Is eternity the greatest equalizer of mankind?
Just a bit of a late night thought: Is eternity the greatest equalizer of mankind?
I chanced upon a Facebook post where a national politician in the Philippines said public transportation is a great social equalizer.
It is agreeable indeed that — whoever we are, whatever status we occupy and enjoy, whatever background we have — public transportation is a great social equalizer. In a jeepney, for instance, those who sit near the driver always assume the task of a fare relayer.
In public transportation, none is grander than the other. One may wear the expensive perfume or the latest expensive fashion, but once a person steps into public transportation, everyone is in a pool of ordinary citizens, living a life that is tied to Capitalism.
Enough of this detour, is eternity the greatest equalizer?
We often think that those who enjoyed financial success and political power in society are the sinners — they do not pay taxes, they abuse the poor and marginalized, they use power to corrupt, and they live off the fat of the land.
And those who live a deprived life tend to succumb to morality and godliness. They more often than not console themselves by saying heaven is for them and that all worldly successes are merely fleeting and cannot be brought to heaven.
Not only do they find consolation on this but also on what awaits the perceived sinners — hell.
The question now comes to the fore: Is eternity, that is spent either in heaven or in hell, the greatest equalizer of mankind?
If eternity is the never-ending enjoyment or suffering and is therefore concerned with time, what then is the argument for those who enjoyed or suffered first? How then is this equalizer understood to its fullest extent?
Probably, the answer is this: That all dead are in one place now. And when the judgment comes, all are brought back to life and only then shall they be able to face eternity. Such logic is the most acceptable for now.
But maybe, just maybe, there is no such thing as equalizer. It is an illusion of democracy, and even in heaven or in hell, or in eternity, Capitalism remains. And what is Capitalism, in part? It is built on meritocracy that the efforts done today will yield to tomorrow’s harvest. One sows, one reaps. Hence, the impossibility of us all being equal in all aspects.
