"People are not worried about scarcity but about inequality" means that they are not worried about poverty but about wealth inequality.

Source

Confucius put forward the point of view in Chapter 16 of "The Analects of Confucius·Ji" that "it is not a matter of few but of inequality".

Excerpts from the original article

"It is said that those who have a country and a family do not worry about being few but about inequality, and do not worry about poverty but about insecurity. There is no poverty in everyone, there is harmony without widows, and there is no inclination. ”

Translation

No matter the princes of the country or the officials of the fiefdom, they should not worry about the lack of wealth, but only the uneven distribution of wealth; do not worry about the small number of people, but only the uneven distribution of wealth. Beware of unrest within the territory; if wealth is distributed evenly, there will be no need for poverty; if the people live in harmony, there will be no shortage of people; if the territory is peaceful, there will be no danger of national subjugation.

Appreciation

The core point of this sentence is to emphasize that uneven distribution of wealth will lead to social instability, and a balanced distribution of wealth is the key to ensuring social stability. Confucius believed that people should not worry about poverty, but about social inequality. Because if society is unequal, people will be dissatisfied and society will be turbulent. And if wealth is distributed equally and people live a prosperous and stable life, society will be harmonious and stable.

Creative background

Confucius was a great thinker, politician and educator in the Spring and Autumn Period. His thoughts had a profound impact on both ancient and modern Chinese society. The social atmosphere at that time was dominated by disputes. Through his own practice and thinking, Confucius put forward a series of concepts and principles, which led China's thought and culture at that time.

Notes

Don’t worry about scarcity, but worry about inequality: don’t worry about lack, but worry about unfairness.

No one is poor, no one is widowed, and no one is in peace: if wealth is distributed equally, there will be no poverty; if the people live in harmony, there will be no depopulation; if there is peace within the country, there will be no overthrow of the country.

Life Enlightenment

The saying "People don't worry about scarcity but inequality" tells us not to worry about the lack of resources, but to focus on whether the resource distribution is fair. This is a very valuable point of view, because in modern society, unfair distribution of wealth has become a big social problem, leading to social instability and people's dissatisfaction.

In terms of personal experience, I think this point of view is also applicable. Sometimes in our lives we may feel that we lack something, such as wealth, skills, or social resources. But that's not our biggest problem. Instead, what we need to focus on most is how to equitably distribute and utilize the resources we have so that we can maximize our potential and value.

In terms of life inspiration, I think this perspective can also help us better understand and deal with some social problems. For example, in our daily life, we may encounter some poor people. We can not simply provide them with material help, but help them gain more opportunities and help them obtain resources equally, so as to Allow them to better integrate into society.