Well, I just want to say that much of what has been said thus far has been stupendous.
What bothers me is this. We all recognize that jealousy is ridiculous and stupid. It stems from a warped philosophy (egalitarianism) that says that all men should be equal. (worthy of another thread entirely) Basically, what I'm seeing is that people here are ascribing to the philosophy that is incompatible with capitalism.
Understand this: I earn my money. I sweat, I yearn, I think. My money is the product of my philosophy of life, and my willingness and desire to live by supporting myself.
Others do not share this desire. Many, especially in this culture, find it much more profitable to leech off of others. This they accomplish in a number of ways which are not necessarily relevant here. These individuals think that others are obligated to support them. That those who have should help the have nots. This ideology stems from a warped understanding of the universe which is completely incompatible with existence.
I understand that I exist from a never-ending process of self-sustaining action: WORK. Those who do not understand this spend their entire lives trying to obtain their sustenance from sources outside of their control: others.
I would rather die than accept a philosophy that states that I am to work for another man's existence. Similarly, I will be damned if I feel one bit of remorse for doing whatever I desire with the product of my time, effort, sweat, tears, work. Consequently, I refuse to think that I am obligated to help others by being a philanthropist.
This is not to say that philanthropy is out of the question. However, for the most part, those, like me, who follow my aforementioned values and to whom I would be most inclined to give, would not accept charity.
This is basically an incredibly long way of stating that I accept ALL of the guilt (responsibility) for my success which others try to place on me, and I refuse to share it with anyone else.
