I'm curious what others think...

I'm always in awe of the fact that the world's most impressive talents (in music, for instance) were poor. The likes of JS Bach, Mozart or Beethoven were flat out broke all the time. Sure, they spent time in the courts of kings but they lived lives of financial deprivation for the most part. I have often wondered what role, if any, excessive monetary rewards would have played in their lives. Would they have been able to produce such depth of beauty in their music if they had been paid well?

Then I think of some of the great thinkers, or influencers of history, and wonder the same thing. What is it about money, or the power / attention that comes with is, that spoils the person's ability to feel enough to produce great works?

Then I think of religious leaders. The world has been blessed significantly from the teachings of great prophets throughout the ages...many of whom were not very wealthy...okay, maybe Abraham, Lehi, Moses and Job had it going well. But still, there is something about a simple life that lends itself to genius, and a complicated wealthy life that tends to suppress "life"...