Elon Musk recently became the world’s first trillionaire, at least on paper. His wealth now exceeds the annual gross domestic product of all, but 21 countries.
This figure dwarfs the annual personnel income in the United States (just under $70,000) by a whopping 1.4 billion percent. Musk’s wealth is not just large, it is incomprehensible.
Predictably, many across the globe are demanding that his wealth be seized, redistributed, or taxed into oblivion. Some critics go further, expressing open hostility toward him. It is not hard to find social media posts calling for Musk’s death. Such sentiments reveal more about the human heart and emotion than about economics and rational thinking. So much for honoring the commandments, “Thou shall not steal” and “Thou shall not kill.”
Wealth Achieved without an Army
Musk’s ascent stands in stark contrast to the way wealth accumulated throughout most of human history. Kings, queens, and emperors amassed fortunes through conquest, taxation, and the labor of subjects (i.e., slaves) who had no choice but to serve. Armies marched, peasants fought, and the spoils of war flowed upward to the throne or conqueror.
Kings extracted wealth, they did not create it. The average person lived and died in poverty while monarchs enjoyed luxuries.
Musk, however, built his wealth by, dare anyone say, serving others. He did this after legally immigrating to Canada in 1989, and then becoming a US citizen in 2002.
As an entrepreneur, he created products people voluntarily purchased. He solved problems no one else dared confront. And he took risks that would have driven many into a nervous breakdown.
He did not seize territory, conscript soldiers, or demand tribute. He built rockets, cars, satellites, and software. He followed the guidance of Ecclesiastes 9:10 that states “Anything you can turn your hand to, do with what power you have.”
His wealth emerged from service, not subjugation. In addition, his efforts brought many other people into wealth.
Many of his employees, who also took a risk to work on his daring projects, have become wealthy as well. More than 4,000 SpaceX employees may have even become millionaires with the initial public offering of the company. He did, “… to others as you would have them do to you.”
However, Musk’s wealth is not as straightforward as some believe. Consider Mechazilla, the towering launch‑and‑catch structure at Starbase designed to catch returning rockets. Estimates place its value in the hundreds of millions of dollars. On paper, Musk owns it. But not really.
Mechazilla has just one purpose. It serves the U.S. space program. Musk cannot sell it or take it home. Its value exists only because it serves the United States, advances national interests, and supports a mission larger than any individual.
Much of Musk’s wealth is like this. He owns things that have great value on paper, but which only have value in that they serve others.
Relative versus Absolute Poverty
Relative wealth compares one person to another. By this measure, Musk is the wealthiest individual in history.
Nevertheless, relative wealth is fleeting. Someone will surpass him. Innovation accelerates and capital compounds. The next visionary may dwarf Musk’s achievements just as Musk dwarfed the industrial titans of the past.
Absolute wealth, however, compares a person’s condition to all people across history. And by this measure, nearly everyone in the developed world is wealthy.
Before the Industrial Revolution, even kings lacked modern comforts. They had no antibiotics, no refrigeration, no electricity, no air conditioning, and no access to global information. Their lives were short, dangerous, and physically demanding.
Compared to the time of Christ, the average person today enjoys wealth unimaginable to ancient civilizations.
At the time of Christ’s birth, King Herod ruled Judea. Bill O’Reilly describes the living conditions and health of Herod in “Killing Jesus: a History.” He writes about the aging king’s chronic venereal disease (easily cured modern anti-biotics) as well as worms from consuming contaminated food and water.
Today however, most people have access to clean water, abundant safe food, and medical care. King Herod would probably have considered such access miraculous or even magical.
Even compared to the founding of the United States 250 years ago, modern citizens live longer, healthier, and more comfortable lives. They enjoy freedoms and conveniences that would have astonished their ancestors.
You Are Rich
Most people today are rich compared to just their great‑grandparents. Today many people live in climate‑controlled homes, have indoor plumbing, travel in vehicles faster than any horse, and communicate instantly across continents. We enjoy comforts that even kings could not command! From an absolute poverty standpoint, nearly everyone living today hit the historical lottery!
And this wealth is not limited to the elite or just the United States. The last 25 years alone have lifted more than a billion people out of extreme poverty.
The average person’s caloric intake has risen dramatically. In 1995, roughly 2.5 billion people consumed fewer than 2,000 calories a day. Today, that number has dropped significantly to an estimated 800 million as agricultural productivity and global trade expanded.
This is truly an amazing achievement, especially since the population grew from 5.7 billion to 8.3 billion. Humanity figured out how to feed an additional 4.4 billion people. Yes, there still are people with hunger, but why not recognize the improvement for miracle that it is?
Being Rich or Being Richer
Nevertheless, many people today do not feel rich. Many do not compare their riches to absolute poverty. Many see someone richer and conclude they are poor. This is the essence of relative poverty. But they aren’t poor. They’re envious.
Envy blinds people to their blessings. It convinces them that someone else’s success diminishes their own. Yet God commands you shall not covet your neighbor’s goods.
Many who resent Musk’s wealth would not or could take his risks, or put up with his sacrifices, or burdens. They want the reward without the investment and toil.
Few consider the personal costs of the wealthy. Musk’s personal life reflects the price he paid – long hours working, relentless pressure, public scrutiny, and a very complicated family life. (He has multiple children with several women, and a lifestyle that is far from stable.)
Would the average critic trade places with him? Would the critic accept the stress, the failures, the ridicule, the lawsuits, the sleepless nights, and the relentless expectations?
If a critic were to trade places, would that person be competent? Would he or she be able to sustain what Musk is doing, or would the projects his wealth is driving collapse, ruining not just Musk’s wealth, but destroying the opportunities of his employees who depend on him? Wealth often hides the burdens behind it.
No matter how rich someone becomes, someone else will always be richer. That will be true for Musk as well. Relative wealth is a ladder with no top rung.
Catholic teaching warns against this trap. As Anthony Layne notes, “Envy, then, is an offense against charity; it lacks the virtue of generosity or magnanimity which permits us to rejoice in another’s accomplishments and good fortune without feeling lessened in self-esteem by it.” The modern world trains us to measure ourselves against others.
Gratitude
The antidote to envy is gratitude. Gratitude opens the eyes to blessings already present. It recognizes that most people today enjoy absolute wealth beyond the dreams of their ancestors. It even acknowledges that reading this article on a glowing screen is itself a privilege.
Gratitude recognizes that a teenage immigrant like Musk can build wealth surpassing kings. Gratitude appreciates that the United States has built an economic system that makes it possible for a common man to surpass the wealth of the historical ruling classes.
Gratitude sees opportunity and blessings rather than oppression. Gratitude frees one from the chains of comparison. It transforms the heart.
Why are we not celebrating that someone has the freedom to become wealthy without doing it by force or slavery, and even share his wealth with others?
In short, be grateful for what you have. Be grateful for the time in which you live. Be grateful for the opportunities before you. Gratitude is the path to peace in one’s soul.
