Class and Inequalities

Since the beginning of civilisation, society has always had methods to distinguish between the people residing in it. These classes were clearly defined in some countries, example in India there were the Brahmins (teachers, scholars and priests), the Kshatriyas (kings and warriors), the Vaishyas (traders), and Shudras (agriculturists, service providers, and some artisan groups). In other countries, the classes were formed on the basis of occupation of a person and their contribution towards society. These systems were broken over a period of time, as people in the higher classes started contributing lesser and the lower classes realised that more work was being done by them and they had very little contribution to the decision-making process.
With British colonisation, Industrial Revolution and the World Wars; society has re-shaped itself in the past two centuries, so as to ensure that everyone contributes and people are not defined by their family tree, but by their contribution to society. It allows scope for personal growth and improvement in societal status for everyone. This system sounds just and perfect. But one major flaw with the system is that it fails to consider the dynamic nature of man. Once people become rich and attain higher class in society, they prefer to stay there or grow. This leads the rich to over-exploit human resource for their own benefit. This is neither illegal nor opposed. Everyone seems to be fine with being a part of this system, instead of breaking the lines of inequality and prejudice. Society as a whole fails to commit to a change and people tend to be over protective of their current state. They have a fear that any retaliation against the system may lead to a shrink of their class and status in society.
When it comes to inequality, we see it in various forms and levels. These inequalities are a result of the some people or nations progressing faster in the current established system and others lagging behind and not being able to cope with the rapid growth. Inequalities in a society lead to insecurity in minds of many people. The rich are insecure that if they do not continue to earn more every year, their social status will fall. The middle class is insecure, that if they do not earn more, they will never experience the richer tastes in life or might even become poor. And the poor are insecure, because they feel they are easiest targets of crime and other ills of society. These insecurities make invisible lines in society, whereby humans are distinguished on the clothes they wear, the cars they drive, the houses they live in, etc.
When we consider global economics and its present state, we realise that there exists a gap between nations in terms of exchange rate, the per capita income, the GDP and other economic indicators. These indicators are helpful, as they rank countries and give a rough estimate as to how well are they performing. They also help governments to form policies and strategies in order to improve the standard of living and quality of life of the residents. However, these indicators also make countries insecure of each other. Therefore, we see economically driven strategies by one country which may be harmful for the other. Hence, we see some countries being respected and feared more, as compared to the others.
In conclusion, it is safe to say that class and inequalities prevalent in our society, are having a local as well as global affect. The best way to improve the present condition is to implement changes which are not in favour of any one of the present classes or countries; but changes which help all sections of society and country. Change is a part of human evolution. It is good for us, as we can learn and continue living. However, once we stop accepting and implementing change, certain people profit and improve their lives, while others get stranded behind. It is important that there is a change in economic policies, laws, trade, work, etc. Only once the changes are introduced, will the society push for a fairer and just balance, rather than widen gap between people and countries we see today.