Explaining the Unexplainable

I really struggled with my piece on Bernard Madoff in yesterday's Guardian. It's hard to explain events that don't make sense. In response, one commenter, Auric, offered up some good snark, quoting me:

'The biggest mystery is why Madoff, who was already a big success, risked it all on such a scheme. Here, we can only speculate. Money may have been a motivation.'
Insightful, inconoclastic comment at its best.

Nicely done, Auric. I did go on to add this blinding insight:

It may have been ego.

It may have been money, or ego perhaps. In my defense, I did elaborate on the ego point:

In a city where waiters want to be actors and actors want to direct, Madoff may have aspired to be more than the guy who executed trades for the Masters of the Universe.

After a week, I think there's a lot to learn about this one. Stay tuned for more insightful commentary on world events.