Equality...

...is a simple mathematical concept. Beyond the math, it becomes foggy, misunderstood, and darn-near unattainable. "All men (people) are created equal." We believe in that. Or, maybe, we merely believe some folks pronounced that a long, long time ago. Belief, however, is always proven by behavior. We act based on what we believe.

We're scared of being labeled as an opponent of equality. Such a label means we might possibly be racist, sexist, intolerant, or downright mean. Therefore, we have no beef with the "equality" of all people. Instead, we just say that certain folks are "different" than us. They are "not like" us. And on a certain level, that's true. Every person looks different than every other person, for the most part. Hair, eyes, skin, facial features, height, and weight vary for each person. Values differ for many of us. Language differs for many of us. Personality differs for many of us. Yep, folks aren't like each other.

The problem surfaces when "not like us" becomes "not one of us". We don't easily accept what's "different", therefore we tacitly reject it. Oh, we may not verbalize such rejection. But one can see it in our uneasiness around certain people. One can observe it in the change in our expression. One can hear it in the condescending tone of our voice. Before you know it, not only are those people "not like us", but we treat them--however unknowingly--as though they were beneath us. Where's the equality in that?

All people are created equal? I very much believe that. But I certainly don't believe it because it came from the mouth of any human.