THERE’S AN AWFUL LOT OF TALK ABOUT GREED THESE DAYS, what with the financial crisis taking place in America and around the world. The government is handing out billions of dollars to corporate America with almost no strings attached (how absurd!) in hopes of rescuing our economy from utter collapse. And now reports are surfacing regarding huge bonuses for upper level management. It’s somewhat like rewarding failure. I just don’t get it.
Oftentimes the most miserable and fearful people are those who have great riches. They are never satisfied. They always want a little more. When Calouste Gulbenkian died in 1955, he left a fortune of $420 million! Did riches bring him happiness and peace? No, of course not. In fact, he lived in constant fear. An electric barrier surrounded his home in Paris and many private guards and spies guarded him and his mansion. Now I ask you, what kind of way is that to live?
Money will buy a bed not sleep, books, but not brains, food, but not appetite, finery, but not beauty, a house, but not a home, medicine, but not health, luxuries, but not culture, amusement, but not joy.
In 1923 a group of the world’s most successful financiers met at the Edgewater Beach Hotel in Chicago. Collectively, these tycoons controlled more wealth at that time than there was in the U.S. Treasury. For years newspapers and magazines had been printing their success stories and urging the youth of the nation to follow their examples. Twenty seven years later, here’s what happened to them:
Charles Schwab - the president of the largest independent steel company lived on borrowed money the last 5 years of his life, and died penniless.
Arthur Cutten - the greatest speculator died abroad insolvent.
Richard Whitney - the president of the New York Stock Exchange was released from Sing Sing prison.
Albert Fall - a member of the President’s Cabinet was pardoned from prison so he could die at home.
Jesse Livermore - the greatest bear in Wall Street committed suicide.
Leon Frazer - the president of the Bank of International Settlement committed suicide.
Ivar Krueger - the head of the world’s greatest monopoly committed suicide.
All of these men had learned how to make money, but not one of them had learned how to live.
Oftentimes the most miserable and fearful people are those who have great riches. They are never satisfied. They always want a little more. When Calouste Gulbenkian died in 1955, he left a fortune of $420 million! Did riches bring him happiness and peace? No, of course not. In fact, he lived in constant fear. An electric barrier surrounded his home in Paris and many private guards and spies guarded him and his mansion. Now I ask you, what kind of way is that to live?
Money will buy a bed not sleep, books, but not brains, food, but not appetite, finery, but not beauty, a house, but not a home, medicine, but not health, luxuries, but not culture, amusement, but not joy.
In 1923 a group of the world’s most successful financiers met at the Edgewater Beach Hotel in Chicago. Collectively, these tycoons controlled more wealth at that time than there was in the U.S. Treasury. For years newspapers and magazines had been printing their success stories and urging the youth of the nation to follow their examples. Twenty seven years later, here’s what happened to them:
Charles Schwab - the president of the largest independent steel company lived on borrowed money the last 5 years of his life, and died penniless.
Arthur Cutten - the greatest speculator died abroad insolvent.
Richard Whitney - the president of the New York Stock Exchange was released from Sing Sing prison.
Albert Fall - a member of the President’s Cabinet was pardoned from prison so he could die at home.
Jesse Livermore - the greatest bear in Wall Street committed suicide.
Leon Frazer - the president of the Bank of International Settlement committed suicide.
Ivar Krueger - the head of the world’s greatest monopoly committed suicide.
All of these men had learned how to make money, but not one of them had learned how to live.
posted by kazookid | 12:57 PM
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