Created Equal

Butterflies are the most beautiful insects on the planet.  It is said that new butterfly species are still being discovered every day, but it is estimated that there are about 28 000 different species of butterflies.  No two butterflies are exactly the same, not even within the same species as the colour of every butterfly varies slightly from another one. Yet, despite their variety, they all share the same characteristics.  In their uniqueness there is a sameness.  They have all been created equal.

As you may have read by now, for those of you who have been following my posts, I am a great advocate about being and loving the unique human being you have been created to be.  However, today, I want us to take a look at us as having also been created equal.

Most parents make sure that they raise their children on copious amounts of praise.  When a toddler gives his first step, a chorus of loving voices raises up and cheers him on to take another step.  When a pre-schooler comes home with her first pink and orange blob with a note scribbled beneath by her teacher to inform us that the Rorschach stain is a dog, we declare her the next Picasso and show her artwork to anybody who ventures near.  Praise is good.  Our children need our praise.  They need this very biased encouragement.  It helps to build their self-esteem and inspires them to try harder and achieve more.  It gives them confidence to go out into the world and claim their place.  However, it is important to also keep our children grounded.  While teaching them how special and unique they are, they also need to learn to respect and value the uniqueness of others. 

We have to teach them that beneath our exteriors and deeper than our psyche, at the very core of our beings we all are the same.  We all have the same dreams and hopes.  We all have fears and worries.  Every one  has their own insecurities.  We all bleed the same. It does not matter if a person is of royal descent or hardly know the name of a single ancestor, whether a person is an acclaimed academic or an unknown pauper, we have all been created equal.  We have no right to look down on anybody or to despise another human being.  We were all born the same and will die the same.  We cannot take along our riches or our trophies.

When we believe ourselves to be superior to others and when we regard ourselves as more special or of more significance we lose touch with our true self and with reality.  When we think of ourselves as being above another person or group, we actually isolate ourselves and miss out on interesting and meaningful relationships.

I am not saying to go ahead and indiscriminately befriend every person you encounter, but I do suggest that you dismiss your pre-conceived ideas and give people the benefit of the doubt before you merely dismiss them as beneath your status, intellect, values or ability.  You might just be amazed by the amazing people you meet.  When you value others for who they really are, you in turn will be valued for the wonderful, unique person you are.