We should, of course, incentivize people to work hard, and I'm certainly not against enjoying life! I'm also not suggesting that people take vows of poverty, or try to move society towards a Harrison Bergeron-esque dystopia. Like I said, keep every last cent of your money if it means so much to you!

However, success in today's world is not driven solely by "creating value" for a variety of reasons. Don't succumb to the "just world" fallacy - it's easy to moralize about how the unsuccessful must be lazy, but applying a little bit of critical thinking should make it clear that a rural shepherd in a third world country isn't necessarily poor because he "chooses" not to work hard and become a surgeon. Indeed, well-targeted charity may increase the returns to hard work.