Money, Power & Art ....

There is a saying in Tamil, which when translated to English reads, "No family ever remains very rich or very poor for more than three generations"

Its an interesting saying and I think there are quite a few examples in real life that I have personally seen.

I take this saying a bit further - I think that most families go through three phases once they reach a level of uber-richness - Money, Power & Art ...

Let me explain ... You start off with a guy who has grown up poor and by sheer effort and hard work and a bit of luck, has achieved great wealth. In most cases, the First Generation rich are obsessed with money and only money. Everything and everybody is measured in money, either their worth or their cost !

Then come his/her children. And these kids have been brought up in the lap of luxury, wanting for nothing. However, they have probably have seen some lean times while growing up, when their dad wasnt doing too well, so they still hunger for wealth ... But that doesnt satisfy them, and so they turn to, in most cases, to politics or confederations or associations - Something that gives them a modicum of respectability and authority without money being the cause.

The third generation has never seen hunger and have an absolutely privileged childhood ... They have seen wealth and they have seen power - But neither of them turn them on, and they turn to art, beauty and entertainment .... And there starts the decline of the family fortune and the cycle starts over.

A great example of "Money, Power and Art" is the Kennedy family in the US

Joseph Kennedy - Immigrant, struggled to build his fortune, was worth millions when he died
John, Edward, Robert - All went into politics
John Jr, etc .. - Art (Collections of paintings), Beauty (Caroline Kennedy, need I say more :-)

I guess to become super-rich, you really have to have a hunger for money, a hunger that can only come from a less than privileged childhood ...