Do circumstances play a role in creation equality?
If one tree were planted in a national park, and another planted in a known logging area, would each have an equal chance of growing to reach 100ft tall? Would each have the same chances of being made into a toothpick? I would argue that the circumstances and situation in which you are created are in fact a part of your creation itself, and therefore not all people are created equal.
I think, generally, people are afraid of this argument. Does this mean that people born into better circumstances are inherently better than those who are not? No. I do not believe that to be true. The true beautiful fact about human nature is that we are NOT created equal, but all people are capable of so much, regardless of the station or position from which they started.
So what is the difference then? Why make the distinction? I’ll tell you, why, in my opinion, the distinction that all men are in fact not created equal is so much more important than the common axiom lifted from our Declaration of Independence.
If we completely disregard the position from which people started, then we inherently take away from how far they have come, what circumstances may have lead to their difficulties, or in fact how deep their failure is.
Examples:
A.) If a person was born in the gutter, and works their way through an ivy league education, is their success equal to someone who didn’t have to work as hard or journey as far to make it possible?
B.) If a person was born in the gutter, and they end up dropping out of school and dealing drugs, is this as great a failure as someone that was born into a status and position where they understood the importance of an education, or the vast array of options that make drug dealing unnecessary?
C.) If someone is born with every opportunity, and their parents work their entire lives to ensure that their path to success is made clear for them, and they throw it away, is this failure no bigger than someone whose odds were stacked against them to begin with?
In the end it comes down to facing some harsh realities of personal responsibility - not something Americans are particularly fond of doing.
The fact is that if you are handed the tools for success and choose not to make use of them, this is indeed a much greater evil than someone that fought hard for success, sought after success, but lacked the tools and the know-how to get there. And likewise, we owe a greater amount of admiration and respect to those whom were handed nothing and were able to overcome and build their own success anyway, regardless of the odds.
All men are not created equal, and so they remain. Some people are born with certain advantages and I think that this is a key aspect wen judging the character of a person.
And people move no closer to equality over the course of their lives than they are at birth. We are not born as equals and we do not live as equals either. Some make something of themselves, and add something to the human experience, whereas others simply exist.
Let’s say the unmentionable truth: some people are better than others. A rapist does not deserve the same respect, admiration or even rights as Mother Teresa. A lazy societal parasite is not of equal value as one who cares for and supports the lives of others. That sounds crazy right? Well it’s not. We all assign our own value to people whether we choose to admit it or not.
Example:
You are on a sinking ship, one more life vest to give out and two people left aboard. One a child molester with multiple convictions, and the other your child…
Who will you save?
