Mark Zuckerberg is worth about $200B. He could use some of that wealth to help others and solve real problems in our world. Instead, he chooses to enrich himself, live a selfish life, and contribute to our growing surveillance nation.
I took the photo below of his yacht in Juneau, Alaska as I sat on our deck enjoying good food and drink with friends and family. It has been here for several weeks, but no one knows for sure if he is even present because—like most billionaires—he must hide from commoners like us.
People like Zuck can’t enjoy a normal life anymore.
They travel with bodyguards.
They fear kidnapping attempts.
They set up decoy vehicles.
They are almost universally despised (except for the few billionaire worshippers who love them for some unfathomable reason).
It’s sadly amusing that some people crave his lifestyle. They wish they could become billionaires living on yachts, too. But why? Why would you want a life of less freedom, surprisingly trapped by your wealth?
Later, we grabbed burgers and drinks in a dive bar across the harbor. His yacht was still in view, so we mentioned how he could never do what we were doing. Zuckerberg could never be a normal human being again (was he ever?), grab a burger and beer, and dance to live music in a bar like that (for so many reasons). He could never walk down the street to enjoy a taco from the local taco truck. He could never go on a beautiful mountain hike with his loved ones (like we did a few days ago) and see the views we enjoyed (photos below).
What is true wealth?
Love, health, and happiness.
The deep satisfaction gained from working hard to succeed.
Reaping the rewards from an investment of your time and energy.
Enjoying your freedom and ability to explore and experience the wonders of this world.
The views on our hike that we earned from an extremely hard 12-hour hike wouldn’t be as enjoyable from a private helicopter flown by a servant. And you certainly couldn’t soak your sore feet in a cold mountain lake while playing with your daughter's dog or enjoy the snacks and cold beverages you carried in a pack on your own back.
The delicious king crab legs we enjoyed the other night wouldn’t taste as delicious if they had been brought to us by someone else or cooked by our hired chef. We earned that fresh crab that we caught and cooked within a few hours.
Our blood, sweat, and tears of building the traps, taking them out into the open ocean in a small boat, dropping them into the water, and straining to retrieve those heavily-loaded traps the next day. I have never tasted such deliciously-fresh crab in my life! While others would have paid almost $900 to enjoy that meal (locally priced at $120 per leg!), we bought ours with time and effort. I've been on both sides of this kind of experience, so I know what tastes sweeter in the end.
Unfortunately, I know my words on this topic often fall on deaf ears. So many people desire extreme wealth. So many think they will somehow be magically different and can enjoy those billions without living in seclusion, surrounded by bodyguards and servants, and hated by the rest of humanity.
Okay, good luck with that! But, be careful what you wish for.
You’d be surprised by how little it takes to live an amazing, adventurous, and memorable life surrounded by loved ones, having wonderful adventures, and enjoying everything to its fullest. That is true wealth!
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Larry Cornett, Ph.D. | Empowerment coach, psychologist, nature lover, and fitness freak. I help you escape the “hustle trap” to create an empowered life that fits who you are and what you want most. From Silicon Valley exec to self-employed entrepreneur, I’ve also followed this path to freedom, so now I can help others find their way.
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