The Germans have a superb word for the (secret) pleasure humans obtain from the misfortunes of others. It is Schadenfreude – from schaden meaning ‘harm’ (from which we get the word ‘shadow’), and freude meaning ‘joy’. Those of you who are definitely going to be rich will recognise it often enough in the faces and body language of idiots around you. It is the price you must learn to pay for any attempt to raise yourself in the world. And I suspect that was as true ten thousand years ago as it is today.
