You and I, to begin with, are not equal – never have been and never will be. We have to be different otherwise we would bore each other to death. This is just the way life is. Some would argue otherwise but the truth is if each of us is believed to be a unique being then we are not equal. We just share the same beliefs – and possibly a long line of far-fetched relatives – of which equality is one of them for as long as each of us benefits from it. And then, someone just had to include people from other countries and all of a sudden we do not know where we stand or what to believe in anymore.
I am certain that you probably were taught and learnt, or coerced to believe “all men are created equal” and that we ought to be equal “in the eyes of the law.” Yet, I am willing to bet my left pinky toe that you will not give in to any of the arguments for people who are not citizens of this country. More precisely, I am almost assured that you would be more than willing to find some legally justified reason to send all of them to their home countries – of course, only after they have fulfilled the terms of their contracts.
Sure, you and I have foreign friends. In fact, some of our friends are so foreign that they have been alienated and banned from certain activities that only you and I have the rights to. Oh, do not fret! I know where I belong to and I will not infringe on what is yours – it may be too foreign for me to understand. Yet, I believe we are equal and so do you.
For years, I have been trying to make sense of the contradictions and inconsistencies that I have had the opportunity to see, hear about, and even unknowingly participate in. I have yet to come up with any fitting answers, but I have learned that we are not equal – we just think we are and that is what has kept us living this far. We are different.
Knowing we are different, I think, allows people to be more conscientious; and would likely lead them into treating people with kindness and respect. I figure if I had more of anything than you do, I would be more inclined to give you some of what I had just so I would not feel too different from you; and if you just so happen to be an alien, I’d be much better off.
I hope that you, from time to time, treat someone as an equal – then maybe you would not be so different. I hope that what you know now, with equality in mind, will not exceed what you believe in. Be kind and do as you believe.
