“The world isn’t driven by greed, but by envy.”
Charlie Munger
I remember my grandmother telling me how she grew up in a small village where people didn’t have much, but everyone was so much happier.
I also recall the many people who say they had no idea they were poor growing up.
This all makes perfect sense because when your world is just what’s around you, there’s nothing to compare yourself to that would make you feel inferior.
People who lament about the golden age of the 50s & 60s in North America are pointing to a time when houses were modest, salaries stretched far and the disparity between classes wasn’t so wide. People were growing up in neighbourhoods where people had the same stuff and everyone accepted that camping, hiking, or the beach was considered vacation time.
What caused envy then?
Intelligence, social connections, recipes, athletic ability—those subjective factors. But hey, grab a glove and head to the sandlot for a game with friends and we’ll forget all about it.
Let’s not paint a completely rosy picture because there were many issues that we made a lot of progress on since then. In addition, we’ve also developed some pretty enviable things:
- central air
- ibuprofen (e.g. Advil)
- being able to video chat with anybody on the planet with a device that is affordable to most and fits in your pocket
Oh, we also have access to such a variety and abundance of food that would make monarchs of that time jealous.
Yet, here we are; miserable with our lack, driven by envy from the constant stream of global comparison through the media.
Even billionaires, who literally have more money than could possibly be used in several hundred lifetimes, get envious of each other.
My proposal: find a way to ensure people’s basic needs are met, motivate them for a desire to do better in their own lives and teach them to envy who that future person will be.
Most importantly, make supporting your neighbour on that journey the highest value to achieve.