This from the IFX blog: Always excellent

March, 2007 - Equality Degraded?

Beware of those promoting equality through the degradation of others. To borrow from a strategic saying, this is not a zero-sum game. Thinking the only way to win is at the expense of someone else may be missing a much larger reward.

Maybe it would help to consider some common team sporting events. Every competitive sport has the concept of us vs. them, but in team sports there is also the much stronger concept of individuals working together at the best of their ability to help the team achieve a goal.

The human race is a team sport that some attempt to add a false us vs. them component. All humans are actually on the same team but instead of encouraging all of the players to become their best, some of the players think they can appear taller by subjecting and degrading other team members. This action only hurts the team, even those doing the degrading, to the point the team is much less able to achieve any goal.

Think about any oppressed group (ethnic, sexual, religious, etc.) and how they try to achieve equality. Do they focus their efforts on directly breaking their bonds or do they focus on attacking and degrading the people that in some way represent the bonds? One of these ways brings more degradation and oppression.

Try something different by building up, encouraging and affirming those around you. Maybe then it will be possible to see how things automatically become more equal at a much higher level and the team becomes better able to achieve goals previously thought to be impossible. Link at IFX Group. http://www.ifxgroup.net/index.htm