“Treat everyone as though they have the same value as you—no one more so, no one less so—because they do.” ~Lisa Merlo-Booth
Talking about equality and acting out equality are two different things. Treating others as equal shows up in the minutia of your everyday interactions. Many people say they believe everyone is equal; however, not nearly as many live out this principle every day. Living out this principle means you equate worth and level of importance on humanity, not position, power, finances, or (fill in the blank). You can be the only one working in your home and still be no more important than anyone else in your home. Parents are not more worthy than children; men are no greater than women; mothers are no better than fathers; CEOs are no more superior than custodians; bosses are not inherently better than employees and on and on.
When it comes to worthiness and equality, one person may have a more prominent role, greater knowledge, and even more influence; however, there is a hard line drawn between influence and worthiness. Equality is equality. There are no exceptions to this most fundamental principle of humanity. When you truly live this concept:
- You listen to your child’s upsets as though they are as important as your own.
- When your spouse is home taking care of the house and kids, you don’t act as though you’re more important than them because you work outside the home.
- As a boss, you treat the ideas and experiences of every employee as crucial to those at the top.
- You act as though each person’s thoughts, feelings, opinions, and humanity, deserve to be heard, spoken, and felt like anyone else’s.
The dance of inequality plays out in each small dismissive move you make. Controlling the money in your home because you make it, acting like your opinion is the only one that matters because you’re the boss, or laughing at a child’s upset because s/he is just a child are just a few examples of this harmful dance. Allowing others in your life to treat you poorly because they’re your boss, or they make more money, or (fill in the blank) are also part of this unhealthy dance. When you allow others to treat you poorly, you don’t hold yourself as equally worthy. If you don’t see yourself as equal, it’s impossible to live out the concept of equality. #RadicallyNewRelationships can’t exist without #AbsoluteEquality.
Challenge: Pay attention to how you live out this concept of #AbsoluteEquality in your home, on the job, and in the world. Take steps every day to show up as the equal you are while also honoring the equality in others.
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