Here, buying the leather jacket is a mistake for Ben but not for Alex. This, after all, is what abundance affords us. It allows us to buy more things. Wealth transforms temptations into affordable luxuries. The same good can be a temptation when you have little but a mere frivolity when you have plenty. The dieter must avoid the same cookie that the nondieter eats thoughtlessly. The busy must avoid distractions—having a drink with friends or watching mindless TV—that the nonbusy enjoy without thinking.
