THERE ARE DIFFERENCES IN BEING EQUAL

Everyone in the world is entitled to the same fundamental human rights. There are 30 of them, in fact. They are the universal human rights that we, as citizens of this world, have agreed we are all entitled to. They include the right to live free from torture, the right to live free from slavery, the right to own property, and the right to equality and dignity, and to live free from all forms of discrimination. ~~ Canadian Human Rights Commission

Every one of us has said it with moral suasion: "We are all created equal." In fleeting moments of righteous indignation I've said it myself.

The contention is incorporated in our Canadian constitution, but in all honesty I cannot help but believe that the usual simplistic interpretation of equality is manifestly false.

Let's face it, people are born with different colors of skin, some people are fat, others skinny; some are intelligent, others lacking in intelligence. Sadly some people are inflicted with disabilities from birth while others come into the world completely healthy. Not even identical twins are completely equal, especially when they are raised under different circumstances.

Make no mistake about it however...While we all have equal rights under the law, there are many who are not equal in the true sense of the word and there are just as many who are not treated equally in society today.

Similarly, while we are not all born equal, we are all born innocent. It is exposure to an all-new environment coupled with human influence that makes impressionable youngsters aware of differences and attitudes toward those differences in other people. Hence the introduction of prejudices from a very early age.

Again in not being born equal, we are all the same born with equal rights. Compounding the matter is the very human aforementioned fact that the eyes of society see differences in people and react on those differences. In spite of the best efforts of government and religions and our tendency to pay lip service, there has been minimal change in attitudes harbored by the public over the years, but that's another story for another day.

It also has to be acknowledged that we are not only far from being born equal but, in practice, cannot even be given the same chances for accomplishment. The blind cannot be offered the right, nor do they want the opportunity, to become airline pilots, any more than it would be worth the time and effort required to teach the feebleminded how to become theoretical physicists.

The same applies to the women's liberation movement. A woman should have the same access to careers and the same possibilities for physical and mental development as a man. However, this is true only within certain limits imposed by Nature.

Men and women are not biologically equal and there is nothing we can, or even want to, do about it; but certainly one sex should not be considered superior to the other. Of course, this means that for the same or equivalent accomplishments men and women should receive the same rewards.

For the same reasons, one cannot say that all races are "equal." Each race has good and bad characteristics and like the two sexes, they should have the same equal rights, but only in proportion to what they really want and can do.

If we accepted egalitarian principles unconditionally, we would open the door to injustice because it would be left up to society -- often through rigid laws -- to establish who can do what. Not being equally constituted, however, each individual must be appraised of his/her own merits. Some people are willing to take the risks inherent in being independent. However, the more independent you are, the more you have to acquire the force of self-regulation and self-discipline. If you look around, you can readily see that in modern society not everyone has or even desires to use these qualities.