War of Lanka (Ram Chandra #4)

by Amish Tripathi

‘So, it is in the interest of the elite to help the poor. Be mindful of them. When in doubt, help the poor. When you have nothing else to occupy yourself with, help the poor. The default position of a smart elite must always be: help the poor.’ ‘And the problem of overproduction of elites?’ ‘It’s different for the elite. I don’t think their material life should be on an ever-improving spiral. In fact, I do think that for the sake of stability in a society, there must be a periodic culling of the elite. So that the old elite, which has become fat and lazy, is replaced by a new rising elite, with more energy and drive.’ ‘Culling?’ asked Nandini. ‘Isn’t that cruel? Really, Vishwa, I wish you would measure your words. Words have energy, my friend!’ ‘Look, I speak my mind, using the most descriptive and not necessarily appropriate words. In any case, that’s what happens with political civil violence, doesn’t it? Many elite members are killed, and then there is less internal competition in that class.