An Inverse Relationship

From the beginning of human communities,
even the less than sharp among us
have understood that the ‘common bond’
of roots and neighborhood fade
as wealth and power are gained.

Now, experiments in psychology
have formulated a mathematical maxim:

Empathy is inversely proportional
to individual wealth and power.

In experiments where four
roughly equal persons engage
in some mundane task,
where one is appointed leader,
a tray of five cookies is given
the group as a working treat.

In the vast majority of cases,
the appointed ‘leader’ …
takes the last cookie,
confirming that …

empathy and power are,
indeed, inversely proportional.

–LE 4/22/26