by James Boyd

Created on: May 23, 2009   Last Updated: May 24, 2009

The compulsion to acquire ever more wealth and more numerous possessions is something that just escapes me. I do not understand it. Why do people think they need, or even want, a house with 14 bedrooms? How many beds do you sleep in? Just one. Having a house with 14 bedrooms just means you have greatly increased the number of things you have to care of. A house that size requires hiring somebody to help keep it clean. Why does somebody with a net worth of 10 million dollars work 80 hours a week to achieve a net worth of 20 million dollars? What is the purpose of that extra pile of money? It has nothing to do with being hungry, or for that matter with eating well. Someone with a net worth of 10 million dollars can eat steak at every meal if he wants to. If his net worth increases to 20 million dollars, does he then eat a lot more steak? I eat beans and rice on a regular basis. If I had several million dollars I would still eat beans and rice because that is what I like.

Somehow people convince themselves that if you have more of something than another person or if what you have is better quality that somehow makes you a better person than the one you compare yourself with. Suppose you are doing pretty well and decide you can afford (barely) to buy a brand-new Suburban. You are enormously proud of it and make sure it is parked in the driveway rather than in the garage, so all the neighbors can see it. Then your water heater ruptures and you have to call a plumber (I fix my own plumbing but most people do not). The plumber pulls up in a new Suburban just like yours, except that his has leather seats and custom wheels. Do you feel your pride in ownership of your new vehicle diminish because a plumber (a plumber!) has one that is a little better? You probably do. Why is that? The pride you take in ownership of something fine may come from pleasure in what a wonderful thing it is that you own. That is fine. I own a few (a very few!) things that are truly first-rate and I am really glad that I have them. My pleasure in the ownership and use of those things is in no way lessened if I learn that a friend has something just like it.

There are two distinct attitudes here. One is He who dies with the most toys, wins. The other is, If you die rich, you did not handle things properly. We have all heard the saying that You can't take it with you but many people do not appear to believe it. The truth is: You really cannot take it with you. When you are

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