I find it strange how we in Scotland so frequently use the quotation similar to the following, "We are ah Jock Thompson's Bairns." This means simply that we are all equal when we are blatantly not. How we would all like to be but there always has been, and it seems to me that there always will be, those who are more equal than others.
Equality comes in many guises. Equality of race, equality under the law, equality of the sexes and equality of religion. My mind was again brought to this as I worked on the next chapter of my book. I found myself asking are all artists equal and all art treated the of an even playing field? Sadly the answer is not.
I remembered a lovely tale I learned as a boy and I have remembered it for all those years.
There were three boys who became very good friends and joined together in many games, projects and ploys. As they grew older one of the three told the other two that he wished to be like them, What was the difference? Well, he was black and they were white.
Great thought was given to this seemingly worrying problem. Then one day one of the boys said he had heard of a sea where if you swam in it would wash their friend and make him the same as they were, white.
So they journey to this sea and on finding it noticed that it was a very dark almost black chocolate colour. Nevertheless in they went and made the further discovery that it also tasted of chocolate.
They sawm and drank this beautiful tasting sea until they became tired when they all climbed out. What they saw then shocked them. The sea had not made their friend the same colour as them. The opposite had happened they looked just like him.
They began to make the journey home and on the way had a swim in a beautiful looking river. On coming out of the river they discovered they were once more back to normal, two white and one black friend.
But more importantly what they discovered that day was that inequality did not rest in the colour but in the mind, as do all inequalities of being.
It is thoughts and thinking that takes away inequality not changes of being.
Have a marvellous day a bit too cold here in Scotland to go swimming other than in a heated pool I will stick to going for a walk.
Great thought was given to this seemingly worrying problem. Then one day one of the boys said he had heard of a sea where if you swam in it would wash their friend and make him the same as they were, white.
So they journey to this sea and on finding it noticed that it was a very dark almost black chocolate colour. Nevertheless in they went and made the further discovery that it also tasted of chocolate.
They sawm and drank this beautiful tasting sea until they became tired when they all climbed out. What they saw then shocked them. The sea had not made their friend the same colour as them. The opposite had happened they looked just like him.
They began to make the journey home and on the way had a swim in a beautiful looking river. On coming out of the river they discovered they were once more back to normal, two white and one black friend.
But more importantly what they discovered that day was that inequality did not rest in the colour but in the mind, as do all inequalities of being.
It is thoughts and thinking that takes away inequality not changes of being.
Have a marvellous day a bit too cold here in Scotland to go swimming other than in a heated pool I will stick to going for a walk.
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