Yes, provided one is not distracted by it, as money is just a tool, a means to an end.
Typically though money/wealth brings many responsibilities which can absorb one completely, so it is good to get a well rounded perspective on life when young, as later you may be too busy to attend to such things.
Best to figure out the balance first.

Eolas Pellor..

"(BTW, I would say that grinding poverty is ALSO a stumbling block, at least the equal of great wealth.)"

A very valid point.

In addition there can also be an attachment to poverty, making it a matter of pride when it's viewed as en-nobleing.

Whenever we think that we don't have enough of something (even if we do have a reasonable amount), our thoughts can get hung up on that concept.

Pride in leading an ascetic life can also be counterproductive if the asceticism becomes obsessive and legalistic... Counting the bites, measuring the rice, eating at specific times or not at all.

But poverty is most damaging to a spiritual quest when we simply don't possess sufficient resources to keep our bodies healthy and our living quarters safe and undisturbed. In that respect, I'm reminded of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, wherein basic needs must be met before the quest for self-actualization can get going in earnest.

Yes I think they can.. but there is also great responsibility to use their wealth for service to others and the larger society.

- Art

__________________
"it benefits us to be thoughtful, not of the glory of our minds, but rather, above all else, of the glory of God."
- Johannes Kepler

Astreja: i enjoyed the article thanks..... Hierarchy of Needs,

Astreja,

agreed.

And while there are different kind s of attachments to poverty including the one you mentioned, there are also some poor who do use it as an excuse of nobility and do nothing about it, instead giving it the old spin of blessed are the poor. i lived it first hand. This seemed to be a factor among some who lived thru the depression years prior to WW2. Mention it because it was an interesting psychological quirk...as you said, attitude.

Don't have time this morning to read the link, but thank you for providing it, it probably confirms what i have observed, and will provide some new insights i haven't maybe considered. So a definite later in reading it.

Arthra....

your post stirred a thought, as long as someone has something to give away, or share, they are not poor in thier attitude.

i call it an abundance of being and it crosses all boundries including religiouse or not.

Sometimes i see on T.V. these [poeple who live in such poverty stricken nations, maybe with a corrupt government, and for the most part they are generouse with their smiles and good will toward those who vastly out weigh them in wealth and opportunity. They make me feel humble, they really do.

I have a double edged history of being the recepient of righteous indignation. One such instance happened in college when Maslow was intoduced. I remarked that if maslow had owned a dog he would have known that its love often compells it to ignore the physically necessary.

Of course expressions of righteous indignation were highly developed but there was no simple answer to explain the dog much less the similar human. Why does a dog sacrifice itself for its beloved master? One has to know dogs to understand the truth of this.

Yes. I meant my comment about poverty being a stumbling block mostly in this sense; when one has more pressing concerns, the quest for meaning is an unproductive frill.

But, yes, people can fetishize poverty, and often they do.

__________________
Grassaf, Eolas