As time goes on, there is more and more anger at the extreme rich, which is confusing to me for a multitude of reasons. There is the argument of wealth hoarding, which is a thing, but not a problem, since in a fiat system there is no limit to the amount of circulated money as long as productivity continues to increase, which it has been. There is the argument of poverty, which is somewhat valid, but is also tainted in a country like Canada where the government devalues currency regularly to print more money in the interest of the people, but that money goes to foreign causes instead of domestic poverty. I don't know, these arguments seem to target the rich for hatred, instead of targeting the poor for compassion.

In a discussion of compassion and suffering, which is what the conversation about poverty is, there is something that sticks in my head. “They don't love the poor, they hate the rich.” It's a meaningful quote from Dr. Peterson, love him or hate him. The owners of billion dollar companies don't hate the poor, they hate poverty and by creating industry and careers, they are combating poverty in their way. There is a lack of acceptance that there are multiple ways to tackle every problem, but to demand that one persons state of poverty is the responsibility of a select few in our society is unjust.

To add insult to injury, we must also take into account the fact that WE are in control of who becomes billionaires to a great degree. We have the purchasing power, and they are selling products and services, and we choose to purchase those products and services. That's how money works, and the market doesn't lie, we want Amazon and Microsoft, we support Intel and Walmart, WE MADE them billionaires. People don't define their principles and values through words and meme's, the define them in actions, and we have shown our support for these billionaires through our pocketbooks, through our purchases. You could have gone to the farmers market to get your vegetables, but you didn't, you went to Walmart. You could have gone to a local coffee shop to buy your triple triple, but you didn't, you went to McDonalds. You could have gone to your neighbor to get your oil changed, but you didn't, you went to Canadian Tire. We determine the course of our country through our actions, all of our actions, not just the ones we post on social media.

I get it, it's hard to make those choices, but the reality is that the people you most often take this out on, the people like me, the small business owners who believe in the power of the market, are the biggest supporters of what you are saying. We buy from one another as often as possible to try to keep small business afloat, we encourage locals to get into business to keep the money in our community, we circulate our currency locally to support our friends and neighbors. We don't blame the billionaires of our society if something doesn't go quite right, or if our businesses fail (well, some of us do, but we know it's wrong), we blame ourselves, we pick ourselves up, we dust ourselves off, and we make a commitment to do it right next time.

If you want to blame someone for poverty, for unequal wages, for wealth disparity, then you should be looking in your fridge, looking at the art on your walls, looking at the furniture in your house, looking at the things in your home, and looking at yourself in the mirror. Think about where you bought the things you are looking at, who you supported by buying them from those sources, and reflect on your buying habits. Without the support of the market, none of these businesses would be where they are, our economy and society is the product of the seeds we planted many years ago, the result of our own greed, and that is the sad truth.