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Everyone hopes to be treated equally regardless of where they are in the societal echelons. An egalitarian society puts this condition into action, but will it work?

In what sense are people truly equal?

As simple as going outside for a walk or running errands at the closest grocery store, people can already observe and be exposed to the harsh reality of inequality. Even if people are abhorrent about it, the world creates a hierarchy categorizing individuals into different classes, with society treating them differently. They’re provided with separate opportunities based on where in the hierarchy they are.

Homelessness. Different social and economic classes. The distinction in people’s lifestyles.

The manifestations of these hierarchies remain evident in day-to-day scenarios. The images of people struggling to make ends meet, whereas others live luxurious lives, beg the question of whether equality is genuinely possible. Perhaps, the belief that everyone is created equal and is bound to enjoy the same opportunities in life is fundamentally flawed.

The Possibility of Complete Equality

The truth is people aren’t born equal.

It’s a hard pill to stomach, but equality, in terms of societal structure and privileges, has long ceased to exist. People have long fought to achieve this justness, and somehow, in specific ways, they have succeeded. There’s still a long way to go until complete equality is established. But how wonderful would it be to live in a society that favors and treats everyone equally?

Numerous factors influence people’s living conditions, from their physical, mental, and even psychological circumstances. Individuals born with disabilities may have been given equal and just education opportunities. But they will still struggle to survive outside the institution. Those who don’t experience the privilege of education can still be given equal employment opportunities. But these circumstances can’t equalize the quality of their lifestyles.

Indeed, there’s only so much people can fight for to achieve equality. Likewise, there’s only so much society can adjust to cater to providing justness and match everyone’s field. Perhaps, the dream of an entirely egalitarian society and complete equality is too far from reality.

Taking the Step Toward a Possibly Egalitarian Society

Absolute equality remains a hopeful dream since, for so long, society has been dominated and governed by a privileged few. Regardless of how the majority fights for equal treatment, if a few continue reeling in their societal status and power, everything will be futile.

Massive changes need to be made to achieve this egalitarian society, and everyone within the community must adhere to these adjustments.

A perfect example of these changes can be found in Let the Playing Field Level the Playing Field by Dennis Joiner. By the book’s name itself, the book accounts for ways that society can achieve complete and absolute equality, which remains a fictional situation for now. Dennis Joiner tackles a societal affair where no external factor influences people’s opportunities. It dismantles the underlying inequality and discrimination that goes beyond racism to tackle the separation that people currently experience. The book dives deeper into how people can enjoy equality and live fairly under the same norms.

Putting his ideology into a fictional world, Dennis Joiner creates a time in the future where everyone enjoys true equality, benefiting from adequate and equal resources. He explains how equaling these contributes to a societal transformation that leads to circumstances close to an egalitarian society.

If It Were to Happen, Can This Egalitarianism Be Sustained?

An egalitarian society highlights people’s absolute equality, regardless of race, gender, or age. No class system exists in this society; everyone receives relatively equal resources and access to wealth. Any form of societal or economic hierarchy is abolished in an egalitarian society, and it sounds like a perfect situation where everyone can benefit from it. But is it too good to be true?

It’s not challenging to imagine a world where equality is free and absolute.

As individuals thriving around the mid-sector of the economic spectrum, such a vision isn’t too hard or bad to picture. However, as these societal hierarchies existed as a matter of survival and evidence of Darwin’s theory that the fittest survives, perhaps, it’s bound to reoccur regardless of how many times people attempt to abolish it.

Survival equals more resources and opportunities to prosper. If given the space and enjoy more of it compared to the others, how sure are we they won’t grab the chance?