Lack is poverty.

Regarding the economy, I define it as activities for living.
When we delve into living, it ultimately comes down to pursuing what happiness and prosperity are.

I do not deny desires.
I fear losing control over myself due to desires.

What exactly do people need and how much of it?
If it’s just for one person to live, a house that can shelter from the rain is enough, and a mansion with hundreds of rooms is meaningless.
It’s hard enough to make one person happy, so having dozens of lovers is neither necessary nor possible, and desiring the impossible only distances happiness.
Knowing contentment makes it easy to become prosperous.
Lack is poverty.

The economy is not all about money, nor can it be measured solely by money.
It’s not just a matter of price.
What costs are incurred is also an important issue.
On one hand, high-rise apartments and vacant houses are increasing, while on the other hand, homelessness is rampant.
It’s not just a matter of production capacity.

Income reflects the structure of production, income distribution reflects the clear structure of distribution, and expenditure reflects the structure of consumption.
Extreme income disparity disrupts the balance between production and consumption structures. Production and distribution reflect the working population, while consumption reflects the total population.

When considering the economy, we cannot exclude the impacts of war, plunder, crime, rule by force, and slavery.

The reason why Japan’s economy seems to be going well now is simply because Japan is not facing a shortage of goods and has secured the minimum necessary resources.
Eighty years ago, right after the war, many people died of starvation and had no homes due to a lack of supplies.
Violent means, war, crime, and plunder were rampant.
There is no guarantee that such a situation will not continue forever.
In fact, there are still countries suffering from war and famine, and human trafficking has not disappeared.

Without facing the facts, true happiness will not come.
Happiness is realized in an environment where one can support their family without worrying about tomorrow’s food.
Therefore, the economy can be said to be about creating and maintaining an environment where people do not worry about food, clothing, and shelter, and are protected from war, crime, and disasters.
And pursuing that, in other words, pursuing people’s happiness, can be said to be the purpose of the economy.
Money, nations, and families exist as means to that end.