The TRUTH Why Billionaires Act Like Children

A stress-free life of cosmetic improvements, dating younger people, and space travel?

Erik P.M. Vermeulen, PhD
4 min readJan 27, 2023
Photo courtesy of author

If only we were billionaires, the man said. Then, we could stop worrying about the daily grind and live life like a dream. Do what we want when we want. We could plan our next space adventure. I might even trade you in for something younger, he joked.

I am out with the dog. It is a fresh, sunny afternoon. The ideal circumstances to clear my mind and think about other things, or nothing at all.

While waiting at a traffic light, I hear a couple talking about money — and its importance in life.

The light turns green, but they are walking at the same pace as I am, so I can still follow their discussion as we continue.

The woman disagrees.

Stop right there. Billionaires are monsters. Or, at least, most billionaires we hear of these days are just fortunate. They came up with an idea at the right time with a market that was ready for it. But most of them haven’t matured. They are overgrown teenagers. I never want to become one of them. It would mess with your head.

My dog stops and sniffs the ground. She is distracted by something else.

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Erik P.M. Vermeulen, PhD

Prof (law) exploring the collision of life, work, and technology, with a current project in the works - a sci-fi novel.