The Myth of Equality

The most convenient, pervasive and corrosive lie in the Western World today is ‘unqualified equality’.  Like a cancer this idea begins small, embedded within phrases such as “follow your dreams”, unrecognized as the fatal problem it is until the point at which society all but collapses onto itself.

When desire, based solely on the perceived necessity of warped ideals, takes precedent over acknowledging what is true and useful about oneself, the whole cannot function.  Furthermore, individuals will find themselves feeling hollow and useless, having never fully realized the full potential of their existence: the elusive “meaning of life”, which is no greater mystery than to find the thing you’re meant to do, and do it well for as long as you can.

Some may call this elitist philosophy, but those accusations generally come from individuals who feel threatened by the intellectual superiority of others, fearful of having the illusion of unlimited opportunity taken away, or those who have been conditioned to believe such distinctions must be cruel.  They believe to deny a person the ability to have any job they aren’t qualified for, pursue any ill-conceived dream, or claim any talent they don’t actually have, is the same as denying them sustenance like food or water.  They would have you believe the only real distinction between person X and person Y is random fortuitous circumstance, and the only true barriers to the utopia of unqualified equality are class barriers, imposed societal barriers, thereby making affluence (incidental or otherwise) the mark of a life well-lived.

A system that bases the worth of an individual on things like wealth and influence, both of which are unreliable and often meritless, cannot stand.  It not only encourages discontent in those who find themselves without either, it implies that it doesn’t matter how you arrive there; that wealth and success are not necessarily the rewards of integrity and hard work, but can be unscrupulous and morally inept.  That the man who sells pornography is on par with a restauranture; that the drug dealer is as successful as a doctor.  When you remove wealth and influence as a requirement for self-esteem, it can be finally said it is more honorable to live a full life within your means and range of ability; to have character, integrity, and self-awareness.  And to apply these attributes to a trade or a calling that is inherently yours.  A society built on this model would find a king as content as a tradesman; the aristocracy of ability would exist naturally, and the whole would thrive.

The caste system, while often viewed as an archaic or unjust way of organizing people, due to the individual’s virtual inability to change their station in life, works well as a philosophical solution when loosely applied to this problem.  What the caste system ideally acknowledges is the intrinsic value of individuals within the whole; that only a specific combination of well-placed gears of various shapes and sizes, working seamlessly together, can create a device that keeps the time.  That some are leaders, and some are mechanics; some are meant to hunt, while others were designed to farm.

It is in the dragon philosophy, and our personal opinions, that dragons are among those who are meant to lead.

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