Inflation is bringing us true democracy. For the first time in

In the twilight of modern civilization, where the weight of coin and currency governs the rhythm of men’s lives, Robert Orben’s words rise like a torch of irony and revelation: “Inflation is bringing us true democracy. For the first time in history, luxuries and necessities are selling at the same price.” Though spoken in jest, his words pierce with truth sharper than satire. For in times of inflation, when money itself grows restless and values twist like reeds in the wind, the boundaries between the rich and the poor blur into a single, trembling reality. That which was once rare becomes common; that which was once simple becomes unattainable. And thus, in a strange and bitter symmetry, all are made equal by the hunger of the age.

To the ancients, the measure of wealth was not gold, but balance—the harmony between what a man earns and what he needs. Yet in times when the cost of bread rises like the sun, and wages trail like shadows, society learns a hard lesson: false abundance is no abundance at all. Orben’s irony strikes at this truth. When both the fine silk and the coarse cloth cost the same, when a loaf of bread demands the same sacrifice as a jewel, it is not equality we have gained, but a democracy of struggle. The mighty and the humble now kneel together before the marketplace, both feeling the sting of value’s decay.

Consider the story of the Weimar Republic, in Germany after the Great War. Once proud and industrious, the nation descended into chaos as hyperinflation devoured its wealth. Paper money lost its meaning; a wheelbarrow of notes could scarcely buy a loaf of bread. Families carried wages home in sacks, only to find them worthless by dusk. Children played with banknotes as if they were leaves; merchants changed prices by the hour. In that surreal time, luxury and necessity truly sold at the same price—for price itself had ceased to have meaning. The rich could not buy comfort, the poor could not buy bread, and all were united in despair. It was a democracy of suffering, born from the ruin of trust in value.

Yet, even in such darkness, a strange equality emerges. The illusion of control vanishes, and humanity stands face to face with the truth of interdependence. Inflation humbles the proud and awakens the complacent. It reminds us that wealth without stability is like a fortress built on sand. What Orben calls “true democracy” is not a celebration, but a mirror held to the folly of men who worship wealth as a god. It is as if the universe whispers: “Behold, your gold cannot save you; your luxuries cannot feed you; your status cannot protect you from the common fate.”

But let us not despair. For hidden within Orben’s jest is also a call to wisdom. If inflation strips us of illusion, it also teaches us what truly endures. Relationships, skills, knowledge, compassion—these are currencies that no economy can debase. When the price of things grows meaningless, the value of being shines brighter. Communities that share, neighbors that help, and hearts that create rather than consume—these are the riches that inflation cannot erode. Thus, even as the market trembles, the soul of man may stand firm.

We see this again in our own age, when crises sweep across the world and goods once plentiful become scarce. Yet, from the ashes of excess, a new understanding is born. Men and women begin to mend, make, and trade again with hands and hearts. They rediscover the dignity of sufficiency, the joy of shared effort, the wisdom of restraint. In this rebirth, Orben’s “democracy” takes a purer form—not through shared hardship, but through shared purpose.

So, my children, take this teaching into your days: Measure your wealth not by what you own, but by what you can endure without losing peace. Let the fire of inflation, or any trial that burns through comfort, reveal what cannot be destroyed. Build your treasures not in vaults of metal, but in the trust of others, in the steadiness of your craft, in the clarity of your conscience. For the markets of men rise and fall, but the currency of character is eternal.

Thus remember: Inflation may make all prices equal, but only virtue makes all souls free. When the cost of the world’s goods grows heavy, hold fast to the goods of the spirit—gratitude, generosity, and grace. In that wealth, and only in that wealth, will you find the truest form of democracy—the equality of human worth beyond the reach of gold or ruin.