This is what normal people do. The real question is why certain wealthy people think they need to throw away the money that they extract from consumers and employees on things like cocaine, vacation houses and prostitutes.
Of course, money is not real and it does not disappear when it is spent. What is real is the resources and labor extracted at the expense of others to provide and procure these services. Most likely, my examples could be improved and aren't worth discussing in particular.
I'm taking exception to lavish spending and resource allotment which does not even make the person spending the money happy, yet is done at the expense of others who have real needs that are going unmet. I do think an act like spending $200,000 on a bottle of wine at a restaurant just for the heck of it, while the purchaser might have hundreds of employees for whom 200k would be a life changing relief, can be seen as sociopathic.
You are getting into an argument about how people should use the resources that they have been rewarded with. This is difficult, because reducing the rewards punish the responsible, and conditional rewards are difficult to implement if the sources of that reward are heterogeneous or disorganized, such as the consumers of mass-produced goods.
Not to say it can't be done, but it's not as simple as sprinkling magic social responsibility dust onto capitalism.
It's more about personal responsibility and ethics than an economic system.
The meme that capitalism is exploitation should be considered harmful. In market societies, money is (in general) not forcibly extracted and trade certainly doesn't happen (in general) at the expense of others.
Anyway, what good is a yacht without them.
On the other hand, the humble, successful businessman simply becomes a better neighbor to all of us, and probably creates an environment where our loved ones stand to benefit.
You're selfish and want me to be a good neighbor who doesn't steal your women.
I'm selfish and want coke and prostitutes and your women.
Those are, at least in your point of view, mutually exclusive (I can imagine people who would appreciate a neighbor who's into coke and prostitutes).
I just don't see how one person's selfishness is better (in a rational way) than other person's selfishness.
If you're in a system with a bunch of humble rich guys, people will be forced to be thoughtful and conscientious. In a system of cocaine and no-value relationships, your daughter is seduced while you're nursing a hangover, and then you die of heart disease.
It isn't about stealing women, but rather creating a sustainable lifestyle where people grow and have a manageable environment.
That quote always gives me a giggle. If nothing else it serves to remind me that everyone has their own priorities.
In other words, I'd argue that it's unnatural to feign disinterest in accumulating infinite power and wealth.
People who make it their life's work to study human beings generally believe that humans are motivated by the drives to acquire, to bond, to defend, and to learn.
The drive to acquire is fundamental to all animals. Getting stuff is therefore one of the prime meanings of life.
What do you spend your money on?