Envy - Rand Nailed It

[Michael Stuart Kelly]

Envy - Rand Nailed It

This 90 seconds by Charlie Munger looks like it was taken out of Atlas Shrugged.

And note, I am not a fan of Munger's backroom dealings (with Buffet).

But he sees reality and he is wicked smart about what he sees.

 

I think it's a mistake to take your eye off the ball around a greedy person, though.

Greed in its toxic form does exist. And it's ugly. A greedy person will take everything you own, then hate you for it. He's weird like that. If he can't get it out of you by confiscation, he will not hate you. He will turn around, go away and look for someone else to fleece. And if he succeeds, he will hate that person. God knows I have met oodles of people like that.

And envious person will stick around and try to make sure you lose what you've got. That person hates you and it is hard to make him go away. I have met oodles of people like that, too.

 

Notice, a person enjoying the product of his efforts in the form of large sums of money is not displaying greed, although many call it greed. He is flourishing.

Those who cannot distinguish between produced wealth (prosperity) and confiscated wealth (greed), or those who lie about it on purpose, are motivated by envy, not greed. And certainly not flourishing.

Maybe that's not their entire inner motor, but envy, not greed, is right there in their souls hogging a major chunk of their motivation.

Ayn Rand got that right.

Even Charlie Munger sees it.

Michael