The problem comes when a significant number of people believe, whether correctly or incorrectly, that acquiring more money/power/etc (and sometimes specifically

The problem comes when a significant number of people believe, whether correctly or incorrectly, that acquiring more money/power/etc (and sometimes specifically more money than their neighbor, family member, rival peer, etc) is what will bring them the most happiness. Actually it's probably more basic than that. Competing over scarce resources brings out the best and worst in us as biological entities.