Relative Equality

Somewhere I had read long time ago (I think it was "Our Town") "some people are more equal than others". We can talk all day about all men being created equal. It's like a corporation management giving a pep talk against unfair practices, but the "buddy system" continues to thrive. It's true in politics and in everything else. "You scratch my back, I scratch yours". Do we really care about equality, fairness, justice...?

Some lives are more equal than others. An American life is more valuable than an Iraqi life. A "fetus" in the west is more valuable than a living dead in Africa. One life lost in the US would have brought more money compared to that given for 500+ poor lives lost in the Bhopal tragedy caused by an accident at a Union Carbide plant. Oh yes, many make (a few of them are truly genuine) nice gestures to poor victims to subconsciously proclaim how great and compassionate they are.

We talk a good talk about peace, poverty, hunger, disease, but don't really mean it. If we did, we would not be in a "tit-for-tat" game. We will try to talk and understand even our worst enemies. It is truly a global village today where we have to face each other everyday. However, we are once again creating "east and west" syndrome within this family. If we believed in humanity, we would not show our "middle finger" to the UN to start an unnecessary war. When going got tough, we needed the same UN to help us. Every country wants to use the UN to its advantage to wield its power in the world stage, not necessarily for the good of the world.

So are we progressing or regressing? Materially I suppose some are progressing to a point where they can flaunt their newfound wealth and power. Nevertheless, the gap is widening creating a world around us where poverty, hunger, disease, desperation prevail. That desperation gives rise to instability created by "less than equal" folks which is the out come of stupidity of the "more than equal" folks. If we do not want "annihilation" of our global village, perhaps the "more equal" should pay attention to the "less equal".