I'm going to tell you something that might bother you a little. Traditional social classes —those we learned about in school like bourgeoisie, proletariat, and all that narrative— no longer serve to understand today's world. What's more, the division between rich and poor that obsesses us so much is more and more a numerical illusion than a real difference in human experience.

The uncomfortable truth about the rich and poor

Let's start with hard data. In Chile, income poverty affects only 6.5% of the population, according to CASEN 2022, a historically low figure. But here's the interesting part: when you analyze people's real problems, the difference between socioeconomic strata becomes surprisingly blurry.

A massive study showed that happiness continues to increase with income up to $500,000 annually, but —and here's the detail— 75% of that relationship is explained by the sense of control over one's life, not by the absence of problems. Millionaires also have anxiety, depression, and existential crises. Only their therapists charge more.

(That's why it's always said that money doesn't buy happiness)

Science brutally confirms it: approximately 50% of your "happiness set point" is genetically determined at birth. This means that half of your ability to be happy was already preinstalled in your biological hardware, regardless of whether you were born in Las Condes or Cerro Navia.

Same dramas, different budgets

Elite athletes —those who earn millions— show that 50% experience mental health issues during their careers, with rates comparable to the general population. The risk factors include, pay attention to this: high income, excessive free time, and constant need for stimulation. Sound familiar?

Meanwhile, a study in poor communities in Vietnam found that 22.7% met criteria for mental health issues, with financial stress as the main predictor. Same problems, different currencies.

The most revealing is the phenomenon of hedonic adaptation. Research with extremely poor populations in Latin America showed that substantial housing improvements increase well-being, but after 8 months, 60% of that gain disappears. Your brain simply gets used to it and returns to its baseline of (un)happiness.

The real social classes of the 21st century

This is where things get interesting. The only two social classes that matter today have nothing to do with how much money you have in the bank. The real division is this:

Class 1: Those who are part of the problem.

Class 2: Those who are part of the solution.

And before you tell me "but Francisco, that's a terrible binary simplification," let me explain why this division does matter.

The problem creators aren't necessarily bad people. They are those who, consciously or unconsciously, perpetuate dysfunctional systems, amplify artificial conflicts, or simply live on autopilot without questioning the impact of their actions. They can be billionaire CEOs or middle-class workers. The common denominator is that their existence adds friction to the system.

The solvers, on the other hand, are those who identify real problems and dedicate their energy to solving them. It doesn’t matter if it's the lady who cleans offices but does so with such dedication that she transforms the space, or the tech entrepreneur creating tools to democratize education. What matters is the solution-oriented approach.

The imaginary wars that distract us

Do you remember the eternal fight between Android and iPhone? Coca-Cola versus Pepsi? These are what I call manufactured commercial dichotomies. They are artificial constructs that exploit our psychological need for group belonging, creating tribal identities around functionally identical products.

The system has us fighting over nonsense while real problems —climate change, collective mental health, job precarity— remain unresolved. It's easier to argue on Twitter about which phone is better than to face the fact that both are made under questionable conditions and designed to break in two years.

Research in complex systems shows that societies operate as adaptive systems, where individuals can alternate between being, problem, and solution, depending on the context. But here's the trick: you can consciously choose which side to tilt the balance towards.

The wisdom of not choosing a side

Eastern philosophy teaches us something that the West is just beginning to understand: opposites are complementary, both synergistic and antagonistic. True intelligence isn't in choosing an extreme, but in extracting value from multiple perspectives without getting caught in invented loyalties.

This isn't cheap relativism. It's recognizing that in a complex world, binary solutions are almost always insufficient. Social systems exhibit emergent properties that arise from nonlinear interactions, meaning that reducing everything to "us versus them" is missing most of the picture.

Want a concrete example? The entrepreneur who creates a delivery app is simultaneously solving a problem (convenience) and creating others (job precarity). The question isn't whether it's good or bad, but how can it evolve into a version that maximizes solutions and minimizes problems.

So, which social class do you choose?

Here's the part you probably didn't expect. You don't have to choose a class definitively. Life isn't an RPG where you select your class at the start and are stuck in it forever. It's more like a sandbox game where you can experiment, evolve, and constantly redefine yourself.

But there are daily decisions that lean you one way or the other.

• Does that comment you're about to write on social media add or subtract?

• Does your current job solve real problems or just shuffle papers?

• Do your conversations amplify drama or seek understanding?

• Does your consumption perpetuate broken systems or support alternatives?

True freedom in the Anthropocene doesn't come from accumulating zeros in your bank account. It comes from having a sense of control over your life and the ability to impact your environment positively. And that, dear reader, is available whether you earn a thousand or ten thousand a month.

The ultimate hack

If all this sounds very philosophical, here's something practical. The true social hack of the 21st century is this: become such an effective problem-solver that the system has no choice but to reward you.

It doesn't matter if you start by sweeping floors or leading companies. The orientation towards excellence and problem-solving generates its own gravitational field that attracts opportunities, resources, and connections. It's the only social mobility that truly matters: mobility towards impact.

The old social classes had us fighting over crumbs while the pie was rotting. The new classes —problem versus solution— invite us to bake better pies. And the most beautiful thing of all is that you don't need anyone's permission to switch sides.

Spoiler: The world desperately needs more people on the solutions team. Benefits include sleeping better, more genuine relationships, and that existential satisfaction of knowing your existence adds more than it takes away.

Which team are you playing for today?