It’s one thing to work productively, by doing high leverage activities, understand the nature of our economy, doing deals with other high leverage people.
But being wealthy can make people comfortable, and, surrounded by other comfortable people, the culture of leisure, satisfying the senses, sets in. These people, insulated from the reality of the cold, cruel, competition of the market, and of nature, forget it, and, as is natural, replace it with other kinds of competition – a competition for likes, status, appearances, beliefs, consumption, rather than production. While some competition is better than none, these are not real, and are lesser competitions because they are unproductive, and do not make the world, or others, or themselves, any better, and, therefore, make it worse.
Hungry people can easily be exploited (as can wealthy people). Putting in their precious time in return for just enough reward to satisfy that hunger, temporarily, before being hungry again. But what the hungry do have, is that core, sheer, unconquerable drive of the human will. That drive and work ethic that has created all that the wealthy now enjoy.
It is ideal to be both Rich and Hungry, familiar with the cold, cruel competition of the market, and of nature. To appreciate the value of work, to value work, and not to be surrounded by comfortable people, but instead by other hungry people, and together with a more powerful vision, help make them rich – making the world, others, and themselves, better, in the process.
