"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal,"-Declaration of Independance, Contental Congress, July 4, 1776
" The legs of the lame are not equal: so is a parable in the mouth of fools." -Proverbs 26:7
So which is it? Are we all equals, or aren't we?
On the one hand, the United States was founded on the principle that all men were created equal. On the other, God tells us that some are not equal to others. So which is it?
I say we aren't equal- and that it isn't a bad thing. I say that I am in fact better than a crackhead or a murderer or a rapist serving time in prison. After all, I'm not in prison, I haven't done drugs, murdered or raped anyone. At the other end of the spectrum, I'm better at reaching for things off the top of the refrigerator than my wife, or anyone under 6 feet tall. Simply because I'm taller.
Better is a fact of life, yet people seem to get really upset about it.
I was watching Ghost Hunters Academy this week, and I was quite heartened by contestant Eric Baldino's remarks after he lost the contest to contest Adam Berry. He wasn't upset at all. He thought that Adam did a better job, and he (Eric) knew he had done the best he could. That's sportsmanship. That's something we should be teaching our children.
Instead, my kid often comes home from school telling me about being taught that no one is better than anyone else. The liberals like to proclaim that as well, handing out our tax money to deadbeats that won't even try to get a job. They refuse to accept the fact that people can be better than others. They stigamtize "better".
There's nothing wrong with someone being better than you. What's important is that you try your best. Like Mr. Baldino.
I'm better at getting things off tall shelves than my wife. And given her gun-phobia, I'm a better marksman than her. I'm also better at eating steak. But she has a better singing voice than me. And she surely dances better than me (not that I ever dance). The point is, why do so many people feel compelled to bring down the accomplishments of others? Why is it such a big deal that someone is better than you?
As parents, we should want our kids to be better than us. I'm thrilled when my daughter does better than me at a video game. Or that she's a better artist than me. I take pride in her accomplishment, despite the fact I have absolutely nothing to with it- it's something she has done entirely on her own.
Fanatics enjoy the abilities of professional atheletes, who are of course better than they are at playing sports. Politicians always like to throw around that they are better than their opponents. So why do we teach children that they are equals? Why do we try and convince men and women they are equal?
God (not Darwin) created us all equal, but he also gave us different gifts, and we make different choices that make us better than others in some respects.
While I know I'm overall a better person than a murderer serving time, I have very little doubt that there isn't something they're better at than me- like maybe playing basketball, lifting weights or fashioning weapons out of toothbrushes. But like Mr. Baldino, I should be a good sport- whether I'm better, or my opponent is. Better is a fact of life. We should all take pride in accomplishment- whether it's ours, or someone else's.
So kudos to you Mr. Baldino, for being a good "loser". And kudos to Adam Berry for being a gracious winner and not rubbing it in anyone's face. Unlike so many reality shows, Ghost Hunters Academy has set a positive example many of us would do well to investigate.
I do agree, Trog. We are only created equal in the sense that we have certain unalienable rights, but other than that, this whole neoliberal self esteem crap is well…crap. It’s the reason for mediocrity in this country. Mediocrity in academics; mediocrity in politics, etc. It seems the only place we don’t have mediocrity is in sports. YES! The athletes get it…even if they don’t know they do. They reward excellence and as a result they produce par excellence. No one’s worried about getting their feelings hurt or some other such stupid flipping nonsense.