Thoughts on the Suicide of Mark Madoff

Bernie Madoff defrauded investors of millions in a Ponzi scheme and his son Mark committed suicide. It is tragic when the son suffers for the sins of the father. But he did enjoy the success of his father while it was happening.

Mark Madoff liked to spend. He lived a lavish lifestyle, so he was targeted in a civil suit to recover money that his father had bilked out of his investors. Mark declared his innocence, but he shared in the guilt whether he realized it or not.

I see a definite link between dishonesty and high living. The primary reason Mark Madoff was blind to his father's criminal behavior is because he was enjoying the fruits of that criminal behavior. The man had a multimillion dollar estate. He was found hanging in a fashionable NYC apartment. Mark Madoff enjoyed the high life, so it is with karmic irony that he came to such an ignominious end.

I don't know of anyone who was both frugal and dishonest. The whole point of theft and deceit is to attain material ends. Over and over, I see the crooks as people who pursue happiness in expensive toys, property, and what have you. People steal money because they want to buy shit. It is pure and simple. If you want to find the crooks, look for the mansion and the Mercedes.

Despite a modest income and frugal lifestyle, I live a full life. I don't understand why people need such lavish lifestyles to be happy. And I can't imagine hanging from a dog leash in your apartment to be the end of a happy life. Was all that spending really worth it? Is such misery a fair price to pay to live above everyone else?

A simple life is a happy life. Mark Madoff never learned that lesson. I know why he committed suicide. It wasn't public shame or guilt. It was the simple fact that with such a shitty last name and a civil suit he was certain to lose he was destined to be in the poor house. I don't think it was shame that killed him but humility. It was more than he could bear.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N09lXaWGtCE

UPDATE: I have given more thought to the Mark Madoff suicide which only strengthens my POV on the matter. This is an interesting link:

Madoff Family Feeding At The Trough

From this article, we see that Mark Madoff was the biggest spender of the bunch. It is hard to believe he had no knowledge of what was going down. Any decent lawyer would eat his ass alive in a civil suit.

It is fashionable to believe that Mark Madoff was a tragic figure who suffered unfairly for the sins of his father. This isn't true. At any point after his dad's arrest, Mark could have voluntarily forfeited assets and done whatever it took to set matters right. He did not do this. These would have been the actions of a guilt stricken man. The reality is that the gravy train had ended, and Mark Madoff was going to end up living just like you and me. That's why I commented that simple living would have averted this tragedy. If you believe that happiness resides in status and material things, you understand how this person would choose suicide when these things were taken from him. For people on the material trip, simplicity is a fate worse than death.

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