[rendall]

I once felt the same way. And maybe in the future I will come around to that way of thinking again.

The problem is not money, per se in my view. I'm coming to believe now though that humans have a baseline of social health in the same way that there is a baseline of physical health - and that baseline health is rather reasonable and flexible. Money correlates somewhat with social health.

If someone heart pounds and they get dizzy whenever they stand up, then something is clearly wrong and they should see a doctor. Normally healthy humans should be able to stand and walk around at least.

Likewise, if someone cannot afford (their society's equivalent of) a pint of beer with friends, it means that something has gone wrong: being able to socialize with friends is the baseline, however socializing is defined in that society. A person unable to afford to socialize is a socially ill person.

There is absolutely nothing morally wrong with being poor just as there is nothing morally wrong with being ill. But it is not baseline. Moving the baseline expectation from "pint of beer" to "playing musical instruments" or "telling entertaining tales" or "making costumes" or "listening warmly" will still mean that some people will still be unable to afford to socialize.