Wealth and Morality

from the Huffington Post

The Tiger Woods display recently prompted my interest in the idea of Heroes of our time and morality.

I am grateful for historical figures such as Benjamin Franklin, who saw himself missing virtues, and spent his life obtaining them one by one. Also the many movie stars, sports figures and other notable persons that go out of their way, using their fame and fortune to help those struggling in this vast world.

In looking at my own life, I have come to terms with the fact that much of what I was taught was right and good was exactly the opposite.

This article caught me, as I have both lived a life of relative comfort and as a wandering vagabond both. It was in this shift of experience, my own suffering, that much of my empathy & understanding for those less fortunate developed.

In sending this, there is no judgement. On the other hand, it is filled more with compassion, as life seems fraught with such difficulty, stress and overwhelm, I wonder if this is more an example of a sort of moral disease with which mankind is now struggling.

Here again is a link: The Rich and Compassion with excerpts below:

Who is more likely to lie, cheat, and steal—the poor person or the rich one? It’s tempting to think that the wealthier you are, the more likely you are to act fairly. After all, if you already have enough for yourself, it’s easier to think about what others may need. But research suggests the opposite is true: as people climb the social ladder, their compassionate feelings towards other people decline.

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But why would wealth and status decrease our feelings of compassion for others? After all, it seems more likely that having few resources would lead to selfishness. Piff and his colleagues suspect that the answer may have something to do with how wealth and abundance give us a sense of freedom and independence from others. The less we have to rely on others, the less we may care about their feelings. This leads us towards being more self-focused. Another reason has to do with our attitudes towards greed. Like Gordon Gekko, upper-class people may be more likely to endorse the idea that “greed is good.” Piff and his colleagues found that wealthier people are more likely to agree with statements that greed is justified, beneficial, and morally defensible. These attitudes ended up predicting participants’ likelihood of engaging in unethical behavior.

Given the growing income inequality in the United States, the relationship between wealth and compassion has important implications. Those who hold most of the power in this country, political and otherwise, tend to come from privileged backgrounds. If social class influences how much we care about others, then the most powerful among us may be the least likely to make decisions that help the needy and the poor. They may also be the most likely to engage in unethical behavior... Although greed is a universal human emotion, it may have the strongest pull over those of who already have the most.