Every Person Matters Equally

Now there's something to live by. A real challenge by the way. I think most people want to believe in something like this but then life gets complicated and soon it becomes "every person except that one" or worse, "that group". Again, I don't think any of us start out with the premise of excluding people in our circle of humanity. It happens along the way based on experiences, a look at our own reality and yes, due to prejudices.

But the ideal and the goal that many try to live by is that every person matters equally. It's not class warfare, socialism or marxism. It's a recognition of our own humanity and that we are in fact all in this together. But it is hard and it gets harder as we connect or try to connect with each other and as we try to understand it all. The questions begin to come - Does this really mean the malnourished child in Africa or the woman with dementia? Does it include the broken bodies and broken spirits in institutions and other settings - the people who can't clean or speak for themselves? What about the Iranians or the Israelis? Have your pick, international saints and devils are all over the place. Oh and by the way, it doesn't get any easier. Are we including sex offenders, predators, rapists and violent criminals?

You see I think one of the biggest problems we have is how quickly we can come up with answers to hard questions. People don't have choices about certain things. Where or when they're born, their status in life at that early stage, what language they speak, their ability or disability. Most of these things are imposed on us by chance or depending on your beliefs by some higher power. We and other societies create rules and laws to try to deal with the chaotic nature of life. Sometimes we're successful but most of the time not so much.

I do believe that every person matters equally but I also understand how difficult it is to live by that belief. All I can do is try harder every day and work to make sure there are others who try harder too.