The Paradox of Wealth
"But what is overlooked in all the shouting is that paradoxically,
the people who
have the most to gain from insuring some measure of
economic equality and social justice
are the wealthy."
the people who
have the most to gain from insuring some measure of
economic equality and social justice
are the wealthy."
The Paradox of Wealth
by Joseph Ganem, Ph.D.
"For the body is not one member, but many. If the foot says, 'Because I am not a hand, I am not a part of the body,' it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body. And if the ear says, 'Because I am not an eye, I am not a part of the body,' it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole were hearing, where would the sense of smell be?"
-- I Corinthians 12: 14-17
-- I Corinthians 12: 14-17
Imagine that you are by far the wealthiest person in the world. Your net worth tops that of
Bill Gates and Warren Buffet combined. You have used your vast resources to fulfill a life-long ambition---become the first person on Mars. Strapped into your custom built rocket, the engines ignite and your journey into space begins. Your co-pilot, seated next you, has also dreamed of this journey. He has worked in aviation all his life for middle class wages, and
has a net worth that is a tiny fraction of yours. What will it be like when you arrive on Mars? Will the vast wealth disparity cause problems because you and your co-pilot will expect different standards of living? It is easy to see in this scenario that it will not. Once you leave planet