Jacob Needleman -- Professor of philosophy and author of Money and the Meaning of Life

There truly is a deep connection between "Money and the Meaning of Life." Over the course of the interview with Jacob Needeleman, I learned a few qualities of how to deal with money that will better guide me throughout my career. The main theme I took away was that if you don't know your attitude towards making money, you simply do not know yourself. Money has the great power of bringing people together as well as splitting them apart, so one must better know how to deal with the surplus or lack of monetary goods. The interviewee also touched upon the subject of how money cannot change the internal makeup of a person. For example, if you are are a person who is always stressed and worried, you will also be that way when you make a lot of money. The cash won't change the way you act, but you may stress over different transportation issues once you have money — such as planes instead of cars. Another concept that I learned was that having a lot of money does not make one knowledgable, or rather smart, in other topics. Despite the fact that one can be well educated in how to run a simple business, he may not be intelligent with other respects of life. Lastly, the interviewee touches upon the fact that having money does not in fact make you successful. Rather, success should be defined as having idiosyncrasies that are benevolent for our society. Being a respected individual, one that addresses his or her tasks with prudence and through the kindness of their heart, is essential for the character development of that person. Money cannot replace the kind actions that are needed to make a person truly a success.