Can Some Wealthy People Be Hoodwinked for Good?

Some wealthy folks have worked very hard to earn much or all of what they have, with long stressful days, few days off, and a willingness to forgo what many other people consider some of the little joys of life, like spending a day at the beach or going to a favorite bar or restaurant to watch a sporting event with friends, just to give a couple of examples. They are "workaholics." Some people are driven by what seems to be inexhaustible energy, while others may be driven by anxiety and the fear they may never have enough money in their lives, or by fear that others are doing better than they are; thus, these kinds are always chasing the people they perceive to be ahead of them, and money itself is just a way of tabulating their life's success compared to others. Some of these folks can be absolutely ruthless, because their ego driven lives often forfeit a concern for others or even an awareness about the lives of others, although on occasion, they may make a big contribution to some charity to convince themselves how generous they really are, and that's fine, at least someone else benefited. Of course the lives of others they trampled on to get where they are seldom, if ever, come into their minds. Some may even feel contempt for those they've trampled on, feeling that anyone who allows themselves to be trampled on deserves what they get.* So you idealists, don't get too carried away with how far you think mankind has progressed. One of the questions I've always asked is, how do we channel their tremendous energy into constructive ventures? Can they somehow be hoodwinked into helping others, while still believing it's all about themselves?** Remember too, these kinds of people are not going to go away. Just in the time it took me to write this, quite a few have been born worldwide. The rest of the population has to decide how to use their energy and drive, while controlling their ruthless and destructive behavior. That's a big and tough assignment.

* In years gone by, I was around some very wealthy business people on a fairly regular basis, who essentially said just that. They also saw kindness as weakness, except at times when someone had the courage to tell them, point blank, at which time some did suddenly have a moment of "weakness" themselves," but usually, and unfortunately, it quickly passed. 

** I don't want to end without making my feelings clear that not all wealthy people have the beliefs nor ruthlessness mentioned above. Those who feel our basic system is too flawed will never agree, but it's the system we have, and some wealthy people knowingly do many good things for others. None of us is perfect. We all have egos which sometimes get the best of us, regardless of income level.  But, in my opinion, not all wealthy people belong to the category I've written about above.

WORD HISTORY:
Tramp (Trample)-The ultimate origins of this word are uncertain, but it is closely related to "trap," from which "tramp" developed. Various forms of "trap" are or were used in the Germanic languages, and Latin based languages with forms likely borrowed a form from Germanic, with Frankish the "possible" lender. Old Germanic had "trap(p)," or similar. It had the notion of "step;" thus also, "walk." "Trap" (the capturing device) itself developed from the notion, "step or walk into a snare," "a device one or an animal steps into for capture." The original Germanic root "trap(p)" spawned the variant "tramp" with the basic sense of "walk," which also added the extended meaning "walk with heavy steps." This gave Low German "trampen," with the "to walk heavily" meaning, which also by extension gave the meaning "to stomp, to stamp." English borrowed the word from Low German as the verb "trampen" in the 1300s, which later dropped the "en." The verb "trample" was derived from it with the meaning, "walk over with destructive force," from the "walk heavily" notion. The noun "tramp," meaning "a vagabond," came from the idea of "someone who 'tramps' (walks, wanders) around," and the later idea of a tramp hitching a ride was borrowed by German from English as a verb "trampen," which means "to hitchhike." Further, Danish has "trampe" meaning "to trample, to stamp;" Norwegian has "trampe" meaning "to tramp," Swedish has "trampa" which means "to trample, to tread." Icelandic borrowed the noun  "tramp" (vagabond) from English.