“The poor you will always have with you,” said Jesus. Despite vast rises in wealth, mainly over the last century, this remains true today because we define poverty relatively. Some object to this judgment: has destitution not disappeared from high-income countries and is it not diminishing in the developing world? The answer is: yes, although much poverty remains. But we are social animals. As stomachs fill, we wish to participate fully in our societies. But rising inequality is in the way.
耶穌說:“你們將永遠與窮人相伴?!北M管財富大幅增長(這主要體現在上個世紀),但由于我們對貧困的定義是相對的,所以耶穌的話在今天仍然適用。有些人反對這一觀點:高收入國家的貧困現象難道沒有銷聲匿跡?發展中國家的貧困難道沒有日益減少嗎?答案是:確實如此,不過仍存在很多貧困現象。但我們都是“社會動物”。填飽肚子之后,我們就希望參與到社會生活的方方面面。然而,但是,不平等狀況的加劇卻成為了攔路虎。