Yup, exchanging freedom for illusory trinkets and heavy chains!
The wealthy may live on piles of cash and in physical comfort, but there are not many of them that have managed to find happiness, or even satisfaction (in my experience). It is actually not so enviable a position, yet people cast themselves onto the greasy pole in pursuit of the myth, and in the process sell themselves so short that they get completely lost!
I think true wealth does exist, but it is not material. The most beautiful, the most precious, cannot be bought. It is access to this that is often lost in pursuit of money, position, power. But who learns? And maybe we all need to go through some version of this pursuit in order to realise its emptiness!
Often in that pursuit of riches our the truly important things are lost, like health and the time for enjoying the important things.
Perhaps we do, but I think we also need to experience the simple precious things to know they exist in order to realise that pursuit is emptiness.
RTB worked for a while for a company that paid well, sent him on paid trips to other states and bought lavish gifts and meals for the workers and families. It was interesting to experience this and at the back of my mind I knew not to get used to it, because it might not last. The hours were long and stressful and he piled on weight. When he got made redundant and went back to a lower paid job without the stress he was a lot healthier for it. I don't regret that it didn't last, it wasn't worth his health and it was empty, just like you say. I'm glad we had the experience though.