| I agree, to an extent. But it's not "our society". It's physics. A person (singular) can grab as much as they can (and wish to) hold. An individual in good health in a country like the USA has a hell of a lot of agency. But the people (plural) cannot. The economy relies on it, sure, but so too does the health of the environment, the physical amount of space available, energy limitations, and the hierarchical nature of status. What works against them is the fact that we simply cannot have 300 million wealthy folk in big houses with cars (in the US) as a physical impossibility. Add on to that the societal aspect of the fact no-one is the binman/waiter/whatever in this scenario and it becomes even more obviously nonsense, yes, but it's not the largest problem by a long shot. Oh, and then there's the other 6.5+ billion. If you wish to work in charitable endeavours; there is nothing wrong with that, at all. Admirable, in fact. But it must be recognised; and I don't think a lot of article writers, or indeed people in general, realise that this is what they are doing when they obsess over 'averages'. They are tying their success to that of society as a whole, which does indeed reduce their agency; because they are powerless to affect society as a whole in more than a trivial sense unless they rise to a position of great power. Support those around you. Be a good citizen. But focus on yourself first. |
1) "it's physics" - Texas alone receives more solar energy than our daily planet-wide power consumption, like hundreds of times more. Given a plant-based building material, basic needs for all humans, including "large" homes, could be reduced to just an energy supply problem. There's enough resources for all people be live well, if we would work together to use them effectively.
2) "focus on yourself first" - I believe this is what got us into this mess of global inequality (not just USA, consider difference between average American and average African) and global warming. We need not to focus on ourselves, but work together to elect leaders that will align economic incentives with the good of all humans, not just the owners of capital.
The problem is, the entire system we have is pretty much the opposite of this right now. I get that what I'm saying amounts to little more than saying "let's have a wand and pray," but I believe there is a path out of the next 100 years that leaves us all better off than where we are now. I just haven't figured out exactly what that path is yet.