In a bar, three men ordered three different drinks but one is priced higher than the rest. Since equality is their national mantra, the other two men reluctantly paid the higher prices. The following week, they tried to bend the system by asking for separate checks. But the bartender insisted on following the equality rule. For weeks, the three men brought in more people to support using the lowest price for equality. Worried of vandalism, the bartender went along and charged the lowest price to them all, incurring big losses. Then one day, the men returned to find the bar closed and gone. That’s how it works in communism and how it will end.
The lesson? What’s fair for one may not be for another; and differences should not be immediately misconstrued as inequality. Prices differ for a reason, just as rainfall differs depending on the time of the year. Indexes like grades, salary, work schedule, promotion, benefits, or needs differ for a reason. Some reasons are beyond one’s control, like birth defects or natural calamity. Now, imagine cheese without the Alps! But how do you divide the Alps in the name of equality? Variety is part of reality. We see it everywhere, and not just for aesthetics. Individual ingenuity is called for to turn adversities into the spice of life. Given time, if the hands are unshackled, it’s totally possible.
Actually, the steeper the struggle, the greater the motivation and the glory attained. We already know there are different degrees of hardships in life. Nobody is saying we should have equality of difficulties. Most prefer lighter loads, with big rewards. Like assembly-line chicken with Michelin flavor. When will we ever learn that the goal is not equality of pleasure, wealth, power, or access? For even children with great access to modern medicine suffer incurable diseases. He dies because he ran out of time. Time is a real asset often ignored. That’s why Jesus promises abundance, not equality. At the core of God’s plan is to enable life to sparkle and satisfy, which brings justice to human effort and glory back to God. For that, He promises unlimited time, eternity, through faith in Christ.
Insisting on one size fits all is not justice but lunacy. It’s like insisting everyone order the same drink in the bar. Individual discontent eventually leads to system collapse. Treating the symptom, not the root, delivers only temporary relief. Respecting differences yields better quality control, in business or politics. It uses simple solutions like “what you sow, you shall reap in time.” And “there is a time to sow, and a time to reap.” Those timeless words from the Bible have built civilizations that thrive. For all lovers of justice, freedom and truth, it’s not too late. Start with the basics.
Quick check: Complete the sentence: When the solution is well intended but ill defined and too simplistic, the result is ___________. When did this happen to you? Or, when did you see this happen to others?