As the man said, or might have said, we are all humans, we all bleed if we are cut with an implement, we all suffer pain, be it physical or mental, although we might develop culturally differentiated tolerance levels to it. We all aspire towards attaining or maintaining good health, and living happily. It is in this sense that we, humans, can meaningfully declare our 'equality', whether we attribute it to the effect of 'creation' or evolution.
This is quite different from what we might consider to be 'aspirational equality'; that which leads us to argue that all humans should strive for and be enabled to acquire certain minimum conditions in their living, such as a job which pays a 'living wage', a home which is fit for human habitation, clean water to drink and use, adequate food, heating, if required, freedom to express their individuality, freedom from wars and conflicts, freedom from undue interference in their private lives from both governments and religious institutions, and an healthy environment in which to live.
These are among the essential requirements of humans, in our quest for or pursuit of 'happiness.' Part of the problem, a big part, is the fact that this aspiration is not realisable for hundreds of millions of people, because of the 'unequal' distribution of the earth's natural resources, and the appropriation of a larger amount of the world's wealth by a minority of its people.
In your endeavour to achieve happiness, be mindful of the fact that, if for you that is about acquiring as much wealth as you can, then you are likely to be depriving others of the happiness they might also have achieved; as you remove more than your share from the collective pool.
No comments:
Post a Comment