“…………all men are created equal……..” may be the very cornerstone of Democracy.  One (wo)man, one vote.  In theory, Democracy is egalitarian, fair, humane and representative.  If you read the US Constitution, it is a marvel of equality for the masses and especially so if read in the context of the time in which it was written.  Those founding fathers had vision!

Capitalism, on the other hand, is founded on differences.  The smarter, stronger, taller, faster will ‘get more’ because they contribute more.  The rich will get richer because they have extra capital to invest.  You can compensate for any lack of inherited talents or wealth by working harder or studying more but, no matter how you cut it, it is competitive and the competition rewards the winner.  The rest are losers.

We all may be seen as equal when the first game is played but, by the end of the season, there is only one champion.

How can we reconcile these two seemingly conflicting ideologies?  I dunno.  Maybe somebody can figure that out but not me.  In professional sports, they just start afresh every season.  Voila!  Winners and then – after the year passes – equals. 

Judaism, at least, anticipated the discrepancy and built in a strong influence for getting rich but then having to share those riches later on.  And they had an egalitarian base as well.  It was the Jews who made the Golden rule, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” 

But they have their share of Bernie Madoffs so it is not foolproof.

The Chinese seem more comfortable with conflicting ideas.  Yin and yang are used to describe the dynamic tension between forces.  And the world is full of conflicting energies.  So, maybe there is not supposed to be reconciliation of conflicting founding philosophies.  Maybe we are supposed to careen between ideas.  Maybe confusion is the status quo.  Since I don’t know anything, I may be in the perfect spot!

One thing is true, however: yin and yang are alternatively in ascendancy or descendancy depending on the other at any given time.  The pendulum swings.

And then it swings back.

And, if that is the case, the pendulum seems to have swung too far when one person can earn 57000 times what another can in a given year.  The winner/loser system has gone as far as it can.  It is now time for the egalitarian energies to triumph.  The ‘get rich’ pendulum must be at the height of it’s swing and the ‘share-with-others’ force must be gathering energy to swing the other way.

Could we be on the verge of a revolution and not even know it?