I'll leave you with this: In setting up the dichotomy between wealth and assets, I've completely side-stepped the much more interesting question: wealth inequality. Is it an issue if someone else is, by natural virtue, exponentially better off than me? Should that inequality be rectified? Can it be? When a new disease breaks out, the immunologist's value to society increases, maybe that's how it should be. Maybe we could all attain equal wealth at the cost of our individuality. Or perhaps we could all be equal, but none great. Maybe our best bet is for each of us to ask, are we better off than we were before; and what can we do for those of among us who are not as fortunate?