There will never come a time when “everything is already there.” If we accept this, we understand that it is better to engage in what seems most important to us in our lives. “Material needs” in this case become just one among many. If we understand that a person will never calm down, never be satisfied, then the best thing is to direct our own dissatisfaction toward where we like it most. In economics and politics, this means that the pie of public wealth is infinite. The main thing is not to interfere with its growth.
If we do not accept this conclusion, it leads to two different consequences. The first is the naive reasoning that humanity will degenerate, or that something else will happen to it, because people will “have everything.” The second consequence is more practical—it manifests as the activities of governments. Indeed, if the pie is finite, then it needs to be divided correctly, otherwise there will not be enough for everyone. Governments and people play this exciting game. People do their utmost to engage in consumerism. After all, the finiteness of the pie means that whoever grabbed more is the better one. Governments generally proceed from the assumption that everyone can have everything, and this is exactly what they promise people. Minimum wages can equal maximum wages, and the poverty line can equal the wealth line. It is clear that in economics and politics, such thoughts lead to the conclusion that the main thing is not that the pie grows—the main thing is to divide it fairly.