Listening to regular American discussion, I can’t help but notice the constant calls for equality. When asked, what is the most important virtue a country should have, many people immediately say: equality.
I was thinking about this–equality, in and of itself, is neither good nor bad. It’s simply a state of being.
Equality can, in fact, be very bad… or, be very good.
But there’s nothing inherently virtuous about equality.
Think about it. We’re all quite unequal when it comes to height and no one complains that we should be more equal in height. That’d be silly. But this inequality extends to far more than height. Humans are unequal when it comes to intellect, physical capabilities, mental capabilities, skill sets, preferences, passions, personality, emotional vibrancy and health, weight, merit, competence…and the list could go on and on.
When the Declaration of Independence says that we were all created equal, this did not mean equal in all of the categories mentioned above. In fact, it meant anything but that.
When it says we are created equal, it means, we are all created equal in value.
Here’s a definition of equal: “Having the same value; as two commodities of equal price or worth.”
As human beings, we are all imbued by our Creator with unmatched and immeasurable value. We are valuable simply because we are human and God values us.
It’s imputed value. It’s value that should be treated equal in the eyes of the law.
But beyond that, in what areas should we be equal? Truly?
It’s not healthy to be equal in traits. Even the idea of equal opportunity is a bit of a fallacy. Is someone who’s intellectually challenged when it comes to mathematics equally as capable of being a mathematician as someone who excels at math?
Of course not. And it would be foolish to assume or try to force equality here.
But, again, should everyone be treated equally under the law? Yes.
There’s much more that I could discuss with y’all about this subject but I think for today, this is enough for you to chew on.
I’ll leave you with these last two questions.
What inequalities are preferred and expected in a healthy society?
What equalities are preferred and expected in a healthy society?
These are much more important questions to answer than simply espousing that “equality” is the trait we all desire because it is inherently good.
The Liberty Belle