Our well being and happiness is a function of our neighbours’ fortune!
It is just that they are negatively correlated.
And this keeps us stuck forever on a hedonistic treadmill. Because we will always be chasing the one who is ahead in the game. Frequent material successes provide a short “happiness boost” before we revert to our long-term default happiness set point.
But what if we try to bring parity by engaging in the redistribution of wealth and privileges?
Ideally, it should increase the collective well-being by forming a more cohesive society.
Highly unlikely…as usual we got to blame the complex human nature which can judge a situation from different perspectives which in turn are shaped by upbringing and social and cultural milieu.
If we try to place two households on an identical financial pedestal by taking resources from one and giving them to another…the result would be disastrous.
The losing party will be plagued by the thoughts of injustice whereas gains would most likely be frittered away.
Wealth inequality causes social upheavals and hobbles our economies as well.
Guaranteeing the outcome for efforts won’t fix it but providing an equal playing ground for all surely is the right step!