It doesn't, but a lot of doors open with sufficient amount of money at your disposal. And it is very easy to get lost in the pursuit, because there is never really enough and someone always has more. I am not excusing it, but I understand the strong pull.

For the record, I agree with you. There are things that I effectively add money with no hope of money return. From a purely monetary perspective, those should have been ended a while ago.

I'd love to know the special mix that make a person more detached from material possessions than another. See I love open-source, I really do, and the idea of a world with a bunch of Oracle-like businesses competing for software makes me shivers. Yet in my day-to-day, I take the job that pays the most and I probably wouldn't take a 50% pay cut to maintain the kernel.

To be clear, I wish I was able to put my ideals above my personal wealth, but I have a hard time doing it. For those that might wonder, yes I do feel morally bankrupt at times.

Because the amount of money determines the amount freedom you have both in terms of time and location. How this is lost on people like yourself is maddening.

> Why does everything have to be about money?

Because of those pesky habits of clothing, feeding, and sheltering yourself.