John D. Rockefeller was overworked and stressed out.


 The stress got so bad in the 1890s that he lost all his body hair. Even his eyebrows, eyelashes and his moustache fell off and never regrew; he had to wear wigs for the rest of his life. He was so ashamed of his condition that he locked himself inside his house for eight months to recuperate, never showing himself to the world amidst his breakdown.

Rockefeller’s own father was a herbalist and a conman who caused him much grief. And his children had their fair share of woes worrying him. Happiness is a state of mind, of course. But I do not see wealthy people as necessarily more happy than others. More comfortable? Certainly. But comfort doesn’t always translate neatly into joy. Then again, having the ability to hide away from the world in times of trouble, as Rockefeller did, is a luxury in and of itself… a luxury not available to the poor man, who must keep going on no matter what, even at his lowest point.

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