There is no advantage in greed. No advantage for anyone. Yet we once thought that the enrichment of the few was the way to wellbeing for all.

Inequality is on the rise almost everywhere and this means that the rich, and especially the super rich, become richer, while the poor, and especially the very poor, become poorer. Put otherwise: the rich become richer precisely because they are rich and the poor become poorer precisely because they are poor.
Inequality is increasing owing to its internal logic. It does not require any further propulsion; it does not need fresh stimulation or pressures, or any boost from the outside. The fact is that our world is not favourable to peaceful coexistence, much less friendly cooperation. It is made in such a way as to make cooperation and solidarity not only an unpopular choice but also a difficult and costly one. The vast majority of people, however much they are animated by noble and high-minded intentions, come up against hostile, vindictive and above all indomitable realities: greed, corruption, rivalry, and egotism. These are realities that individual efforts cannot change. They monotonously reproduce the model of all-out war. For this reason, they are realities that all too often we are forced to consider as the ‘natural order of things’, which no human power can change or reform. The old adage ‘man is a wolf to his fellow man’ is an insult to wolves. Our situation is the ultimate result of having replaced friendly cooperation, the exchange of ideas and reciprocal respect, with competition and rivalry.