Andrew Carnegie, who amassed a...
Illustration
Andrew Carnegie, who amassed a $400 million fortune then gave 99.5 percent away, said, "The man who dies rich dies disgraced."
The story of the wealthy man and the poor man, Lazarus, has challenged and tormented us over the years.
Harvard Medical School psychologist Steven Berglas has written a book called The Success Syndrome. He has found that individuals who in his word "suffer" from success have arrogance and a sense of aloneness. Think of that in terms of Lazarus and Dives. Insider trader Dennis Levine was asked by his wife why he needed the money from insider trading and he really had no answer. Levine says that when his income was $100,000, he hungered for $200,000, and when he was making $1 million, he hungered for $3 million. Berglas says that oddly enough people who find that $200,000 did not make them happy never asked themselves why they thought $300,000 would make them happy.
Asked to prescribe a cure for the success syndrome, Berglas said, "What's missing in these people (Ivan Boesky, Michael Milken, Leona Helmsley) is deep commitment or religious activity that goes far beyond just writing a check to a charity." Again, Lazarus and Dives.
One of the interesting stories which came out of the October, 1991, fire which displaced 5,000 persons concerned a homeless woman asking a man for money. "Hey, I'm homeless, too." Looking at his Mercedes she said, "Oh, you must be one of those rich people who got burned out up on the hill. Maybe you'll have more compassion for us now."
The story of the wealthy man and the poor man, Lazarus, has challenged and tormented us over the years.
Harvard Medical School psychologist Steven Berglas has written a book called The Success Syndrome. He has found that individuals who in his word "suffer" from success have arrogance and a sense of aloneness. Think of that in terms of Lazarus and Dives. Insider trader Dennis Levine was asked by his wife why he needed the money from insider trading and he really had no answer. Levine says that when his income was $100,000, he hungered for $200,000, and when he was making $1 million, he hungered for $3 million. Berglas says that oddly enough people who find that $200,000 did not make them happy never asked themselves why they thought $300,000 would make them happy.
Asked to prescribe a cure for the success syndrome, Berglas said, "What's missing in these people (Ivan Boesky, Michael Milken, Leona Helmsley) is deep commitment or religious activity that goes far beyond just writing a check to a charity." Again, Lazarus and Dives.
One of the interesting stories which came out of the October, 1991, fire which displaced 5,000 persons concerned a homeless woman asking a man for money. "Hey, I'm homeless, too." Looking at his Mercedes she said, "Oh, you must be one of those rich people who got burned out up on the hill. Maybe you'll have more compassion for us now."
