asaris

Seeker, you (and others) say that "I believe everyone to be equal." What do you mean by that? I agree with Roachboy that we are all (at least in theory) equal before the law. I still maintain that any sense of equality other than that is either meaningless or false. Consider the notion that we are all equal in value. If we take this to mean that, properly weighted, we all have the same about of ability/talent as everyone else, just spread around differently, I think this is false. But that's just my suspicion. More than that, I think it's unverifiable. You write that we all have our parts to play in the great drama of life. This is perhaps true (though, again, unverifiable). But even given that, who's to say that some of us aren't Hamlets, some Poloniuses (Polonii? ) and some of us "Guard #2"?

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"Die Deutschen meinen, daß die Kraft sich in Härte und Grausamkeit offenbaren müsse, sie unterwerfen sich dann gerne und mit Bewunderung:[...]. Daß es Kraft giebt in der Milde und Stille, das glauben sie nicht leicht."

"The Germans believe that power must reveal itself in hardness and cruelty and then submit themselves gladly and with admiration[...]. They do not believe readily that there is power in meekness and calm."

-- Friedrich Nietzsche