Material prosperity, justly earned or not, can be the impetus of one’s ascension to happiness… or the downfall. More often than not, obsession with riches and the success they represent lead to the latter outcome. With excessive wealth comes the tendency to overestimate the power of the dollar and underestimate what they purchase.

Very quickly, the overabundance and ability to purchase anything create a sense of fiscal numbness. Money means nothing, so why not buy everything? The problem is, when there is nothing left to want, the craving for more remains. In a desperate attempt to buy back the initial euphoria, dangerous and unhealthy habits like excessive gambling, smoking, drug abuse are adopted. The habits gradually wear down the person that once was into a gluttonous, paranoid, prideful shadow of their former self.

This does not mean that money cannot buy happiness - In our world it truly can. However, we must heed the cautionary tales, such as the classic “American gangster” story, to understand that with “money to burn” comes the serious possibility of being engulfed by excess.