Cases of discrimination taking place all over the world remind me of the struggles that we have faced and continue to face, to get something we deserve, ‘to be treated with moral equality’. And when this happens in 2020, by now, however, we have well-established laws on human rights that guarantee equality, it does make me wonder if humans are even capable of practicing equality?

When I asked this question on social media, some people responded by asking whether humans are equals in the first place. When I looked into why they felt that humans are not equal, I found two types of arguments.

The first type includes arguments such as “Humans are hierarchical, and so you cannot treat the ‘servants as kings’”. So, I ask, “What decides the place of an individual in a hierarchy? What makes one a king and the other a servant?” The responses can be classified into a few categories. Let’s look at them one by one.

One of the most common answers was ‘title and political power.’ But, would being born in a particular family automatically make one superior? Since the position of power is highly unstable, if the title or power or wealth is taken away, would that person become inferior at that moment? If that’s the case, then what is actually superior is the title and the position. So why is that title or position powerful? Who gives it that status? Isn’t it the so-called common people? Then, how can the holder of a specific title, which gets its power from the general public, become superior to the general public?

Some suggested gender. They say that “men and women are biologically different, and we cannot deny that.” I agree… They are different in certain aspects, but not unequal! How can one be superior to another when they are interdependent? Also, they are more similar than different. What makes them more different is social conditioning.

Next is wealth and money. Money can buy things. Agreed. But, how does that make anyone superior and give them the right to treat others as inferior? In this capitalist world, money can help buy things and certain privileges, but that does not mean that they are superior or that their rights come before others’.

One of the answers that made me think deeper was “actions”. Good actions make someone superior and bad actions lead to inferiority. But there are some flaws in this argument. Firstly, people, in their lifetime act in both good and bad ways. Secondly, what is good and what is bad is very subjective. It differs from person to person, as well as in different circumstances. But, what about the people who have made a difference in your life or have changed the lives of many people? Think of someone you look up to. For example, Mother Teresa. She is a noble soul, who had selflessly dedicated her life to helping millions of people. Yes, she is a noble and inspiring person. But, when you think of others as superior, you think of yourself as inferior. And when this happens, you begin to limit yourself. You need to remember that you are still a human and have equal potential as them. Only then, you would try to do something as great as the person who inspires you.

The other type includes arguments such as “humans are unequal in terms of their talents, skills, and abilities.” For this, we need to look at the meaning of the word “equal”, or “equality”. The terms “equality” (Gr. isotes, Lat. aequitas, aequalitas, Fr. égalité, Ger. Gleichheit), “equal,” and “equally” signify a qualitative relationship. ‘Equality’ (or ‘equal’) signifies correspondence between groups of different objects, persons, processes, or circumstances that have the same qualities in at least one respect, but not all respects, i.e., regarding one specific feature, with differences in other features. So, it would be more appropriate to use the word “different” than “unequal”. We have different skills, talents, and abilities, but that does not make us unequal.

Coming back to the question “Are humans capable of practicing equality?” Most people said they wished the answer was yes, but looking around, it does not seem possible. So, let’s explore the concept of equality further.

We looked at what does not make us unequal. But, the definition of equality also mentions being similar in one respect. So, it raises the question, “What makes us equal?” This is an important question because, in order to treat others with equality, it is first necessary to view them as equals. A simple answer to this is “we are humans”. But, how often do we look at the other person as just being a human, without considering his color, position, gender, education, etc? And when these aspects come into consideration, we judge them as superior or inferior.

I came across an ideology that enables people to view each other as equals. This is based on Vedic philosophy. Indian philosopher and spiritual leader Pandurang Shastri Aathavale, also known as Dadaji explains this in a simple manner. There is a shlok in Shrimad Bhagvad Geeta (a holy book which has conversation between God and Arjun and is believed to have answers of all questions of humanity) in which God says “sarvasya chaham hrudi sannivishto” which translates into “I reside in the souls of all”. So, Dadaji explains that God said he resides in everyone’s soul, which means he resides in your soul too. And if God, the ultimate power of the universe resides in your soul, then how can you be inferior to anyone else? This argument establishes self-worth in an individual and not view themselves as inferior. This also solves the problem of inferiority complex. Again, as God resides within all, then it also implies that God resides within others. So, even he/she cannot be inferior to anyone including you. This establishes respect for others and enables us to view them as an equal. This also solves the issue of superiority complex. So, this not only establishes equality to the level of viewing others as equal, but it also deals with psychological issues of self-esteem and narcissism.

This is not just theoretical. Dadaji has reached out to thousands of people with this ideology. At present, there exists a society spread across the globe, called the Swadhyay Pariwar, which practices his ideology.

If one is not comfortable with the concept of God, then they can replace it with a concept like “energy” or “universe” or any concept you believe in. Adopting this philosophy would not only make us a better society but it also helps deal with our self-esteem issues.

I personally practice this. At first, I needed to deliberately remind myself every time I came across someone and felt any kind of superiority or inferiority in me. With time, it became internalized. Practicing this has made a difference in my life by making me confident and humble at the same time.

I can now confidently say “YES!” to the question “Are humans capable of practicing equality?”