The comfort of the rich depends upon an abundant supply of the poor.
(Voltaire, quoted in The Sunday Times)

Epicureanism is frequently accused of being, if not sociopathic, then uninterested in charitable giving or poverty. I don’t think this is fair, nor does it conform to what Epicurus taught. How can decent people have peace of mind when they see the huge and growing gulf between the super-rich and everyone else? If you have any empathy at all, how can you walk through the streets of Washington DC and not be shocked by the number of homeless and the beggars? I know the mantra – they are drug addicts, or they are alleged to “make more money begging than working”. I don’t believe it, and nor should you. In a rich country it is a disgrace that anyone should have to live like this.