Talking about doing good, I feel that actually the richer you are, the more you are able to do good. Many posters here claimed that they opted out of the rat race and started to live humbler / simpler lifestyles, but I don't see how this can contribute to the greater good and how this would help them get a better afterlife.

By not consuming, you are in fact depriving the next guy from making a living. People at the very core don't want charity, they want to work for their own keep. And why? Because work gives them dignity, and they feel useful.

I look at my current lifestyle now, we have 2 cars, a maid and eats out at restaurants often. I believe my lifestyle and others like us help keep a small segment of the economy humming along. When my last maid went back to Indonesia to get married after working 8 years with us, she worried about her future. I told her we would take her back if she needed money.

My condo employs cleaners, gardeners, guards and of course estate managers. Imagine if everyone downgrades to HDBs, where would all these people find jobs to feed their families?

In the final analysis, capable people earning more should spend more. They should not live like poor people and deprived less capable people from making a living and living with dignity.