A different perspective

[Belacqua]

they don't care about having lots of money, and there is wisdom in that.

I won't pass judgment on "wage slaves" or people who get degrees in order to get a job. If the world is set up in a certain way, it's rational to fit into it to a certain extent, even if we can imagine much better ways to set it up.

I will agree with you, though, that there is wisdom in not caring about money, or about aiming at things other than money. Accumulating more money is seen as such an enviable thing that we may not even think about how wise it is. There is certainly also wisdom in paring back one's desires, and living in such a way that the acquisition we need money for is held at a minimum.

There's a very common idea that when people "advance," they get more complicated. Like if you ask what an advanced civilization would look like, it might well involve rocket ships and extreme high tech. Very few people would say that if we were truly advanced then we could sit still on a rock in the garden for a few hours, enjoy the sounds and the smells, and not have any sort of emotional or mental disturbance disrupt our peace. 

Insofar as money alleviates suffering, then it's good for people to get money. But lots of suffering is probably alleviated better in other ways.