Humanity from the very beginning recognised that cooperation between other individuals was vital for survival. Whether it was for hunting wild animals or later to help in cultivating land and building communities.

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Early social cohesion was small but as time moved on a tribal transformation took place. However, rivalry and aggression soon occurred and the need for security was desired. Leaders and those who followed them gave such protection and stability.

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Nations developed from such humble origins, needless to say, frictions between those who led and those who they protected were always apparent. Greed and the love of power created an imbalance and so tensions and divisions soon appeared.

Early civilisations like those of today were diverse in how they were governed, Wikipedia gives us 32 examples of forms of government.

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Plato in his book ‘The Republic’ categorized governments into five types of regimes: aristocracy, timocracy, oligarchy, democracy, and tyranny. He felt that the worst of these was a Democracy and suggested that any nation having such a system was nearing its demise. However, the Aristocracy was preferred and should be ruled by a philosopher king who based his rule on wisdom and reason.

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Certainly, it is true even now in the 21st century, there is no perfect form of governance, but democracies have helped towards fairness, equality, and transparency. However, we have still divisions, especially between the rich and poor. The gulf between them seems to widen, wealth is largely in the hands of a few, whether they are individuals or corporations.  

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Political systems such as Socialism and Communism have been tried but corruption and power have meant that they have failed. Religions seem to thrive in places where poverty is epidemic, this is largely because most have principles of charity and generosity at their core.

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Many NGOs have been influenced by the major religions of our world and continue to be centred on bringing food, shelter, and medicine to the poor of humanity.

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Perhaps, Governments, especially those with democratic credentials, should take a similar stance. Real taxation of the rich would create enough wealth to redistribute to the poor nationally and internationally. Some rich individuals have already shown how voluntary giving can transform communities and even nations.