Is it surprising that there are so many who are rich yet miserable? Or not so surprising, once you realize why some people are rich and happy?
For the happy rich, money doesn't seem to be the main goal but a side effect... perhaps of some passion or goal that drives them and creates value. What they aim for is not wealth, but self-actualization -- some deeper "thing" from which wealth comes via the creation of value (of course it is not always true -- there are plenty of starving artists).
The miserable rich, on the other hand, pursue optics, excelling in projects and working long hours to please their C-level executives or the board. They pursue acclaim and admiration to get that next pay raise or promotion. They pursue the immediate and profitable, heading companies that appear to create value, yet in fact exploit people and the environment, destroying value. I wonder: of what value are their "goods", if produced by those who do not understand what good is?
How generalizable is this conclusion? Is it only sociopaths who can find fulfillment in money not well-earned? How much wealthy misery can we attribute to the latter category?
The key to understanding the relationships between these variables lies in, I think, understanding where want comes from, and divorcing that idea of want and happiness. Fulfilling a want does not necessarily make you happy! Refer to: "we don't solve our problems, we outgrow them"
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