I wonder how many similarities there are between what we see as outright corruption and theft (for example, when donated food for the poor is stolen by corrupt governments), and the attitude that rich people in more structured societies have a right to proportionally more stuff than poor people. In both cases, those who have money and power are acquiring more of them while those who need assistance the most are getting less (or none). How can such a system be rationally justified other than to claim whatever system is in place provides divine support for the rules that produce the result?
It may also be that such justifications come from group identity. If a group in power denigrates other groups enough, then it becomes progressively easier to withhold assistance and/or directly steal. This is because if some other group is seen as an enemy in some capacity, there don't need to be any rules and certainly no empathy for that group's suffering.
It seems that those who have money and power justify having so much of each by the fact that they have so much of each. The poor have also earned their place by being poor, in this mindset. Therefore, any action that maintains this setup must be "right" because it is in harmony with this "natural order." We fail to even consider the possibility that these conditions are solely due to our own actions and can change them at will. But, we have this terrible flaw we see coming from some sort of ultimate guidance that allows us to justify the maintenance of a permanent underclass and a wealthy and powerful elite. Until we realize that it doesn't have to be this way, human suffering will always have humanity itself as its root cause.
It may also be that such justifications come from group identity. If a group in power denigrates other groups enough, then it becomes progressively easier to withhold assistance and/or directly steal. This is because if some other group is seen as an enemy in some capacity, there don't need to be any rules and certainly no empathy for that group's suffering.
It seems that those who have money and power justify having so much of each by the fact that they have so much of each. The poor have also earned their place by being poor, in this mindset. Therefore, any action that maintains this setup must be "right" because it is in harmony with this "natural order." We fail to even consider the possibility that these conditions are solely due to our own actions and can change them at will. But, we have this terrible flaw we see coming from some sort of ultimate guidance that allows us to justify the maintenance of a permanent underclass and a wealthy and powerful elite. Until we realize that it doesn't have to be this way, human suffering will always have humanity itself as its root cause.
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