Should the top 1% be more thankful?

#HAPPYTHANKSGIVING on the occasion of American thanksgiving.

Please feel free to share.

On this occasion, here is something to think about:

SHOULD THE TOP 1% BE MORE THANKFUL?

Before you answer that question, consider the following:

If you are reading this message or scrolling online, then you are indeed blessed beyond the wildest dreams of most people in the world.

The fact that we are relatively healthy, are not living in fear, are not worried about our next glass of clean water, all confirm that we have much to be thankful for. So, take a moment to give thanks to the creator. 

The Bible says: “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.” (1 Chronicles 16:34)

The Qur’an notes: “And God brought you forth from the wombs of your mothers while you knew nothing, and gave you ears and eyes and hearts, that you might be grateful” (16:79).

So how does one give thanks to God? 

The prophet Muhammad is reported to have said: "One who is not grateful to others is not grateful to God.”

So, one way to be grateful to God is to share what God has given to each one of us, be it in the form of material wealth, health, time, talent, etc. Virtue lies in helping others, especially those in need. 

WHAT WE CAN ALL AGREE ON:

We can all agree that the rich have too much. We can all agree that the rich should give more. We can all agree that there are plenty in the world who need more just to survive.

WHAT WE CANNOT AGREE ON:

We cannot agree on what it means to be rich or who is rich. We cannot agree on how much is too much. We cannot agree on how much we should each give.

Of course, wealth, be it material wealth or in other forms, is a relative concept. Most of us (at least at some point in our lives) think we don’t have enough or could use more.

CONSIDER THE FOLLOWING:

If your net worth (assets minus debts including the equity in your home) is $2,200 then you are within the top 10% of the world’s population. 

If your net worth is $50,000 then you are within the top 5% of the world’s population. 

If your net worth is US $770,000 (720,000 Euros; 49.8 million Indian rupees; or 5.3 million Chinese yuan) then you are within the top 1% of the world’s population. 

Similarly, if you earn $32,400 (30,250 Euros; 2 million Indian rupees; or 223,000 Chinese yuan) a year then you are within the top 1% of the world in terms of earnings. Of course, people will say earning $32,400 in the west is not the same as earning this in other countries. I agree, but at the same time, the standard of living of the poor in much of the first world is much better than most people in other parts of the world.

Do you think you should be more thankful and grateful? 

(Figure below -- more than 5,000 children day each year from lack of clean drinking water says the UN Development Programme)

Sources: Investopedia, Global Rich List, The Guardian, The Economist, and the United Nations.

Faisal Kutty, is an associate professor of law and director of the International LL.M. Program at Valparaiso University Law School and an adjunct professor, Osgoode Hall Law School, York University. He is also a co-founder of KSM Law for which he serves as counsel. He is a regular columnist for The Express Tribune and his work frequently appears in The Toronto Star. His academic articles are archived at SSRN.

Follow Faisal on Twitter | @faisalkutty

Website: www.TheMuslimLawyer.com