It is said that, Titus, the eldest son of the 9th Roman Emperor Vespasian (AD 979), had objected to a tax levied on public lavatories. In response the father held a coin to the son’s nose, and asked him to smell it. When the son replied that the coin did not smell, the father’s riposte was, “that’s made from urine”.

True, very true! Money doesn’t smell. Doesn’t matter where it’s from - we are just happy to have it. Unfortunately, what does matter is our conscience. But then, on second thought, does anyone care about even that anymore?

When my grandfather wanted my dad to have good results, he gave him one of Tagore’s novels, which cost about 0.025 taka. But you know what my dad does to motivate me? He gives me cash! It goes like this: CGPA above 3.5- taka 2500 and above 3.8- taka 3000 (yet to achieve) - and if it’s below 3 then a cut back in my car’s fuel costs (damn, my last semester!). It’s not that he doesn’t want me to read Tagore, but I prefer the money instead. And, before you start thinking of me as a mean, spoiled lad, let me tell you that the world has moved on, and now-a-days it revolves around money. Dads don’t tell you “Money is not everything, stand for your values” anymore; instead they say, “You can get anything for money, but you can’t have it all!” (though I doubt if anyone remembers the last part!) This is why even my old man hangs the right ‘carrot’ for me!

It’s the same for everyone my age. For our young generation, ‘money’ is the supreme motivator. Our smartness, preference for jobs, social reputation –everything is dependent on how much we can spend. Yes, all girls or boys my age don’t spend money on the same things. Most of us go to parties or restaurants with friends, some of us buy brand clothes/accessories, and a few of us spend it on things that are actually constructive [and by constructive things I mean books or charity, not delusional-creativity-generators like ‘shisha’ or smoking pot!]. But one thing binds us all- every single one of us wants the freedom to spend money the way we want to. You want to buy us a ‘Rolex’? Don’t. Give us the money and let us make the decision. Why? Well, ‘money’s addictive man!’

And that’s my point. Once the preferred groom for a girl was someone with a ‘good boy’ reputation’, and now? Whether the man leaves a decent example for his son is not important as long as he can earn a ‘decent’ living for his son to go to Pizza Hut every weekend. These days a typical mid-level government official lives in a luxurious 2000 sq. ft. flat and has two cars. No, no one raises eyebrows at him. Rather, everyone wants to be like him, because he’s providing his children with quality education from the ‘branded’ institutions.

Now, as I’m about to enter my professional life in a year or so, the question is- what will I aim for in 5 years? Is it the ability to spend as much as I want on anything I want or a decent living with an honest-guy label that no one values anymore?