Instant Gratification

We fortunate ones, (Haves), are used to instant gratification. We want to go somewhere, we get in our cars or use a public transport system. We want to buy something, we use our credit cards, which delays actually paying for it. We have clean water on tap. We have instant gas & electricity for light & heat. We have shops & online outlets everywhere for anything our hearts desire. We have takeaways & restaurants. We have a huge selection of leisure opportunities. We have hobbies we enjoy in our spare time. We go on holidays. We have purchasing power & we are safe. We have expectations of what we are entitled to & we are blessed. We take all of this & more for granted. 

https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/standard-of-living-by-country - The UK ramks 22 in the quality of life index.

According to World Vision 

• 719 million people — 9.2% of the world’s population — are living on less than $2.15 a day.
• Children and youths account for two-thirds of the world’s poor, and women represent a majority in most regions.
• Extreme poverty is largely concentrated in sub-Saharan Africa.
• 24% of the world’s population, which equates to 1.9 billion people, live in fragile contexts, characterized by impoverished conditions and dire circumstances.
• By 2030, more than half of the world’s poor will live in fragile contexts.
• About 63% of people older than 15 who live in extreme poverty have no schooling or only some basic education.
• 1.2 billion people in 111 developing countries live in multidimensional poverty, accounting for 19% of the world’s population.
• 593 million children are experiencing multidimensional poverty.
• Over 37 million people were living in poverty in the U.S. in 2021. Children account for 11.1 million of those.

These are the "Have Nots". Absolute poverty is when a person cannot afford the basics, such as food, shelter, and clothing. Relative poverty is a household income below a certain percentage, typically 50% or 60%, of that country’s median income. Even if a person’s income is above the poverty line, their family may still not have basic services such as electricity, access to clean water, sanitation, and education.

https://www.worldvision.org/sponsorship-news-stories/global-poverty-facts#how-many

 

The question is how on earth can this extreme polarisation be changed so that human beings everywhere get a reasonable share of the things we feel are necessary for a good life? If we cannot solve that problem & reduce the disparity between people, the world will continue on the disastrous path it is on currently. Worldwide instant communication means that the disposessed & the Have Nots know how the other half live. The Haves also know, very clearly, just how fortunate they are. 

It isn't a recipe for worldwide peace & harmony. We have to learn to share. We Haves need to forgo some of our "perks". If we don't, armies & fortresses won't protect us from the displaced, the disenfranchised & the economically challenged who have very little to be grateful for. 

There are 2,640 billionaires with a total net wealth of $12.2 trillion. Today Bernard Arnault CEO of LVMH is the richest man in the world with $211 billion. Followed closely by Elon Musk with $180 billion. There are 47 million millionaires globally. 28,420 are so-called centi-millionaires worldwide.

How is it acceptable for individuals & their families to have this level of wealth when so many are suffering huge deprivation? It's a resipe for civil unrest.