If you looked into my sidebar category of recommended books to read (ones that I didn’t write), you’d find Kurt Vonnegut’s The Sirens of Titan listed, and also John Bogle’s new book, Enough.
The title of John Bogle’s book comes from a story of a conversation between Kurt Vonnegut and fellow author Joseph Heller. Apparently, one day some years ago, both of the men were at a garden party at the home of some super-wealthy hedge-fund manager in the Hamptons. Anyway, at some point, Vonnegut turned to Heller and said, “Do you realize that this guy made more money last week than you’ve made– over your entire life– for writing Catch-22?”
And Heller looked at Vonnegut and smiled, and said, “Yeah, but I’ve got something he’ll never have.”
And Vonnegut asked, sincerely, “What’s that?”
And Heller said, “Enough.”
As in: “I’ve already got enough (to help me find happiness), and no matter how much moolah this guy accumulates, he’ll never have enough.”
Which may not actually be true– for that particular guy. One can attain great wealth and achieve happiness. The two needn’t be mutually exclusive. (That’s the poor man’s smugness.)
Anyway, I think it’s a cool story, nonetheless.
The other story goes back to my student days. I had a friend who worked at the Sears in Falmouth, I think (on Cape Cod), and she told me once that Vonnegut used to come in all the time. That he bought all his clothes there.
And for years afterwards, after I’d moved out West, I didn’t have a Sears in my immediate area, but I did have a JC Penney. And so I’d by a lot of my clothes there, and think to myself: “If Sears is good enough for Kurt Vonnegut, JC Penney should be good enough for me.”
… For what that’s worth.
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