The Idea That We Should Take Care of Each Other

Hey, look! I've created a (relatively) short, focused post.

A couple of days ago my mind was contemplating the fact that Elon Musk called Social Security a "Ponzi scheme," along with a frequent meme that shows up in my social media taking umbrage with the idea that Social Security benefits are an "entitlement." Here is a version of the meme:

And here is how the government describes a Ponzi scheme:

A Ponzi scheme is an investment fraud that pays existing investors with funds collected from new investors. Ponzi scheme organizers often promise to invest your money and generate high returns with little or no risk. But in many Ponzi schemes, the fraudsters do not invest the money. Instead, they use it to pay those who invested earlier and may keep some for themselves.

With little or no legitimate earnings, Ponzi schemes require a constant flow of new money to survive. When it becomes hard to recruit new investors, or when large numbers of existing investors cash out, these schemes tend to collapse.

Both claims are at least somewhat true, though in Musk's case only if anything ever happens to disrupt the current system--which he, the current president, and their supporters are trying to do.

As I often do when I "have a thought," I gave it words and wrote it. The result follows.

Social Security is a "pay it forward" scheme.

You will not get back the money you pay into Social Security, because that money is used as soon as you send it; used to support the elderly, retired, disabled, and others currently receiving benefits because they are legitimately unable to work to support themselves. In a sense, your money is currently being used to provide for the needs of your parents or grandparents. And they earned that benefit by doing the same when they were younger; they also paid to support their parents and grandparents, who did the same before them. And, when you become aged or injured or ill, you will have earned the support of those who follow you and will be provided for in the same way. You take care of others when you are able and others take care of you when you are unable.

Social Security is a system entirely based on the idea that we should take care of each other.

But isn't that a type of wealth redistribution, you might ask? Well, yes, but in the same sense that ALL government is a type of wealth redistribution. Each individual pays the taxes they are able--some more, some less--to receive equal benefits. Do you believe the government should have a military to protect and defend the country? Some of us contribute more to the military while some of us contribute less to the military, and we all receive equal protection and defense. We get the same benefit regardless of how much we are able to pay--so long as we do pay the fair amount that we can. The same is true of police, of roads, of parks and fire service and every other thing the government does.

Government is a system entirely based on the idea that we should take care of each other.

But why shouldn't I just directly support my own parents and grandparents instead of going through the government mediary and let others do the same, you might ask? In short, because not everyone is a parent or grandparent--or maybe lost that status after some tragedy took their children. Life can be harsh, and there will always be those who lack family or a private support network to care for them when they need. (An aside to say I share a house with a lawyer who processes disability claims for the Social Security Administration; he is part of the process that rejects claims that don't indicate legitimate need--and every day he sees people who really, truly do need that public support to survive.) All societies will always have individuals who need the help of others. If, for no other reason, than eventually we all get old and infirm. Do we want to be kind of society that lets those in need go uncared for? Or do we want a system based on the idea that we should take care of each other?

All societies will always have individuals who need the help of others. Many of us are Christian or have Christian backgrounds. The Hebrew people of the Old Testament had a system of government--outlined in the Bible--based on the idea that each family had property they could use to support themselves, passed from fathers to sons. That meant that those without fathers or husbands--orphans and widows--did not have any family property and had no way to support themselves. Yet they also had a system based on the idea that they should take care of one another.

Deuteronomy sets out the contract God made with God's people for how they should live.

Deuteronomy 10:17-19 - For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who is not partial and takes no bribe, who executes justice for the orphan and the widow, and who loves the strangers, providing them with food and clothing. You shall also love the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.

Deuteronomy 14:27-29 - As for the Levites resident in your towns, do not neglect them, because they have no allotment or inheritance with you. Every third year you shall bring out the full tithe of your produce for that year, and store it within your towns; the Levites, because they have no allotment or inheritance with you, as well as the resident aliens, the orphans, and the widows in your towns, may come and eat their fill so that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work that you undertake.

Deuteronomy 26:12-13 - When you have finished paying all the tithe of your produce in the third year (which is the year of the tithe), giving it to the Levites, the aliens, the orphans, and the widows, so that they may eat their fill within your towns, then you shall say before the Lord your God: ‘I have removed the sacred portion from the house, and I have given it to the Levites, the resident aliens, the orphans, and the widows, in accordance with your entire commandment that you commanded me; I have neither transgressed nor forgotten any of your commandments.

From this beginning, the theme carries throughout the rest of the bible. Another--one of multiple--from the Old Testament, for instance.

Isaiah 1:17 - Learn to do good; seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, plead for the widow.

And from the New Testament.

James 1:27 - Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.

And Jesus, of course. He may not have used the phrasing "orphans and widows," but said many things, shared many lessons, lived many examples of caring for the poor and needy. Perhaps most explicitly in this.

Matthew 25:34-45 - Then the king will say to those at his right hand, “Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.” Then the righteous will answer him, “Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?” And the king will answer them, “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.” Then he will say to those at his left hand, “You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.” Then they also will answer, “Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?” Then he will answer them, “Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.”

But if you're not Christian or religion isn't your thing, there are countless other reasons to take care of each other. Biologists and those who study nature are more and more often lately finding evidence that the strongest in nature are those who cooperate. "The fundamental unit of biology is therefore not the 'self,' but the network," writes David George Haskell. Those who look will find countless example of nature taking care of others.

If nothing else, remember the parable from Aesop.

The Bundle of Sticks

A certain Father had a family of Sons, who were forever quarreling among themselves. No words he could say did the least good, so he cast about in his mind for some very striking example that should make them see that discord would lead them to misfortune.

One day when the quarreling had been much more violent than usual and each of the Sons was moping in a surly manner, he asked one of them to bring him a bundle of sticks. Then handing the bundle to each of his Sons in turn he told them to try to break it. But although each one tried his best, none was able to do so.

The Father then untied the bundle and gave the sticks to his Sons to break one by one. This they did very easily.

"My Sons," said the Father, "do you not see how certain it is that if you agree with each other and help each other, it will be impossible for your enemies to injure you? But if you are divided among yourselves, you will be no stronger than a single stick in that bundle."

In unity is strength.

Cooperation is self-interest.

Having a system entirely based on the idea that we should take care of each other makes us all stronger together. I take care of someone today, someone else takes care of me tomorrow. No sticks get left out of the bundle to be easily broken. In unity is strength. Pay it forward.

I don't have anything else in a similar vein to add--aside from lots of worry about the current destruction of our government and values that this administration has undertaken--so I'll let that stand as the complete post.