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The narrative presented in most western societies is work hard, keep your head down, pay your taxes and you will succeed. Vanishingly rare stories of millionaire creation (outside the banking, judicial, and accountancy industries) are made to seem common. Hope is infectious. We know we must play the lottery every week for 866,489 years to win, but we still buy a ticket. In a society where capital speculation, trading and protection have become our largest industries it is entirely logical that the most well-trodden route to wealth is in those industries. Even though one wonders what Ayn Rand would have made of the view that manipulating capital is noble, it doesn’t stop people making a lot of money doing it. My great grandfather gave away an oil fortune in his lifetime. There are countless stories of his philanthropy. This seems to me to be just. If you have taken care of your immediate family what’s the point of dying rich? And what’s the point of not seeing the difference your money can make? His story is by no means unique. Having fallen in love with London the famous American banker George Peabody founded the Peabody Donation Fund to, “ameliorate the condition of the poor and needy of this great metropolis, and to promote their comfort and happiness.” His 1862 donation of £150,000 for a network of drinking fountains grew to 55,000 social housing units. If it is a lie that hard work will make you rich, then hard work should at least give you a good life. A life where you can eat well, have the occasional night out, raise a family and go for holidays. This doesn't extend to London however. If you want to buy a London town house in Zone 2 and live the above life you have to earn £280,000 per year for two years, have £220,000 cash deposit and pay £5800 per month for twenty-five years. Even if you're a consultant surgeon you can't afford that. In a civilised democracy a good life for the many is accomplished by some automatic re-distribution of capital into free libraries, schools, police force, fire brigade, legal advice, and healthcare. In some countries this help extends to an effective price cap on public transport, internet service provision, energy, and water by promoting non-profit or public ownership. In the European system there is also a price cap on private property rental payments. In the absence of this help living a good life by earning minimum wage has become impossible for the 2.2m people who rely on foodbanks in the UK and the twenty-seven percent of the UK’s children who live in poverty. Despite this some of us still won’t ask for help, we still refuse it when offered! Remember that help won’t find you on its own. And if an organisation or an individual decides to help you, accept it gladly because no one who offers help does it in pursuit of something, and everyone who receives help has given in the past and will give in the future.
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