We don't need to throw out the baby with the bath water. The quest for equality makes sense. Of course if you look at what happened in communist countries it seems to be not the best idea. However if we apply it to capitalism it makes sense. Look what is going on in US and compare it with Scandinavian societies like Denmark or Sweden. Here you have a much more equal society and actually much happier people.
That the Scandinavian countries are happy and equal does not precisely link equality with happiness. The Latin American countries are in the top positions of inequality around the world, however, they are also on the list of the happiest in the world; Costa Rica, for example, is the 9th most unequal country in the world according to the World Bank, but the 13th happiest according to the UN, surpassing in both indexes countries like United States, Germany, France, United Kingdom, etc... The same happens with Mexico, Chile, Panama, Brazil, Argentina and almost all Latin American countries.
I think that instead of focusing on equality, we must focus on the creation of wealth, and try to make the people of tomorrow better than the people of yesterday, without seeking to equate them with each other.
We must focus on the creation of wealth...? But you brought up Costa Rica. Here you have not material wealth what makes happy people. On the other hand in Germany in spite of financial success many people seem to be very unhappy. I think too much focusing on either equality or creation of wealth goes in the wrong direction.
People are not happy to have wealth or to have equality, but the State can not bring happiness to people. The State must certainly care not even to create wealth, the State must worry about imparting justice and order, and remain the pillars of society.
People on their part, who should lead the market and society in the direction they want, should then worry about looking for what they want most. If they want to seek equality then they can do it. If they want to seek riches, they will also do so.
I don't support the search for equality because I don't think it is convenient, and because I believe that when we focus on sharing existing riches and not producing more, then society stagnates, because it cannot grow in what people are looking for, which causes its collapse.