Tipping the scales

Peasants and disparity

Is it fair that someone earns more than someone else? If you work for twice as long, many expect double the pay. If doing piece work, are you to be paid by the amount you get done or is it not fairer to split everything between all those involved.

Should a talented individual get the same remuneration as those that support them? Does the lead singer in a band deserve a greater share than the backing singers and musicians? It is always going to be unfair if you are born with an ability or disability. Can tax go some way towards reducing the disparity, redressing the gains made though efficiency and good fortune? Do we address every loophole that people find to carve out a bigger slice? There are trade-offs. Wealth with time and freedom. Wealth with pressure and responsibility. Work and leisure, leisurely pace. The answers to these questions lie with our fixed preferences. Some prefer the idea of handling their own affairs. Others like to see the government take greater responsibility for how wealth is distributed. Whatever system is in place within any society, you will always have a hard-core bulk of individuals who will have a low economic ‘peasant’ status, relative to a minor few who will have significantly more.

Peasants prefer to minimise responsibility, want to take less risks and like a clear separation between work and home time. Thankfully for the wealthy there are plenty of these people about that are prepared to put in all this essential work. Businesses are not all heartless organisations that want it all, they have a habit of providing rather good goods and services that people flock to for their outstanding value for money.

The rich do not get rich singlehandedly, for they require the efforts of hundreds if not thousands of others to do all the arduous work. The idea, good or bad, is to cream off a premium on each hour an employee works. The employer has considerable costs to cater for but will always pay less than what an employee generates. They will need to if they are to continue for any length of time. As a business grows it can it take advantage of economies of scale and the power of duplication. They can take on extra staff taking more and more slices up to the point of saturation. They are however prone to rest on their laurels and will sooner or later trip and fail. As fashions change and new industries emerge some business no matter how large will go into decline.

Each individual will play a part in a society, whether at first sight some roles appear less significant than others. Each contributor to an economy enables doctors, the police, teachers and so on to be paid. Even where the contribution seems small and the tax paid negligible, the work done has an input. Division of labour enables more to get done. A surgeon can't operate safely if the theatre is not cleaned. A cleaner might be viewed as a lowly individual but performs a vital function. If the surgeons had to clean, then that time would not be spent carrying out clinical procedures.

There are two common errors that people may fail to recognise; one is that someone with more is a more valued person, which ignores the truth that everyone holds equal validity. The other is that lots have other things in their life that they consider more important to them. An ordinary looking peasant that you might see going about their daily business might appear to be leading a dull and uninspiring way of life. What you might not see is that away from view they can often be carrying out some rather daring and interesting activities. The mistake is to assume that what you are doing and the manner you deal with things is equally captivating for others. People can be said to approach things differently rather than ‘better’ than others. Just having an income that is enough to provide for ourselves and the family is in itself very gratifying. It is so much more rewarding and less stressful than sponging off others and being a parasite. Work after all can provide much more than just cash in the hand at the end of the week. Work may not necessarily define us, but every bird, bat, and bee, beavers away to build their lives.

Few of us really want great wealth. Hardly any make real effort or find the perseverance needed for betterment. Becoming rich remains a fantasy for the bulk of the population. Playing a lottery keeps the hope alive and steers you clear of all the hard work. There are advantages of being out of the rich man's journey so long as you are not miss sold the fear of missing the boat.

Upon reaching a point where money is flowing in rather nicely, you come to spend it, but find that having ample cash is not the possession of a magic wand. Where before you wished you could afford many things, now you wish people will get what you want done when you want it and to a standard you crave. You place an order and have to wait. You want an extension to your house and that means a long period of inconvenience as the building work is carried out. Move out for a few months, but when you return to inspect it, so much is below par and far removed from your hopes and instructions. Any new toy requires more learning and familiarisation. Money is an aid, but only removes some of life’s frustrations. It is not the sole elixir nor a ‘cure all’ in life.