In the Wealth of Nations (1776) Adam Smith deplored what he called the “vile maxim” – which amounted to a distortion of true human values in favor of wealth acquisition, without an underlying aim other than to get riches.

So often we hear people saying they want to become millionaires, without stating why they actually want to become millionaires?

I asked myself this question so many times, but whenever I came up with an answer and almost talked myself into believing it, I found a way to dethrone the idea.

Security? That’s something I never fathom. I live on the edge.

Luxury? I enjoy it, but it never defined who I am as a person.

Education? I had no money and somehow managed to find a way to get a degree in engineering and another in business management.

World traveling? any seasoned traveler knows you don’t really need a lot of money to travel, if you know where to look.

Women? the most spectacular women I’ve met never really cared how much money I had. That’s probably why they were so spectacular; they cared more about my ambition rather than how many zeros I had in my bank account.

Friendship? My best friends were the ones I met in times of adversity rather than times of comfort.

Love? We all know money will almost buy you anything in this world (happiness included) but never love; only people who pretend to love you.

Fun? Some of my best nights I spent on the dance floor with people I love and love me back. Free of charge.

Then what is it? Why do I want it so bad? What kind of a dark godless hole I have in my self-esteem that I want to fill with money?

What am I trying to prove to others or myself?

Freedom – I tell myself with eyes half closed stepping into a dream that became more real than my life.

The freedom to make my own mistakes . . knowing my whole life was a series of the most spectacular mistakes.

“No matter how much I wanted all those things that I needed money to buy, there was some devilish current pushing me off in another direction — toward anarchy and poverty and craziness. That maddening delusion that a man can lead a decent life without hiring himself out as a Judas Goat.” -Hunter S. Thompson.