On Equality

We are, all of us, small and fragile and equally ephemeral.

We are divided by bigotry, greed, arrogance, ignorance of privilege, lust for power and dominion, and grievous scars, both ancient and newly formed.

Accept that you and I are more alike than not.

Accept that biology, environment, education, culture, geography, and our own inhumanity account for humankind’s diversity and social spectrums.

The Auto Mechanic in Youngstown is like the Street Cleaner in Islamabad The Professor in London is like the Gold Miner in La Paz The White Supremacist in Greensboro is like the LGBTQ activist in Berlin The Taliban soldier in Kandahar is like the Union Leader in Marseille The Shipping Magnate in New York is like the Child Soldier in Mogadishu The Banking Oligarch in Moscow is like the Sex Worker in Sao Paolo The Evangelical Christian in Louisville is like the Zen Buddhist in Hanoi The Roman Catholic in Turin is like the Sunni Muslim in Jakarta The Blues Musician in Austin is like the Impressionist Painter in Quebec The Romance Poet in Harare is like the Bronze Sculptor in Baoding The Millennial Hipster in Johannesburg is like the Senior Citizen in Gdansk The Premature Baby in Havana is like the Baby Boomer in St. Paul The Drug Addict in Atlanta is like the Personal Trainer in Abu Dhabi The Cardiac Surgeon in Puebla is like the Certified Midwife in Ankara The Candlepin Bowler in Milwaukee is like the Kyudo Archer in Kyoto The Pre-School Teacher in Saskatoon is like the Yak Herder in Lhasa