By Lubna Abdel-Aziz Green with envy, we look upon the rich and famous with awe. They dress better, they eat better. If in trouble, they can afford better lawyers; when sick, they can get better care. Are they superhuman, specially endowed, devilishly lucky, or simple achievers with a positive outlook? We all seek good fortune which in most instances means "loads of money." Riches overcome the desire for happiness. The mistaken assumption is that one leads to the other, but material comforts are not always capable of comforting the soul. Still, we toil and labour for that elusive good fortune destined only to a precious few. Its flavours are often bitter, but there is something invigorating in bitterness Through the ages, the most beloved story is the "rags to riches" account, the dream that gleams in the eyes of the poor. With the age of industry, the dream came closer to reality than ever before. Hundreds of innovators and entrepreneurs fulfilled the impossible dream of amassing a fortune, rather than inheriting it. The age of industrialization led to massive demands by a public embarking on a new lifestyle. A yielding field of opportunities lay open for all creators and dreamers. By addressing the needs of the children of industry, they created the golden age of commercial success. Fortune blessed many, but fame eluded them. Advances in technology during the twentieth century allowed the rapid growth of media outlets, transforming it to the age of immediate fame. Fame often brought fortune at its heels. Some were able to exploit their fame turning it into fortunes, others simply faded away into the sunset. The secret ingredient remains mercurial. Is it vision, drive, greed? Is it personality, attraction, attitude? Is it a gift -- a knack for commercializing one's fame, or a miraculous power of supremacy? Is there such a thing as a green thumb for money, besides a green thumb for plants? The soaring fortune of former American Vice President Al Gore set our thoughts in motion. Judging from his present status, his loss of the White House was the best thing that happened to him, resulting in fame and fortune. Since he left office in 2000, his personal wealth has jumped from $2 million to $100 million in a few short years. Al Gore was able to reinvent himself. He became the messenger of a penetrating message, and an avid campaigner for climate change. He helped produce a documentary film An Inconvenient Truth, which according to many scientists is loaded with "convenient untruths," for which he was awarded an Oscar and a Nobel Peace Prize. We wonder about the substance of these two prestigious organizations. Al Gore is now advocating "going-green industries," and investing heavily in them, fattening his bank account. He is in demand on the lecture circuit, charging $100,000 an appearance. The former United States President Bill Clinton has also fared well since he left the White House. He went from being homeless to being the owner of three opulent homes and offices to boot. The Clintons' income rose from $357,026 in 2000, to $20.4 million in 2008, an increase of 5,600 per cent. Lucrative speeches of $150,000 per hour earned Bill Clinton $54 million in 7 years. Turning shame into fame and fortune, the Clintons cashed in on their scandal-laden tenure at the White House. The same should have applied to Monica Lewinsky, the reason for all the uproar. Ms. Lewinsky however, was unable to capitalize on her fall from grace. Now she is all but forgotten, wile the wronged wife was rewarded with a check for $10 million for her "tell-all" book. Scandals bring shame for some, wealth for others. On the talk circuit Bill Clinton is experiencing some serious competition from his good friend and former Prime Minister of Great Britain, Tony Blair. In its April 5th edition the Sunday London Times front page headline read "Blair is World's Best-Paid Speaker." Last month he was paid �400,000 for two half-hour speeches. He also served as political advisor to JP Morgan Chase, the investment bank, for �2 million a year, and Zurich Financial Services pays him ê500,000 annually for a similar role. His written memoirs at 10 Downing Street will bring him �4.6 million. Fame was food for dead men only. In the arts, it was inconceivable to become rich during one's lifetime, except in a few rare cases. Fame did not lead to fortune as easily as it has done following the birth of the motion picture industry and the spread of television. Science and Economics bring you neither fame nor fortune. Consider all the Nobel Prize winners of the last century. Few know how to play the wealth and power card, and awards are not always followed by an avalanche of green bank notes. Some actors however, profit immensely from rubbing shoulders with Oscar. Dustin Hoffman went from a nobody earning $17,000 for The Graduate, to earning $400,000 following his Oscar nomination. An Oscar is best won early in youth, preferably for the first film, like Audrey Hepburn in Roman Holiday (1953), or after a slump, like Marlon Brando in The Godfather (1972). He never bothered to collect his Oscar , but was happy to collect the millions that came pouring in. The engaging six Friends on television were showered with fame and fortune while together. Separately with their energies dispersed, they are no longer as desirable. Sex and the City's Sarah Jessica Parker turned her fame into lucrative avenues of cosmetic enterprises and film contracts -- her three friends have mattered little, since. Many are the vagaries that beguile the rich and famous, often rewarded with fame and fortune, certainly not with happiness. How did fame help Elvis and Marilyn? They faced insurmountable disappointments and incalculable unhappiness. For those seekers of fame and fortune, theirs is a crooked and bumpy road. For those who are wise enough to settle for happiness, reaching that goal requires concentration and effort, but is far more satisfying. Keeping one's focus on the simple things in life, can achieve success beyond compare. Place importance on the inside, things of the heart. Maybe then love and compassion will be followed by wealth and fame to make this life near perfect. Fame is a Bee It has a song It has a sting Ah, too , it has a wing -- Emily Dickinson (1830 -- 1886)
