The Importance Of Money Related Security

Different levels of wealth and security can lead to refuge for different types of people. From burning money, to buying things that are useless such as an oceangoing yacht with two giant helicopters, a submarine, refuge can be found in many different levels of financial backgrounds. Different people seek refuge in different things, but refuge and security have always been linked to some form of wealth. Wealth is a major necessity in that it plays a big role in the world. Everything comes with a price whether it is low or high. With money, people can buy their happiness and that could become their refuge, or people could use money to influence others. Money has the power to buy security and if people have security, they will be able to do the things that they want.

An abundance of money is not always needed to find refuge but exploring and being free from society's rules could be a source of refuge. In “On the Run from Everything but Each Other'' by Christopher Goffard, it states that the runaway kids “don't need money out there,” and they “don't need anything. You have the greatest time in the world, but when it gets down there, it's really down there” (14). Though the runaway kids have struggled a little because of the lack of supplies, they still learned how to explore the world. Running away from society’s rules proves money does not always make you happy but being free and doing the things you want to do can be a source of refuge. In Jon Krakauer’s novel, Into the Wild, the protagonist, Chris McCandless donated “all the money in his college fund to OXFAM America, a charity dedicated to fighting hunger” (20). Later on, Chris also burned all his money and was set on leaving without an itinerary. Money means something different to everyone. In this case, traveling or getting away from his parents and society's rules became Chris’ refuge. Even though this could be an extreme way of seeking refuge, he still chose to do that and became free. 

The amount of money a person has does not define whether or not they can find refuge. In “What should a Billionaire Give and What should you?”, by Peter Singer, Bill Gates, Zell Kravinsky, etc, are wealthy people, but just because they are rich, it does not mean they are selfish or have ill intentions in donating their wealth. For some, having ill intentions could be a reason for donating their wealth, but for others like Kravinsky, that is not the case. Not only did Kravinsky almost give “all of his $45 million real estate fortune to health-related charities” but he also donated his kidney to a complete stranger after he found out that many people die waiting for a transplant (28 & 29). Because of his actions, it led to him having an argument with his wife and people thinking that he is crazy. Kravinsky thinks that the bigger amount of lives he can save are more important than the smaller ones. Bill Gates and other wealthy people with high security have donated millions of money to charities. Paul Allen, who is also a wealthy person, has only given five percent of his wealth while the average person gives away nine percent of their own wealth. Chris from Into the Wild still had money even though he burned it and gave some away to charity. He states that “tramping is too easy with all this money” and how his days were “exciting when he was penniless” (32). Chris mentioned how he would have to go look around for his next meal and the hardships he would have to conquer. In the end of Chris’ story, he did not let money define who he is, instead he tried to escape from it. 

Wealth and security can have a big effect on someone’s refuge. For the runaway’s in “On the Run from Everything but Each Other”, wealth was not something they really had. They left their families and their education which led them to have no money. Ashley throughout the text of “On the Run from Everything but Each Other”, states that she hates the runaway life. “I hate sleeping outside. I hate sitting on the corner of the street begging for food every day. I hate not having anything productive to do with my time. I want to come home so I can graduate and take my time being a teenager” (21). Ashley believed that her path to refuge in running away from her problems would be easy, but didn’t realize she would encounter many obstacles on her path to refuge. Going on to “What should a Billionaire Give and What should you?”, Zell Kravinsky’s refuge was helping the poor and people who are homeless. He thinks the bigger amount of lives he can save are more important than the smaller ones. In the text, it states that Kravinsky takes “the equal value of all human life as a guide to life” (12). His philanthropy he has and the things he is able to do is because he has wealth and security. 

Refuge can be found in many different levels of financial backgrounds, but people with different levels of wealth will experience different journeys to refuge. As we have seen in Into the Wild, “What Should a Billionaire give and What Should You”, and “On the Run from Everything But Each Other”, money, regardless of how much, can lead to a person finding wealth and security. Although the runaways and Chris had low levels of wealth, they still found refuge and security through the little wealth they had because they lived lives that they wanted. For people like Bill Gates and Zell Kravinsky, they found security and wealth easier because they had substantial amounts of wealth. Even so, Gates and Kravinsky still donated money to the poor which shows how secure they were in their wealth. Therefore, refuge can come from people’s money or wealth, low or high, and can provide them security.