What does equality mean? According to the dictionary, the definition is “the state of being equal, especially in status, rights, or opportunities.” Do you think that this is currently the case? I think we can all agree that it is not.
Currently, the richest 10 percent of the world are earning 40 percent of the total global income, according to the UNDP website. The poorest 10 percent, in turn, only earn around 2-7 percent. In addition to that, evidence from developing countries shows that children in the poorest 20 percent of the populations are still up to three times more likely to die before their fifth birthday than children in the richest quintiles. However, equality is not just about giving people the same kind of income, it’s about giving everybody the same kinds of opportunities.
At the moment, if you compare a child from a first world country and a third world country, there is almost no chance of the latter getting the same education or income as the former. Action needs to be taken. It cannot be the case, that your social and economic situation is decided before you are even born, depending on who your parents are and what your birthplace is. It cannot be that the future of every human being is decided by the top percentile. We are all people, we are all unique and we all deserve the chance to reach our full potential. How do you know that the solution to one of the major world issues isn’t hidden inside a girl who has to spend her days searching for water to make sure her family doesn’t die and doesn’t have the time to get a proper education because of that? What if it’s hidden inside a boy who died because parents didn’t have access to proper health care?
As Mahatma Gandhi said, “Earth provides enough to satisfy every man’s need, but not enough to satisfy every man’s greed”. The first step to equality is to realize that your greed is hurting somebody else. Instead of all of us wanting to be billionaires and live in mansions, we should focus on everybody in the world being equally well off.
Do you think true equality is possible?