The Law of Abundance: Why Do The Rich Keep Getting Richer?
A Hidden Principle That You Might Already Know
A few days ago, as I was strolling through the park while gazing at the towering trees, a realization struck me. The larger trees, blessed with ample sunlight and deep roots, seem to have an abundance of resources, enabling them to thrive and grow even bigger. On the other hand, the smaller plants, overshadowed by their towering counterparts, receive limited sunlight and struggle to access water, hindering their growth.
In that moment, it hit me like a bolt of lightning — this phenomenon bears a striking resemblance to the principles of capitalism, where rich people have more resources to stay rich. Upon further thought, I realized that the play of gravity is also quite similar; the bigger the mass of an object, the greater its ability to pull other objects towards it, merge with it, and become even bigger.
As I delved deeper into my thoughts, I recognized a hidden principle, omnipresent yet often overlooked. It applies to so many different areas, including economics, nature, fitness, and even celestial bodies. I named it “The Principle of Abundance”, that is, if you have something in abundance, then you tend to gain even more of it, or we can say it is easier for the rich to get richer.
In this article, we’ll explore this concept, its profound influence, its limitations, and the ways it shapes our world. So buckle up and get ready to discover this hidden principle that you might already know.
Capitalism: The Rich Get Richer
The most prevalent economic model used throughout the world today is Capitalism. If you don’t know what it is exactly, let me explain. It is an economic system where private players own the means of production (such as land, machines, raw materials, and businesses) and operate them for profit.
In this system, if you invest capital (money) in a business, you will gain a profit proportional to your investment, even without working. For instance, with $10 million, you can easily earn $1 million or more in a year simply by investing that money. If you choose to work, you will receive an additional salary as an employee.
The abundance principle is quite evident here. Those with greater wealth tend to accumulate even more through investments, lending capital, and securing high-paying jobs made possible by the better education that their wealth can easily afford. Thus, the rich keep getting richer.
Nature: The Strong Get Stronger
This principle can also be observed in nature through the survival and growth of the strongest. In a forest, a towering tree has access to abundant sunlight and resources, allowing it to flourish and become even stronger.
Similarly, in animal communities, the biggest and strongest individuals usually become the leaders of their tribes and secure the first access to food. This enables them to maintain their size, strength, and dominance within the tribe. The abundance of resources bestowed upon the strong ensures their continued growth and survival.
Gravity: The Big Gets Bigger
Gravity, a fundamental force in our universe, demonstrates the abundance principle in a different realm. If you are unfamiliar with the concept, allow me to explain. You may have noticed how magnets attract each other, with stronger magnets exerting a greater pull. In scientific terms, this pull is called “force,” which, in the case of magnets, results from the magnetic properties of the material of the magnet.
Similarly, there also exists a force that is due to the mass (which we call “Weight” in layman’s terms) of an object. And this force is strong enough and observable when the objects are massive, like on the scale of the earth, moon, and sun, and is called “Gravitational Force” or simply Gravity.
Now, you might be wondering how the abundance principle applies to all of this. It has been observed that the greater the mass of an object, the greater its gravitational pull. So, suppose there is a massive rock floating in space; due to its massive gravity, it will attract other rocks towards it, which, upon collision, will merge with them and increase its mass and hence its gravitational pull. So, a massive object in space has a tendency to become bigger over time.
Environment Change: The Bad Gets Worse
In the context of environmental change, the abundance principle can be summarized as “the bad gets worse.” We’ve been cutting down trees and burning fossil fuels for centuries now, and although we are facing some climate change and global warming, it is nothing compared to what can happen in the future.
Once global warming crosses a certain threshold, increased temperatures will trigger widespread forest fires, releasing substantial amounts of greenhouse gases and exacerbating global warming. Additional evaporation and water vapor in the atmosphere will intensify the greenhouse effect, leading to a chain reaction of further warming.
This vicious cycle can lead to detrimental changes that will compound and worsen over time. So, after a certain point, the situation of global warming will keep getting worse due to the ecological imbalance, even if we don’t burn fossil fuels anymore.
Wisdom: The Wise Get Wiser
Have you heard about the Dunning-Kruger Effect? For those who don’t know, it refers to the cognitive bias where individuals with low ability or wisdom in a particular domain tend to overestimate their competence. Conversely, those who possess a high level of competence or wisdom in a domain tend to underestimate their abilities.
This means the foolish are often overconfident, closing themselves off to new perspectives and learning opportunities. Meanwhile, the wise acknowledge their ignorance and actively pursue knowledge, surrounding themselves with diverse perspectives and remaining open to new ideas. Their commitment to self-reflection and self-improvement allows them to deepen their wisdom over time. Therefore, a wise person becomes even wiser over time.
Limitations of the Principle
The core logic behind this principle is that the more resources or strength or wisdom you have, the greater is your ability to gain more by using them, and this cycle goes on and on. Now, some of you might be wondering, Well, it seems quite right, but there must be some limitation to this principle. If not, no rich person would ever go bankrupt, the smaller objects in space wouldn’t exist, and our society would either have total fools or geniuses.
In capitalism, while it is true that money can generate more money, there are limitations. The wealthy often take greater risks, and as circumstances change, ideas, people, businesses, and even entire nations can fail, bringing an end to the reign of the rich associated with them. Additionally, new ideas, people, and businesses emerge over time, adding new individuals to the list of the affluent.
In nature, the dominance of the strongest diminishes with age. As a tree or animal grows old, it no longer maintains its dominance and eventually weakens and dies. This creates opportunities for new beings to emerge as dominant. Severe natural calamities can also end the reign of large and powerful beings, as they require greater amounts of food and water to sustain themselves.
In the case of gravity, if the acceleration of nearby objects is high enough, smaller objects may start revolving around the larger object instead of colliding with it. This is why the Earth revolves around the Sun instead of falling into it.
In extreme cases, if a celestial body continues to grow due to the collision of an increasing number of objects into it, it becomes so massive that it cripples by its own mass to eventually become a black hole, whose gravity is so huge that even light can’t escape it. No one knows for sure what eventually happens to a black hole.
In the case of wisdom, the bad experiences due to a lack of proper knowledge give a reality check to the naive, while the success of the wise makes them somewhat complacent. Similarly, in other areas where this principle applies, there are points of saturation or eventual events that act as limits.
Can it be called a “Law”?
Beyond the aspects I have discussed, this principle applies to various other domains. For example, in health and fitness, a fit individual has less inherent laziness and can exercise more easily compared to an obese person. There are numerous paradigms where you can observe this principle in action.
However, despite its applicability in multiple areas, it is not truly universal. There are instances where abundance tends to reduce itself to reach equilibrium or normalization. For example, if I heat a metal rod from one end and leave it for some time, the heat will distribute throughout the rod and eventually dissipate into its surroundings, returning to a normal temperature.
Therefore, I believe it is inappropriate to label it as a “law” (as I mentioned in the title to capture your attention). Further thought, study, and observation are required to fully understand or debunk this principle.
Final Thoughts
Finally, let me make this clear: I am neither a scientist nor a philosopher. However, I have attempted to present something I have observed all around me, based on the limited knowledge I possess. In my opinion, knowing this principle can give us insight into our intrinsic tendency to go in a certain direction, and we can act accordingly to achieve the best results for ourselves.
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