And anyone who calls out vapid conspicuous consumption, or the greedy exploitation of the planet for personal gain, that's not obviously perverse to you; it's just one person's opinion and easily disregarded - because they're not the final word on genuine understanding?
Well, pick your prophet; pick your genius; they all say the same thing:
"It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God."
- Jesus.
"By his craving for riches the foolish man slays himself, as if he were slaying others."
- Buddha
"The mutual rivalry for piling up of worldly things diverts you, until you visit the graves."
- The Qur'an
"He who is not contented with what he has, would not be contented with what he would like to have."
- Socrates
"It is not the man who has too little, but the man who craves more, that is poor."
- Seneca
"The more you have, the more you want. The more you have, the less you are."
- Tolstoy
"A calm and modest life brings more happiness than the pursuit of success combined with constant restlessness."
- Einstein
"Wealth is like seawater: the more you drink, the thirstier you become."
- Schopenhauer
"A small terrace by the mountain stream, living at ease, free from the burdens of the world — this is better than the glory of an emperor."
- Zhuangzi
Etc, etc, etc.
Some people, really, truly, have a genuine understanding of this concept. And many, probably most incredibly wealthy people, with every possible opportunity, can't grasp it for the life of them. That's not really "my opinion"; it's the opinion of anyone worth listening to.