... whether we like it or not, there will always be someone wealthier.

Hehe, don't tell that Elon Musk. 😁

So here's a question; what do affluence and lack mean to you?

Affluence would mean to have enough not to have financial worries anymore, to worry for example how to pay the next tuition fee of my son, if I can buy all ingredients of the food I plan to prepare, if I can also buy for example a little bit more expensive aliments like milk regularly. If I would know to have enough money for my everyday needs without having to do any extra work like cleaning outside my house that would already feel like a kind of affluence.
Luxury would not be the aim but it would be nice if I could do some nice things like travelling to beautiful places or going out to eat without having a bad conscious afterwards.

Lack is then the opposite of what I described above.