The Fairness of Inequality

We all are born unequal. That’s a fact of life. Some are more intelligent, perceptive, better with numbers while others are more athletic, artistic, better with people etc. Some were born with enough or even abundant resources while others were limited in their access to the resources. Instead of the word “unequal”, many would prefer the word “different” or “unique”. We are all unique. I used to think that way, too and I believe that everyone should and could develop their uniqueness to live an authentic life. It is then important to ensure a fair chance for everyone to do so.

But last week this fact of inequality struck me like it never did before. I use the word "inequality" because it seems to me that it is more than just uniqueness.

Starting from the second semester, the students in the seminary Petrus van Diepen, Aimas, are divided into 4 different groups. The division is based on the students’ ranks in the previous semester starting from the highest ranks to the lowest ones. The higher the ranks are, the smarter the students are. Or so it is perceived. The idea is to help the students develop themselves in accordance with their capabilities. It is expected that the smarter ones would no longer get bored when their less smart classmates take longer time to understand the lessons or to put less pressure to the latter when the former get all the questions right. Sounds like a good idea? I find it hard to imagine though how a student would feel if s/he is placed in the group of the lowest ranks. A cold fish in her/his face! What a way to get familiar with the hard fact of inequality at such a young age!

And yes, it is not difficult to see the difference. In fact, it is impossible to ignore it. I instantly noticed it when I entered each class. I started to wonder whether this was a random act of nature. If that so, how unlucky one is when nature decides that s/he should have less capacity than others. How would s/he be able to fare with others if s/he is equipped less than others? Wouldn’t it be unfair? But since when is nature associated with fairness or human conception of fairness? Oh, I'm so naïve, aren't I?

Well, I don’t know exactly how much the contribution of nature and nurture in shaping one’s capabilities. I guess it is too complicated to discuss this issue here. But I heard someone said that “Success is 90% perspiration and 10% aspiration”. In other words, what matters is not what you were born with but what you do about it. This is where characters play its roles. But, what if you were born with certain characters that would hinder you from doing anything to be successful? Some say that is why we need education because it is believed that characters can be shaped by education or trainings.

But, could education really solve the problems? Doesn’t the above class arrangement simply show that the school not only accepts but also confirms and endorses the inequality of its students as defined by the ranks? Is that how we embrace the inequality?

What really bothers me is the idea (or is it the fact?) that those with more resources would fare better than those with fewer resources. Or those who are more intelligent would have more chances than those who are less intelligent. And so on. We could have a very long list here. Hello, where have I been? Why the surprise?Again, I’m being as naïve as I could possibly could today ;-)). Forgive me.

Yes I know that it doesn’t always be the case. We could always find some people who managed to overcome or go beyond their “situatedness”. But what allows them to do that? Nature? Nurture? Again how much are we determined by what nature gives us?