Watt's Gnus

"InEquity" [13+] Monkey Week 4 Prompt #4 (<280W)

What is the most important social problem in society today and how would you recommend to improve or completely fix it?

INEQUITY1

It's not 100% "fixable" because true equity does not exist. Inequity starts at birth and ends at death. You're alive reading this? Welcome to inequity. Some folks can't read or can read but don't read English. Or are native speakers of English and could easily read this if they had an internet connection. Inequities abound.

However... inequity still creates important social problems. Nobody feels poor when everyone is poor. No one feels shunned when all are accepted. Even wealth and poverty can co-exist when those who have help those who have not.

O YE RICH ONES ON EARTH! The poor in your midst are My trust; guard ye My trust, and be not intent only on your own ease.

Bahá’u’lláh, Hidden Words II No. 54

This is a basic teaching2. When the wealthy take care of the poor then the inequities lessen and those that persist become bearable.

This is true whether we speak of housing, hunger, clothing, education, health or opportunity. Wealth comes in many forms.

If you truly believe you are better than others then that belief becomes a major barrier to personal growth and change for the better on an individual and societal level.

Equity is a goal while equality is an illusion. But reality is an equilibrium and if that reality becomes unstable then civil society descends into chaos. Better equity.

Davos forum: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1hGVeyjeTIw

Note: Poor mics. Very percussive speaking hurts my ears. It needs subtitles.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/worldeconomicforum/2023/01/16/these-are-civil-socie...

Full of jargon and abstractions. Practical details matter, folks.

1037

Footnotes
1  The term “equity” refers to fairness and justice and is distinguished from equality: Whereas equality means providing the same to all, equity means recognizing that we do not all start from the same place and must acknowledge and make adjustments to imbalances.
2  Not only found in the Baha'i Scriptures.