Inequality - Can It Ever Go Away ?

Sometimes, my mind drifts from one topic to the next like someone aimlessly scrolling on social media. I think there's a lot I can conjure up, and the best way I kind of make sense of it all is to write. Oh! Sorry, I didn't welcome you. So you came to check what nonsense I have to say? Well, I hope to have been worth your time by the end of this. 

You see, I have lived in Africa, Europe, and North America. This is not me bragging, but an attempt to show you that I'm writing from my lived experience and not some made-up stuff. Anywhere I have gone, there's been inequality. I have seen people live in affluence and others live in abject poverty. This is true for all societies, regardless of who they are. The fascinating thing about this is that, all through history, the same inequality has existed. We've always had the haves and have-nots. It doesn't matter which ancient empire, socialist, communist, or capitalist society you're looking at. The same damm inequality existed. What made it worse is the fact that the haves tend to continue to have, as the have-nots continue to lose what they have. In George Orwell's Animal Farm, he perfectly pictured what goes on in the world where the pigs talked about taking control over the farm for the benefit of everyone. Unless this was never the case because, after the pigs got control of the farm, it was all about the pigs having all there was, and the other animals being left with very little. I have thought about human greed and hypocrisy as the real cause of this. The greatest place to witness human greed is the markets. And I see this every day and very much experience it myself. You do have this ingrained in you, but of course, you can't accept it, haha!

           What I have is what you failed to keep. I can give it to you, but it'll find its way back to me. 

If you ever read my post about money, you will see that I pointed out the very first utilization of money and how it came about as a result of humans forming organized communities and then realizing that such communities needed some collective body to oversee their functioning. Yes! I'm talking about the very origin of what we call government. The government's primary role was to provide benefits to the general population. That is, making sure everyone was protected. The government's primary role hasn't changed today. If you provide people with the basics of life, which today will include health, shelter, and food safety, then I believe you have protected them. I know I'll get a lot of kicks for this, but I believe it doesn't matter that we have billionaires or all these extremely rich individuals/oligarchs. It has always been, and it will continue to be. To deny this is like seeing a cat and saying it's a dog. Give a group of 10 individuals $100000 and check back after a year. Everything being equal, there'll be a hierarchy in the wealth each person has. In a class, some will come first and some last. In a food contest, some will eat more than others. In a family, some children come out more intelligent than others, and some emerge to be richer than others, etc. This is the reality of inequality, whether you like it or not. 

Don't hate me for my opinion, but engage me in a dialogue if you can. I generally think it's the government's failure to provide the basic necessities of life for reasons I'll not be going into. Of course, we don't need billions or millions or vast amounts of wealth to live well. In fact, any individual with guaranteed health, shelter, and food safety is already extremely rich. Personally, I'll be fine if I have guaranteed health shelter and food safety. Reality shows otherwise, because as humans, we're greedy. If you had this all, you'll seek other ventures, be it hobbies or other interests, because that's who we are. Deny it all you want, but that's the reality. You can't sit still. Excess, you must chase because you fear the unknown, or you're just greedy. Every clan, community, society, empire, etc, no matter what you call it, always seeks more. 

Let me wrap this up. I came to a conclusion that many before me have already arrived at. If John is not seeking to overtake Peter, Peter will be seeking to overtake John. What is worse is, even if John and Peter are not seeking to overtake each other, Judas is plotting to overtake them both. It's the same at a much bigger level, because clans, communities, empires, etc, always seek to take out the other. It doesn't matter that the US and Europe are living together happily because Russia is looking to have them both, and even if Russia isn't bothering about that, China is plotting something to get all three. It goes on and on and on. It's greed and fear at its core, driving us all nuts. You can't help it; you either attain that safety net and chase other goals, or die trying to do it, whether you're conscious of it or not, you're greedy, or just fear something that's either there or not there.  This is what drives inequality from the individual to the world at large. It can never go away. The Scandinavian countries tried to show us, but even they are failing to uphold that model, and it will continue, as the massive taxation drives out entrepreneurs and businesses, immigration eats into the social welfare and sows seeds of hatred, and an ever-increasing need for more military spending, because you know, maybe Russia invades, etc. 

Thank you for sticking with me. Don't feel guilty for having more or being privileged to enjoy what you have. Just stay humble and continue to be satisfied because happiness is just masquerading itself satisfaction in this world, and that is what we are primarily called to enjoy. Be satisfied, but if it makes you feel better, then I say be happy.