People are born male or female, healthy or ill, and their race and culture doesn’t change their status, value, or importance as a human being. At the miraculous moment of our birth, we are all equal in the eyes of our Creator and as a citizen of the world; everyone that is, except our parents of course, they already know we are unequal to anyone else. With that said, from that point on, our standing as it relates to others, begins to change in the eyes of all who pay attention. No one can alter the facts that as we age, we each begin to develop different talents and traits, pursue different goals, strive for different aspirations, and most importantly, we begin to make life changing decisions that will impact everything else we do in our lives as well as to enhance or cloud the way we are perceived by others. It is because of these changes and perceptions that we can never again be viewed, treated, or even perceived as equal to one another. These are the cold hard facts about life.
How do you want to be viewed in the New Year?
I pose that it is through fairness, not equality, that we show other individual’s the respect they deserve; earned by the way each of us choose to handle the differences outlined above; making us each stand out from the rest. Like a diamond, we have the ability to be changed from just another piece of coal into a unique gem. The “diamond” people embrace the pressures needed to be transformed while others choose to limit themselves to standards much less demanding. They rise above the rest because they choose to and others will treat them fairly, giving them equal opportunity to shine; that is, unless their actions give reasons not to. It is my belief that the majority of the population is not satisfied with equality but rather demands, expects, and wishes to receive fairness which breeds infinite opportunity. Only then can individuals take ownership of their own destiny.
Speaking as a leader of various teams, I always strived to surround myself with people who wished to be better than all the rest, including myself. Just think, if we applied the rules of equality to games, businesses, or organizations then there would be no reason for competition. If we were to treat every person as truly equal to one another, we would be asked to work diligently to reach mediocrity then no further growth would be needed or expected. The difference in being mediocre verses outstanding is exactly what makes each winner unequal.
Consider the most spectacular painting you have ever saw; then ask yourself if you could have painted it. If the answer is no, then you are not alone and you are definitely not an equal to the artist whose work you are admiring; nor should you be. That difference is exactly what makes the work you’re admiring spectacular and I, for one, do not want to ever give up the chance at spectacular for the surety of reaching mediocrity.
So next time you hear of a sports team, business, or organization’s leadership crying that we should not keep score, whining that everyone should be a winner, or that everyone must be treated the same; think of that spectacular work of art, the gold medal athlete, or the hardworking successful business owner who started their business with only a hundred dollars and a dream. These remarkable people would not exist in a world that values equality over fairness. Instead, the world of art would be full of ugly paintings because everyone would paint like the rest of us. I believe, we would lose way more than we win because everyone would stop practicing too soon, stop trying so hard, and worst of all, we would all stop dreaming.
It is for these reasons that I believe we are created equal so as to give us a fair start; even those born with health challenges or disabilities are priceless. From the moment of our birth, our natural instinct is to fight and overcome the complexities that life puts in our way. Through the combination of our flaws and perfections, we are each destined to be unequal with some seizing every opportunity and rising to extraordinary heights. We won’t all be a diamond but we each could be. By definition, nothing can be considered greater, better, or special without first surpassing equal, and I truly believe, we can all make that leap if we follow the truth, are given a fair chance and grasp those chances because we believe that we are indeed special, having unequal potential.
If this is my last post, I want all to know that there was only one purpose for all that I have written; to have made a positive difference in the lives of others.