Alexander Green 
An Embarrassment of Riches 
Tapping Into the World’s Greatest Legacy of Wealth

Tune into the news and you’ll hear stories of war,
disease, natural disasters, corruption, violence, poverty, crime,
nuclear proliferation, terrorism and political dysfunction in
Washington. Polls show many believe the American dream is
fading, our children face limited opportunities, and the country is
decidedly on the wrong track. Yet this dour perspective
– one recycled 24/7 by the national media – is a gross
distortion of the world we live in today.

As national investment expert and bestselling author Alexander
Green reveals in this engrossing and provocative new book, the
human race has never had it so good. In the West today, we
work shorter hours, have more purchasing power, enjoy goods and
services in almost limitless supply, and have more leisure time
than ever before. Living standards are the highest they have
ever been. The human life span has nearly doubled over the past
hundred years. Literacy and education levels – even
I.Q.’s – are at all-time highs. Technology and medicine
are revolutionizing our lives. All forms of pollution – with
the exception of greenhouse gases – are in decline.
Access to the arts has never been greater. Crime is in a
long-term cycle of decline. And the risk of death by violence
has never been smaller for most of humanity.

By almost every measure, our lives today are wealthy beyond
measure. We are all heir to an embarrassment of
riches. Yet – thanks in large part the drumbeat of
negative media coverage – most of us don’t realize
it. Green compares the average citizen to ‘a lottery
winner whose ticket is lost in some upstairs drawer.’

The consequences of adopting the cynical but popular worldview
are many, including needless pessimism, missed investment
opportunities, and – surprisingly – even poorer health.
Yet An Embarrassment of Riches provides a powerful
antidote.

Green begins with a robust survey of the many ways our lives are
becoming longer, easier, safer, healthier and more
prosperous. He then embarks on a wide-ranging exploration of
the ideas and the many men and women – both living and dead
– that are still enriching our lives today.

Among the many subjects explored are American exceptionalism,
the extraordinary power of economic freedom, the lifesaving role of
medicine and technology, the life-extending benefits of optimism,
the radical theology of Thomas Jefferson, the keys to civility and
greatness, the wisdom of Confucius and Aristotle, the ability of
beauty to enrich our lives, and even one artist’s
thought-provoking take on ‘how to defeat death.’

In An Embarrassment of Riches, New York Times
bestselling author Alexander Green offers a holistic approach to
wealth – and offers a welcome perspective that allows us to
live fuller, richer lives.

İçerik tablosu

Preface ix

Introduction xi

PART ONE: A WEALTH OF GRATITUDE 1

A Message from the Land of the Unwell 3

The Reason You Should Be Biased 7

What We Live to Discover 11

Like No Other Nation in the World 15

How to Put a Touch of Glory in Your Life 19

The Greatest Star of Them All 22

The Man Who Invented Christmas 26

Do You Know Where You Are? 29

The Mind-Boggling Universe, Part II 32

The Best That Has Been Thought and Said 35

A Titan for Freedom and Prosperity 39

The Great Key to Successful Living 43

What You Can Learn from ‘The Gadfl y of Athens’
46

The True Rulers of the Planet 50

Confessions of an Analog Man 54

How to Be Miserable in One Easy Lesson 58

For Music Lovers Only 61

PART TWO: A WEALTH OF WISDOM 65

Where Can Wisdom Be Found? 69

Discovering a New Sense of the Sacred 73

The Cash Value of the American Mind 76

The Key to Civility … and Greatness 79

How to Defeat Death 83

The Sage Who Spoke to Everyman 86

The Greatest Best Seller of All Time 90

The Pursuit of Moral Perfection 94

How Apple Got Its Zen 97

The Secret of ‘Big-Ass Salads’ 101

Take a Vacation Inside Your Head 107

The Biggest Question of Them All 111

A Requiem for an Atheist 115

The Nation’s Most Misunderstood Man 120

Why Grant’s Final Victory Was His Greatest 124

The Other Freedom Document of 1776 129

The Right Man at the Right Time 134

The Most Powerful Thing You Can Do for Your Body 137

The ‘Howling Atheist’ Who Governed the Country
143

PART THREE: A WEALTH OF UNDERSTANDING 149

Why You Love and Need the Rat Race 153

How to Live the ‘Good Life’ 156

Nassim Nicholas Taleb … and the Pursuit of Phronesis
159

The Gift a Man Gives Himself 162

A Billionaire’s Best Advice 165

The Lost Art of Conversation 168

A Visit Everyone Should Make 172

The Man Who Made Dreams Come True 176

How to Talk Politics without Committing Murder 180

The True Secret of Success 184

How to Be a Big Loser 188

Three Words That Will Save Your Life 193

Are You Awake? 196

The One Factor That Changes Everything 200

The Lies We Tell Ourselves 205

How the First Americans Became Last 208

The Top Five Regrets of the Dying 213

A Short Lesson in Humility 217

Afterword 219

Further Reading 223

About the Author 227

Index 229

Yazar hakkında

ALEXANDER GREEN is the Chief Investment Strategist of The
Oxford Club and the author of three national bestsellers: The
Gone Fishin’ Portfolio, The Secret of Shelter Island and
Beyond Wealth. He has been featured on Oprah &
Friends, Fox News, The O’Reilly Factor, CNBC, MSNBC,
and C-SPAN and has been profiled in the Wall Street Journal,
Business Week, Forbes, and many other publications. He
currently lives in Charlottesville, Virginia, and Winter Springs,
Florida, with his wife Karen and their children, Hannah and
David.