Prosperity is a word that is a dream for everyone who hears it. We often wish for prosperity in various forms. Prosperity has many interpretations, but the majority of people believe that prosperity refers to material wealth.
With the development of industry and increasingly modern civilization, not everyone can compete to enjoy the results. In many countries, especially developing countries, prosperity and inequality have become issues of concern, as they lead to other problems.
This is also related to the current momentum where Indonesia is asking China for help to fix the shortage of rice farming land in the country. Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Pandjaitan said that Indonesia has invited China to share technology and knowledge in the development of rice farming in Central Kalimantan with significant inequality in agriculture. But what is the relationship between prosperity and inequality?
The Rising Inequality
Inequality is a social problem that can proliferate if not addressed promptly, as trends over time show an increase, creating further issues. Inequality occurs due to various factors, including discrimination based on race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, region, disability, and income differences.
These factors ultimately lead to a new social problem, exacerbating social life, namely, poverty. Moreover, the increasing demand for resources by industries leaves those who are not relevant being swept away by the times.
The most common case of inequality we see today revolves around income. Significant income disparities widen the gap of inequality, affecting the economy of a country and the lives of its people.
Property and Inequality Connection
Prosperity can be achieved through balance and equality among those who strive. Here, the connection between the two meets, as both terms have a domino effect. Prosperity will happen when inequality is eliminated because with equality, everyone will have equal opportunities to strive, making prosperity easily achievable without obstacles.
Prosperity can also help eliminate inequality by providing equal access to those in need. This equality benefits many parties, ultimately impacting economic growth.
Several studies explore the relationship between inequality and economic development, indicating that economic progress is hindered by inequality. This phenomenon is indeed alarming, as it leads to the emergence of many new problems if not resolved.
A common inequality phenomenon is when women do not receive equal pay for various reasons, despite doing the same job with the same working hours and workload. This scenario creates a new problem of oppressed women facing unequal pay. The situation worsens if the woman is the backbone of the family, responsible for supporting her family to sustain their lives.
Another vital inequality issue is the class difference. In some countries, social classes still exist, including the nobility, working class, and the underprivileged class. Inequality in this context exacerbates the suffering of the less fortunate, as the rich get richer and the poor remain poor.
From these two examples, it is evident that prosperity cannot be achieved if the problem of inequality is not addressed. Inequality is the root of problems that can lead to more significant issues, such as poverty. Therefore, inequality must be addressed promptly if a country wishes for its economic development to thrive. Prosperity will only be a perfect dream if we are not too greedy and actively work to reduce inequality.
