Since early childhood,
I have witnessed countless adults being cruel and hostile,
Abusing and mistreating people,
Yet still demanding respect from them,
Even reverence,
Simply because of their job title,
Their age,
Family relation,
Or military rank.
As a rebellious teenager,
My first tattoo was of the word EQUALITY,
To remind myself to never look down on anyone or look up to anyone.
I refused to play the hierarchy game,
Regardless of what anyone has achieved in their life,
If they haven't mastered common decency first.
That sounds about right for a rebellious teenager,
Doesn't it?
Later in life,
As a paralegal,
I chose to work at firms where the lawyers saw me as a colleague,
Not a subordinate,
And even at the monastery,
I valued the residents who still considered themselves students after living there for many years,
Instead of walking around all high and Many of the Buddha's teachings align with the concepts of fairness and justice.
It turns out that equality,
Which has been so central to my values,
Is not the most considerate approach after all.
When it comes to fairness,
Equity is significantly more inclusive than equality,
Because equity takes everyone's unique circumstances into consideration.
Equity,
Not equality,
Ensures a reasonable,
Suitable,
And ethical approach.
My equality tattoo may have been of virtuous intention at 18,
But now I know it wasn't comprehensive enough.
A common distinction between equity and equality is of a neighborhood with ten houses on it,
Where only one house is on fire.
Equity means all of the buckets of water are to be directed to the burning house,
Whereas equality means every house on the block gets a bucket of water regardless of need.
In that scenario,
And so many others,
Equality no longer sounds that virtuous at all.
There will inevitably be neighbors on the block whose house is not on fire,
Saying it's not fair that they're not getting a bucket of water as well.
But as Gandhi said,
There is enough on this earth for everyone's need,
But not for everyone's greed.
Those same neighbors wouldn't complain if their own house was on fire and all the water was being directed to them.
If that example is too hypothetical,
Imagine going to the emergency room with a sore thumb,
And after 30 minutes of waiting,
Someone comes in with a bone protruding from their bleeding foot.
Doctors prioritize patients based on the urgency of their need,
Not on a first-come,
First-served basis.
Do you think that is unfair?
What if you are the one with the severe injury?
Does that change your answer?
Whenever I find myself thinking something is unfair,
I urge myself to think again using a wider lens that doesn't put me at the center of the universe.
Every time I write or speak about non-judgment,
People immediately argue with me that it's perfectly natural for us humans to judge.
Well,
I think it's also perfectly natural to want to punch someone in the face after they hurt me,
But just because something feels natural on impulse doesn't mean it's the right thing to do.
And when the Buddha spoke of right speech,
Right action,
Right livelihood,
And so on,
Wasn't that judgment?
Well,
The Buddha taught about discernment,
Which is different from judgment.
The doctors in the emergency room,
For example,
They discern who to treat first based on the severity of their injury.
They do not judge the patients based on skin color,
Age,
Religion,
Or anything else.
That would be judgment,
Not discernment.
Discernment requires a level of thoughtfulness,
Insight,
And clarity,
While judgment is subjective,
Definitive,
And easily influenced by personal biases.
The difference,
Once again,
Is the lens through which we look at the world,
And the invitation here is to equally treat everyone with equity and to tame our impulse to judge.
It's why I always say Non-Judgment Day is near.
Your participation is the only thing that can make it possible.
With compassion,
Empathy,
Kindness,
And equity,
We are all in this together.
Namaste.
