With all that’s going on these days, I’m not entirely convinced the question is whether we are all indeed equal, but rather, do we actually want and aspire to be?

Hear me out.

We publicly and politically abhor practices that promote differentiation between people while at the same time, behind the scenes, we’re actively differentiating ourselves from one another, climbing ladders from lower rungs onto those higher, more distinguished or better regarded by society.

Like it or not, more measures of success in American culture still lie squarely in the value of being better than, with little to no reward for being equal to. Not better intrinsically but positionally.

The drive to accomplish crosses race, sex and all other classifications.

Those less successful at the climb remain underfoot to the more accomplished climbers in society compelled to prove it with better titles, money, power and prestige afforded by the gains of distance in their earned position from where they once began.

Chances that the efforts of the two groups ever meeting are continually reduced and subsequently, lines between the two become greater and more clearly defined.

Maybe what we really need is a better means of measuring achievement not in light of being relative to that of another, then to inspire, educate, and equip people solely to be better climbers for reasons of personal growth.

Equality may be less about the height attained but more about progress made from where each begins his own journey