We are all created equal, but outcomes will vary

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

— Declaration of Independence -- Signed July 4, 1776

 

 

Are all men (and women) created equal?

 The answer to this question is crucial to understanding the current drive to achieve total equality, social justice and diversity in our society.  

The maniacal pursuit of these objectives by the forces of the radical left is destroying our country because it attempts to level the playing field of achievement with the magical elixir of mediocrity. 

Let’s make all people closer to average and therefore “equal.” These utopian mandates have a pernicious influence on the spirit of free individuals to achieve at the highest possible level. It has a subtle but very real dampening effect. 

First let us understand that life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness are an ideal. Being born into this world does not guarantee them. If our “Creator” meant to endow us with these things then why don’t we have them? Did the Creator mean that we should behave as citizens in such a way as to encourage these things? It was our Founders, after all,  who articulated these “rights” making them the very foundation of our country. 

The fact is that we have these rights in potentia. It is only through the force of our goodwill as WE THE PEOPLE that we help create the abiding nature of these rights. Can we do better? Certainly and we should do everything in our power to achieve these rights for all our citizens. 

Yes we are all created equal. Equally mortal and this should be the bond that binds us together. Can we, as a species, rise above our mortal nature? Can we make the decision to live life well? Yes we can and it has been done time and again by many eminent men and women throughout history and from all corners of the earth. These people are beacon lights who should serve as examples for us. Yet the younger generations seem to want to cancel these historical memories that could be a real source of inspiration for all of us.

What we are not equal in is our individual gifts and talents. Why can’t I paint like Leonardo and why can’t you dance like Michael Jackson? These are talents that we are born with and can be developed during our lives but manifest themselves unequally throughout the population. 

So the answer on the equality issue lies between the high sounding ideals of The Declaration and the force of reality which determines that equality cannot be guaranteed by government mandate. It must come from the hearts of its citizens sealed by the exemplary achievements of the individual on behalf of the greater body of society.  

What we are really looking for is the equal chance to achieve our full potential as human beings. 

Paradoxically, that is up to the individual and not in the hands of society at large. It does not “take a village” to create an enlightened and happy individual it takes  individuals to create an enlightened and happy village. The village matters only if people do and if people matter then society becomes a force of encouragement for individual achievement. It begins to work both ways and the individual and the village become self-reinforcing sources of the public good.

Society should not place barriers in anyone’s way. This means that society cannot guarantee equal opportunity and outcomes for individuals by taking freedom away from others. All society can do is to try to create the conditions for the individual to flourish.

What this new drive for equality threatens in our society is the freedom of the individual to achieve his or her full potential because equality and freedom are antithetical and must exist in a very delicate balance. The creative tension between them is crucial to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. 

When we attempt to level the playing field with mandates, laws and executive orders we inevitably take freedom away from the individual piece by piece. 

The road to hell is paved with good intentions. The road to a more happy and enlightened society is paved with the cobblestones of freedom. “Don’t tread on me.”

 

DAVE EVANS

Arden