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I rarely talk publicly about politics. In fact, I rarely talk privately about politics either. I’m not “afraid” to talk politics - I just can’t stand the polarization of our political system and the way folks rally behind ideals and beliefs simply because their “party” subscribes to one view or another.

But today I read something that got me thinking about politics in the grand scheme of things. Before I knew what had happened I was driving down the road thinking about the political foundations of our country… when this famous phrase sprung to mind:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.

Thomas Jefferson started The Declaration of Independence with those famous words. Time and time again they’ve been quoted for one reason or another. I’ve even used them to make a point on RMA in the past. Back then I was talking about the pursuit of happiness. Today, however, my thoughts were elsewhere.

Are all men and women created equal?

Taken in its literal form - which it is often used in - the answer is no. I know that’s not what we’re “supposed” to say in our ultra politically correct society. But the fact of the matter is that all people are not created equally. In no shape, form, or fashion is every person walking globe “equal” to their neighbor in a literal sense.

Intelligence, physical prowess, aesthetics… the list could go on and on. Each one of us is different in all of these regards. Some folks could spend their entire lives learning and studying… but they’ll never possess the intellectual ability to get through medical school. Some folks could spend years training, working out, and practicing… and never be good enough at pole vaulting to be in The Olympic Games.

Are we all created equally? No. We’re not. Is it matter of determination? No… it’s not. We like to tell our children (and ourselves) that we can do anything we want… that we can be anything we want to be. But it’s simply not true. Some goals will forever be out of our reach because of the way we were “created”. It’s not PC to say so… and some of you may not want to admit it… but there are limitations to what each of us is capable of.

Does that mean we should give up on lofty ambitions? Does that mean we shouldn’t all have an equal shot at obtaining our goals? No, of course not. And I think that’s what Philip Mazzei (whom Jefferson got the idea from) meant when he said all men were created equally. We should all have an equal opportunity to achieve the goals we set… we should all have equal opportunity to do what we want with our lives. The “unalienable rights” of “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness” should be granted to all.

But the pursuit of something doesn’t guarantee we’ll ever “catch” what we’re after. There’s no guarantee that we can all be doctors or Olympic pole vaulters or actors or any of the other things we set our minds to.

Now before anyone tries to call me out, I’m not talking about the stupid socioeconomic, racial, cultural, and lifestyle differences that people love to bicker about. I’m talking about things that transcend all of those ridiculous “differences” that people love to throw around these days. If those are the types of differences that you like to focus on or base your viewpoint on… keep going… I’m not interested in that sort of garbage.

I do want to know what other folks think, though. Are we truly equal in our creation? Or is there a natural inequality that goes along with being human? Am I way off base here… or are we just too politically correct to admit our differences?