Having taken a reasonable education and having worked pretty hard I'm lucky to have what I'd consider a very, very comfortable income. And having taken a conservative (nothing to do with the politics) view to spending over the years I am also debt free.
I also have a pretty good lifestyle. Friends, holidays, hobbies, social life, all pretty much unrestricted. Saved for retirement etc. etc. Really very lucky, although maybe 'luck' has less to do with it than perseverance and motivation.
I have concerns over what is referred to as 'fabulous' wealth. Those that earn millions. I find it difficult not to slightly repulsed by the idea. I can't believe that they are having a much better time than I am. I struggle with the idea that they might be happier. And, I'm damn sure, they are probably more stressed than I am.
So what do they use this excess of money for? There is a certain amount of largess, opulence and extravagance. There is almost certainly an element of spending far more than necessary for items. The entire 'designer' market is funded by those who are willing to spend more than the practical value of an item. But, what really disturbs me, is that there is a great deal of this wealth that is just held.
They will hold massive quantities of stocks, properties and other investments with the seeming attention only of accumulating more. ...
It frustrates me that all this massive wealth is not put to work.
And even more they will actively work to make the highest possible return and (seemingly) do all they can to avoid paying any contribution in to the society that they live in.
I think part of the problem is that this kind of accumulation of wealth requires no effort. And there is little real reward from it. Having a massive pile of cash is a pretty empty and inhuman achievement.
To me there is a requirement for education. We need to better explain the pyramid of needs so that these wealthy people realise that they would get more out of self actualisation than they will out of dying under a pile of money. It really does seem that there is a believe that vast wealth equates to happiness and I don't see anything within the media or our society to dispel that myth.
I can only imagine how tremendous the sense of achievement would be if I was able to use excess wealth to create viable and sustainable employment for others; or to fund the next breakthrough discovery; or to mass produce affordable cancer treatments; or ...., or ...., or .......