Wealth Distribution

Equitability in the distribution of wealth in a population is more a matter of opportunity than of differences in its holding at any particular time. Nature’s Laws cannot be over looked without drastic costs. As the Pareto’s principle recognizes, 20 percent of any group (population, customers, workers, activities and so on) will generate or gain, 80 percent of the benefits. This 20 percent will also, be divided in the same manner and thus 4 percent will gain 64 percent and finally 0.8 percent will hold over 51 percent. This is a Natural Law and there is no point railing against it. Like Gravity it prevails even if one doesn’t believe in it. What needs to be looked at is not who holds how much at any one time, but whether the same people will continue to so hold their present share for all time, like the Kings-Rajas or Nizams of yesteryear.

It is obvious that today there is a continual churn in who holds what wealth, and as long as we each can see a way to work our way up, then we really should have no grievance. In each generation we note that the top one or 10 or 20 percent does not consist of the same people or families or Corporations, hence, to cry out against wealth generation is only displaying envy and an inferiority complex of not being willing to strive to improve one’s lot. Instead, they cry for the Government to take away from others and give to them. An indirect way of stealing that soon results in societal collapse. (See Annexure -I for the Ants and the Grasshoppers story).

As Abraham Lincoln had said; – “When we see that some achieve greatness even from difficult circumstances, it proves to all that others can too.”

Annexure – I

The Original Story – The Ants work hard in the withering heat all summer building their shelter and laying up supplies for the winter. The Grasshoppers think the Ants are fools and laugh and dance playing the summer away. Come winter, the Ants are warm and well fed. The Grasshoppers have no food or shelter so they die out in the cold.

Now the Indian Version of the story – too good and really factual!

The Ants work hard in the withering heat all summer building their shelters and laying up supplies for the winter. The Grasshoppers think the Ants are fools and laugh and dance and play the summer away.

NDTV; BBC, CNN, Et al, show up to provide pictures of the shivering Grasshoppers next to a video of the Ants in their comfortable homes with a table filled with food.

The World is stunned by the sharp contrast. How can this be that the poor Grasshoppers are allowed to suffer so? Another – Arundhati Roy stages a demonstration in front of the Ant’s houses.

Another Medha Patkar goes on a fast along with other Grasshoppers demanding that Grasshoppers be relocated to warmer climates during winter and taken care of. Another Mayawati states this as ‘injustice’ done on Minorities.

The Internet is flooded with online petitions seeking support for the Grasshoppers’. CPM in Kerala immediately passes a law preventing Ants from working hard in the heat so as to bring about equality of poverty among Ants and Grasshoppers.

The Ants are taxed and fined for failing to comply with POTAGA and having nothing left to pay their retroactive taxes, their homes are confiscated by Government and handed over to the Grasshoppers in a ceremony covered by NDTV, BBC, CNN

People like, Arundhati Roy, Medha Patkar call it- ‘A. Triumph of justice: Railway minister calls it ‘Socialistic Justice, CPM calls it Revolutionary Resurgence of the Downtrodden.

Years later…

P.S.: I have no idea whose creative mind this really evocative story has come out from; but it is very apt and makes you think!

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