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Rekha talks of the ever-widening economic disparities and its adverse affect on a nation’s progress. An exclusive for Different Truths.
Among the types of inequalities, financial inequality is the most detrimental to the progress of any country. This serious problem has always been one of the most pressing among policymakers across the globe. Whatever be, the gap between the rich and the poor exists everywhere including all places of worship! What a paradox that even in front of the Almighty there is discrimination!
Does luck play a key role in determining the financial status of an individual? Or is it the very design of the government and its policies that bring about this widening gap? What are the phenomenal changes that need to be brought about in order to reduce this ugly gap that is eating into like termites on wood!
A burning issue that haunts me is the fact that the rich are getting richer and the poor poorer. The divide is frighteningly widening leading to a number of other issues- crime, anger and frustration. Can we afford to let our children wake up to and live in such a country?
In the words of Dalai Lama, “Nowadays, we are confronted with a huge gap between the rich and the poor. This is not only morally wrong but practically a mistake. It leads to the rich living in anxiety and the poor living in frustration, which has the potential to lead to more violence. We have to work to reduce this gap. It’s truly unfair that some people have so much while others go hungry.”
I chanced upon this fact when I was going through an article written by Pawan K Varma and it says that India has catapulted from position 149 worldwide, in 2014, to 63, in 2019, which indeed is a huge jump to progress. But this position can be sustained and improved upon only if as citizens we have the right attitude to work and ethics.
I chanced upon this fact when I was going through an article written by Pawan K Varma and it says that India has catapulted from position 149 worldwide, in 2014, to 63, in 2019, which indeed is a huge jump to progress. But this position can be sustained and improved upon only if as citizens we have the right attitude to work and ethics. We have to shed the thick robe of “self- entitlement”. We have to work as if time is running out, slipping like sand from or hands. Resilience and commitment is the call of the hour and we have to take the plunge.
We must not forget the fact that we do not own the earth but we are mere tenants and we have a fixed lease from the Almighty that all of us have duly signed! Then why are we playing the role of owners?
Inequality starts right from the time children are sent to school. The well-placed people send their children to private or the recently started international schools, while not so/not at all well placed to go to government schools.
Inequality starts right from the time children are sent to school. The well-placed people send their children to private or the recently started international schools, while not so/not at all well placed to go to government schools. Isn’t it time that we made quality education available to the majority so that we have enough hands and brains to spearhead the progress and development of our country? I truly believe that every child deserves equality of opportunity.
I am certain that there are so many young people who have the tenacity and purpose of life and who want to make it big in their fields of knowledge and expertise. But they do not have the chance to bring their potential into the foray of the mainstream of progress. The government should come forward and help them in whatever capacity and make sure that they eventually become the modern architects of this nation. As much as working for them is the greatest challenge it is also the greatest opportunity to harness their abilities and strengths!
Let us all pledge to boost shared prosperity and fight against all kinds of inequality. Not alone the government, but the private sector also should come forward in making a sincere contribution to this by becoming more involved in uplifting the poor and providing opportunities for improving their financial standing in society.
I must reiterate here that we cannot look away anymore. It is a worldwide problem and each one of us is going to be affected by it. The thwarted ambitions and aspirations of a child or a young adult in any part of the world are never going to be far away from us.
I must reiterate here that we cannot look away anymore. It is a worldwide problem and each one of us is going to be affected by it. The thwarted ambitions and aspirations of a child or a young adult in any part of the world are never going to be far away from us. The world has shrunk and is well connected, thanks to ever-changing technology. So it becomes our prime duty to think and be concerned about the have-nots.
Let us pledge to divide wealth and not people. Let us give everyone equal opportunity and stay away from parochial thoughts that bring about nothing but misery and rebellion. We must not forget that there are hungry vultures out there who are waiting to pounce on such situations to get certain mileage to satiate their selfish interests and intentions.
Let us pledge to divide wealth and not people. Let us give everyone equal opportunity and stay away from parochial thoughts that bring about nothing but misery and rebellion. We must not forget that there are hungry vultures out there who are waiting to pounce on such situations to get certain mileage to satiate their selfish interests and intentions. Do we need to allow that to happen?
My sincere advice to the youth of the world is to make sure that they set a befitting example and help the not so fortunate people to be pulled out of this misery and subservience. In the words of my all-time favourite poet, Khalil Gibran, “Money is like love; it kills slowly and painfully the one who withholds it, and enlivens the other who turns it on his fellow man.”
Photo from the Internet
