When people's average income reaches a certain level, the currency's marginal utility, too, will diminish and their happiness will not be that strong, something corrupt officials will soon realize, says an article in Southern Metropolis Daily. Excerpts:

The government's "Fox Hunt" (efforts to nab corrupt officials who have fled abroad) has forced two corrupt officials to surrender after living in exile in South Africa for 10 years. The two fugitives confessed that they were not happy even after spending $1 million on houses, food and cars. At times they even contemplated it was better to die than to live like fugitives.

Corrupt officials tend to equate happiness with money without understanding the diminishing marginal utility of money, or any other exchange material for that matter. It doesn't take long for corrupt officials to realize that family, health and peace of mind are more important than money, especially because they cannot spend their illegal earnings openly.

On the other hand, a person with an unquenchable desire for money will never feel happy, because he/she doesn't pay attention to real happiness and by the time he/she realizes the futility of material comfort he/she is already in the grip of vacuous worldly pleasures.

The fact remains that a stable job, a happy family and good health are the most important sources of happiness for normal people. Money, especially illegal earned money, can never provide true happiness.