Kurt Vonnegut tells a story about Joseph Heller's lesson to him about greed.

[Swede]

I posted this once before, but it's always relevant, with you know who haunting the world right now.

“JOE HELLER

True story, Word of Honor: Joseph Heller, an important and funny writer now dead,
and I were at a party given by a billionaire on Shelter Island.

I said, “Joe, how does it make you feel to know that our host only yesterday
may have made more money than your novel ‘Catch-22’ has earned in its entire history?”
And Joe said, “I’ve got something he can never have.”
And I said, “What on earth could that be, Joe?”
And Joe said, “The knowledge that I’ve got enough.”
Not bad! Rest in peace!”
― Kurt Vonnegut

https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/7345831-joe-heller-true-story-word-of-honor-joseph-heller-an

[ananda]

1. My brother-in-law said this a few weeks ago.

Why isn't it good enough to have enough?

[Johonny]

11. Because hording is a sickness

But if it is money you horde, people call it a virtue in America.

[TheRickles]

14. Their motto is "Only too much is ever enough."

[twodogsbarking]

15. It is not the answer that enlightens but the question.

Good brothers.

[paleotn]

2. Amen, brother.

I've got enough is a rarity in this world. But a state happier than any other.

[popsdenver]

3. Everyone should read

Vonnegut's book........................JAIL BIRD

My favorite book of his......light reading, very humorous in parts, basically about the earliest corporations, their actions, and continuing to modern times.......After the first chapter, it is hard to put down......

[Timeflyer]

17. Thanks for recommendation. Title (for us book nerds/library users)is one word, "jailbird."

[popsdenver]

19. It has a special place

on my designated bookshelf of favorites.............

On that shelf, I still have the copies of books I read in the 60's, along with additions like: Jailbird...., ETC.

My 60's books include: ANIMAL FARM, 1984, THE JUNGLE, THE UGLY AMERICAN, GRAPES OF WRATH.......
I have re-read all of them several times, over the past 46+ years, especially since 2016........

[ancianita]

4. Thanks for this. My daughter calls it "enoughonomics."

[Nasruddin]

12. Demand

I guess you would say that in that worldview the demand for demand is inelastic (change in price of demand does nothing)

[ancianita]

18. Please explain "demand for demand." I was just passing along my daughter's label for basic needs and minimal wants.

[Maraya1969]

5. I think prosperity begins with generosity and that is why Trump has to continue his grifts while he is

almost 80. What about all the money he stole during his life? He should be sitting pretty and not constantly thinking of new ways to steal from people.

I have enough to support me for the rest of my life as long as I am not an idiot. And I'm fine and grateful with that. I don't need new fancy cars or expensive clothes. But I have a relaxed attitude now and I don't worry about money for the future. It really is great to be good with enough.

Oh, I remember Wayne Dyer saying in one of his talks years ago, "Where is the peace in "More"?

[surfered]

6. I remember that story. Loved Catch 22, read it while I was involuntarily in the Army.

Currently reading Slaughter House 5, 50 years later.

[ShazamIam]

7. I was young when I read, Catch 22, but that book had a profoiund affect on me, might have turned me from simple

patriotic all American kid into a total skeptic.

[surfered]

8. I think that feeling made the TV show Mash so popular

[MLAA]

9. One of my favorite books.

[mobeau69]

10. When you have your health you have everything.

[KitFox]

13. Perfect! Thank you for sharing this. I read and re-read my Kurt Vonnegut books. In "A Man Without A Country" one chapter

starts with: “ I have been called a Luddite. “ He tslks about the simple pleasure of going out to buy a large envelope and mailing it. He ends the chapter with: “How beautiful it is to get up and go out and do something We are here on Earth to fart around Don’t let anybody tell you any different. “. The first page in poster form says: “ There is no reason good can’t triumph over evil, if only angels will get organized along the lines of the Mafia.” ( A Man Without A Country. Seven Stories Press 2005)

[Danmel]

16. I told my daughter when she was in middle school

That the kids who bullied her and made fun of her purse and clothes (which were perfectly fine) would spend their whole lives looking over their shoulders to see if someone has something they don't and that they would never be content or grateful for what they had and that she was much better off than they were because she would know she had what she needed and enough of what she wanted to be satisfied
That worked.

[pat_k]

20. Another consideration: wealth undermines compassion

The research is pretty clear on this: wealth undermines compassion.

And it makes sense. We evolved to share. Hoarding community resources -- which is basically what amassing great wealth is -- undermines basic parts of what it is to be a feeling, connected, being.

https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/does_wealth_reduce_compassion

We started doing research, and now we have real evidence. We’ve done studies where we measure activity in the vagus nerve, which extends from our brainstems to our abdomens. This nerve is the physiological nexus with compassion, and when it’s active most of us feel warm expansion, the feeling we get when we are moved emotionally. The more your vagus nerve fires, the more compassion you feel.

In one study, we showed undergraduate students of different backgrounds pictures of kids with cancer. Students from lower-class backgrounds had a high vagus nerve response. But we didn’t get much response at all in upper-class students. In fact, in every study we’ve done poorer people show a stronger vagus nerve response. To me, that’s tough proof.
...
Humans evolved to share. We’re meant to share, that’s how people survived in early hunter-gatherer societies. When you don’t share, you get tremendous social inequality, and that’s what’s going on today.

This inequality affects people’s health, and it affects our greater public health. When we study the emotional profiles of people from lower class backgrounds, there’s a lot of anxiety, a continual sense of being under threat, a sense of shame, a sense of being stigmatized. And that’s bad for your body and bad for your health.

But in this country, most of our political leaders—as well as those who influence them—are wealthy. And, in general, the wealthier they are the less interested they are in policies that help the needy.

Studies found wealthier individuals are more likely to cut off drivers in traffic, take more candy intended for children, and exhibit unethical behavior in experiments.

If Schopenhauer is correct in his analysis that compassion is the basis of morality, than a lack of compassion would be highly correlated with a lack of morality... and studies like those discussed above appear to support this.

[SupportSanity]

21. Hits the nail right on the head.

I view these billionaires as addicts. And the people who support them as enablers.
Enablers are worse than addicts.
For an addict, it's never enough.
Always need more:
Booze
Dope
Sex
Winning
Sadism
God
...the list is endlist

[calimary]

22. GOOD one. EXCELLENT is even better.

“The knowledge that I’ve got enough.” Words to live by!