Over the past several day’s I have read and contributed to an email discussion on the topic of greed. There’s no secret that greed, becomes manifest as an approved American virtue. The 1 percent, the uber wealthy are celebrated, feted in print media, regarded as exemplars of an ideal to be emulated. Indeed perhaps the obvious feature commending our former president (now a convicted felon) has been his wealth, and the style which private jets, mansions, etc. make possible. Trump is an avatar of wealth, a form of immortal fame, of eternal-life. The president elect welcomes, a coterie of like Billionaires: Elon Musk, Peter Thiel, Linda McMahon, Howard Lutnick, Vivek Ramaswamy, Miriam Adelson, the list goes on. Who is this circle, the puppet-masters behind the curtain of the next administration? CLICK HERE

Moreover I feel compelled to mention Billionaire-level wealth is absolutely congruent with the ‘health and wealth gospel’ Christian interpretation that is now popular, a contemporary metastasis of the old Calvinism. How does one know with certainty that he/she has divine favor? Why, just check the balance in the bank account, or in one’s brokerage account!

To counter this foolishness, Nietzsche offers the example of Epictetus, a crippled slave of Rome who is regarded as an example of the Stoic way of life, a refutation of wealth and power. Epictetus knows, is satisfied that he has ‘enough.’

…the Stoic is not fanatical.

He detests the display and boasting
of our idealists:
his pride, however great it may be,
is not eager to disturb others.

It permits
of a certain gentle approach,
and has no desire to spoil anybody’s
good humor
—nay, it can even smile.

A great deal of ancient humanity
is to be seen exemplified
in this ideal.

The most excellent feature
about it, however,
is that the thinker is completely free
   1) from the fear of God,

   2) strictly believes
   in reason,

   3) and is no preacher of penitence.

Epictetus was a slave:
his ideal man
is without any particular rank,
and may exist in any grade of society,
but above all he is to be sought
in the deepest and lowest social classes,
as the silent and self-sufficient man/woman
in the midst of a general state of servitude,
a man who defends himself alone
against the outer world,
and is constantly living
in a state of the highest fortitude.

He is distinguished
from the Christian especially,
because the latter lives in hope
in the promise of “unspeakable glory,”
permits presents to be made to him,
and expects and accepts the best things
from divine love and grace,
and not from himself.

Epictetus,
on the other hand,
neither hopes nor allows
his best treasure to be given him
—he possesses it already,
holds it bravely in his hand,
and defies the world
to take it away from him.

Christianity was devised
for another class of ancient slaves,
for those
who had a weak will and weak reason
—that is to say,
for the majority
of slaves.

The Dawn of Day by Friedrich Nietzsche, trans. by J. M. Kennedy, aphorism 546