Extreme wealth inequality is not merely unfair but fundamentally damaging to society. It is as if the wealthiest among us are hoarding the lifeblood of society, suffocating its vital organs.

Allow me to explain.

Imagine society as a living organism. For the body to function properly, its blood must flow freely, reaching every organ, every cell. No single part of the body can hoard the blood without starving another part.

Now what happens if a single organ begins to take more than its fair share of blood, leaving the rest of the body deprived? The body weakens, the vital systems begin to shut down, and the organism starts to die.

Wealth in society works in the same way. It is the lifeblood of civilisation, circulating through every facet of our existence. It provides for our basic needs, funds innovation, builds the infrastructure and sustains our collective well-being.

However, when wealth is concentrated in the hands of a small elite, it stops flowing freely. The rest of society begins to starve.

Starved of opportunities

Let us take a practical example. Picture a small town where one individual owns all the businesses, controls all the real estate and has monopolised local resources. This person has more wealth than he could ever spend in a lifetime while the rest of the town scrambles to survive.

The local economy starts to deteriorate as fewer people would have enough money to participate in it. Businesses close, homes fall into disrepair and social services collapse. 

This is what wealth inequality looks like. When the few accumulate wealth at the expense of the many, the overall system begins to break down. It’s not simply a moral problem, it’s a functional one.

Just as the human body needs a balanced circulation of blood to stay healthy, society needs wealth to be distributed in a way that allows everyone to thrive. 

Some might argue that people at the bottom of the wealth hierarchy simply aren’t working hard enough, that they are lazy or lack initiative. But this oversimplified view ignores the systemic factors at play. 

Let’s go back to our analogy of the body. If the brain hoarded all the blood and left the other organs without it, would we blame the lungs or the liver for failing to do their job? No, because they were deprived of the resources they needed to function properly.

Unchecked accumulation of wealth at the top- Ivan Bartolo

In much the same way, wealth inequality isn’t a matter of personal failings or individual shortcomings. It’s a structural issue. Over time, systems that allow wealth to accumulate in the hands of the few inevitably lead to widespread deprivation. Those at the bottom of the economic ladder are starved of resources, opportunities and the chance to thrive.

System designed to hoard

Let me provide a specific example to illustrate this. We live in a world where wealth generates more wealth. The wealthiest people don’t need to work to increase their fortunes; they have investments, assets and financial instruments that do the work for them. This is the financial equivalent of an organ drawing more and more blood to itself simply because it can do so.

The rest of society, however, is forced to work harder for a shrinking share of resources. The middle and lower classes are in a constant race to keep up, much like how the body’s organs must work harder when deprived of blood. 

And, just as in a failing body, this imbalance leads to systemic collapse ‒ rising inequality, social unrest, deteriorating health and political instability.

As I’ve said before, this is not about demonising wealth. Wealth, when distributed fairly and used productively, can be a tremendous force for good. It can enhance one’s quality of life. But when wealth is concentrated excessively, it causes harm to society as a whole.

The solution is not to treat the symptoms ‒ poverty, unemployment, lack of access to education and healthcare ‒ but to address the root cause: the unchecked accumulation of wealth at the top. 

I’ve spoken at length in another article (September 3) about Georgism and the Land Value Tax, which replaces all income taxes with one tax, only payable by those who own land. This ensures that land (one of, if not the most, valuable assets to own) doesn’t enable landowners unchecked financial accumulation to the detriment of the rest of society.

Another possible solution to this extreme inequality is the restructuring of the debt-based monetary system, which is at the base of the unsustainable growth imperative that is driving society off a cliff.

Wealth inequality is not just unfair ‒ it is a societal disease that slowly eats away at the foundations of our collective well-being. If we want to build a healthy, thriving society, we must ensure that wealth circulates freely and fairly, nourishing every part of the social body. Otherwise, we risk watching the entire system collapse under the weight of its own greed.

Ivan Bartolo, MP, is a member of Parliament’s Social Affairs Committee and Opposition spokesman on Social and Affordable Accommodation, Pensions and the Fight against Poverty.