suffering for the long term.

I extrapolate his words where if we had to assign weightage to each then then if we only participate in pleasure actions, we accumulate only zeros, where the net result is always pain and dissatisfaction or unhappiness.

Another viewpoint from the Patanjali Yoga Sutra for sustained happiness is

अभ्यासवैराग्याभ्यां तन्निरोधः ➔ चित्त वृत्ति निरोधः

Meaning, persistent practise of non-attachment helps the mind from wandering. Wandering of the mind e.g. overthinking, distractions, etc. leads to loss of peace.