Every person is unique and different.
This sentence also implies that the world is not absolutely fair, as some people are born to run faster, fly higher, jump further, and be more intelligent and beautiful.
If we acknowledge the principle of more work, more reward, it inevitably means that wealth disparity will occur.
The side that acquires more and more resources will also become increasingly powerful.
According to natural evolution, the strong individuals will be continuously selected and survive, while the weaker ones will be eliminated.
But the development of civilization is different from nature, the power of a group, or collective, far outweighs the individual, and even the weakest individuals, when united, can easily defeat strong but dispersed opponents.
In order for countless individuals to willingly unite and coalesce, their interests must be considered, they must be given due rewards, and a fair system and environment must be safeguarded.
If fairness must be guaranteed, and if distribution should be based on the outcome of labor, then this again implies the principle of more work, more reward, and the emergence of poverty and wealth.
The weaker party, even within their group, would still face elimination. In order to receive better treatment, these weaker parties would once again try to unite, they are a subgroup within the group, banding together to protect themselves against others.
So, new groups emerge, once again leading to fragmentation of the collective, losing their cohesion, becoming weakened. This manifests in the tearing of social layers, with each class harboring different intentions.
At such times, the 'fairer' the laws, the more they exacerbate the crushing of the disadvantaged by those with advantages, causing the gap to widen further, until eventually, the whole society is torn apart, with everyone losing the future in internal strife.
To keep the entire society cohesive, patches must be applied, that is, while upholding 'more work, more reward,' a greater portion must also be paid to the disadvantaged to bridge the gap, so that society does not fall apart, and in this shared giving, rebuild a common emotional bond.
This behavior is specifically reflected in taxing high-income earners more and in the support and assistance from affluent areas to poorer regions.
The intention is good, but the stronger the party, the easier it is to grasp power. To relinquish one's interests and support others is undoubtedly painful.
Humans are still animals, retaining the instinct to seek benefit and avoid harm. If faced with a living being begging before them, they are likely to give something of little importance, but when faced with lifeless screens and numbers, how many are willing to give up the fruits of their labor.
Will it really reach those in need, will it really be used properly, is it not just some politician's scam, is everyone really paying their fair share, is such a tax truly fair?
Distrust, deception, like poison, erodes trust. People fear to contribute, afraid of being exploited, and this causes them to lose faith in the collective, gradually separating and dispersing, and then weakening over time.
The dilemma faced by the Four-leaf Crystal Star Domain is just one of many reflections of the issues within the Federation.
When a collective is large enough, it requires a strong structure for support and connection. In material reality, the Federation may still maintain a powerful military force, deterring separatist thoughts and various resentments, but on a spiritual level, it has long lost the initial prosperity and unity, the scenes of being united in one heart and supporting each other have slowly disappeared into history.
When the suffering of impoverished areas is not seen or valued, the happiness of affluent areas will also be unrecognized.
People begin to escape reality, infatuated with a simple and beautiful past, with no one daring to expect the future. Even if there are fantasies about the future, they are mostly filled with despair and pessimism.
The popularity of 'vaporwave' style music is also a manifestation of the current Federation's disillusionment with the future and the beautifying fantasies of the old times through a filter. The intoxicating lights, the hazy vocals, become a dreamland to escape the pain of reality.
The white chalk is the raw material for making cement, the cornerstone for building skyscrapers. This now inconspicuous gray-white powder was once the remains of countless ordinary lives, but such remains are too common and mundane, causing people to gradually forget their original appearance.
Yet the activities of life always leave traces, accumulating and settling over time. Even the powerful Rose Federation will slowly be covered with a gray-white color, losing its once vivid and dazzling brilliance.