Does it matter?

The short answer is "yes". The somewhat longer answer:

We simply need to be more aware ... aware of what is going on around us, aware of what we think, aware of what we believe, aware of what others are about ... we have a lot to be aware of. Unfortunately, we only have words to convey what's going on in our heads (unless we're visual artists of some kind ... but I'm talking about everyday interaction), and not everyone uses words the same way we do.

I hinted at this a while ago when I mentioned that "democracy" doesn't mean the same thing to everyone who uses the term. Well, the same is true -- probably in to an increased degree -- when we consider the terms "equality" and "freedom". This is particularly tricky with the easier of the two "equality". I made the case that it should be understood digitally; that is, two (or more) things are equal or they're not. I'm referring to us humans, it should be remembered. As it is, even I know that the meaning I proposed is not the generally accepted meaning in today's world.

George Orwell put it best in Animal Farm. After the successful revolution of the animals against the people, they painted their Seven Commandments on the side of the barn; at the bottom, so it would remain in the reader's consciousness the longest, "All animals are equal." But before it was all over, of course, all the commandments were replaced save one: "All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others." And that's where we are today, isn't it?

Being equal has nothing to do with skills, intelligence, or ability. Thank goodness, we're not all exactly alike, mere clones of one another. Nature abhors uniformity and takes care to ensure diversity. But, like the pigs in Animal Farm, there are those among us who, comparing apples and oranges in name of an abstract notion of Fruit Salad, I suppose, have redefined the word to be just that. We simply have to admit that we are not all equal. No, we are equal, as human beings, but we're not the same. It's one of the reasons we have different words to describe different things.

Anyone who thinks that the idea of equality once allegedly enshrined in the Constitution still exists is living a delusion. Equality before the law cannot exist if your ability to get the best lawyer money can buy determines the outcome. Equality before the law cannot exist if a major corporation can marshall resources to simply crush any suit against it. Equality of opportunity does not exist if we make education a market that reflect socio-economic status. And equality of thought does not exist if others can simply ignore facts when it doesn't suit them.

This distortion is one of the biggest challenges we have to overcome, for the result of this is perhaps the greatest bane of all: injustice. Is this what we wish to applaud? I should hope not, but I'm not so sure.