Should Government and Society Have Laws that Guarantee Complete Health, Safety, and Equal Treatment | Teen Ink

Should Government and Society Have Laws that Guarantee Complete Health, Safety, and Equal Treatment

February 7, 2010
By oakshire24 GOLD, Greenwich, Connecticut
oakshire24 GOLD, Greenwich, Connecticut
15 articles 0 photos 0 comments

Could you imagine if certain humans were forced to neutralize their unique attributes in order to make others, who are inferior in such areas, feel better? No matter how ridiculous, the thought has come to many envious minds before. “Why is he so special,” one might say or, “Why can’t everyone be the same hence they are treated equally.” In fact, for most humans, there has been a time within their lives when they had questioned this very matter. One may have asked, “Will equal treatment really guarantee happiness?” and unfortunately, due to various propagandas, one may have concluded that it indeed would.

However, certainty exists that misery will be the only thing that comes from such actions. Equal treatment will be ineffective in creating universal happiness and, in fact, will create complete disarray within the human race. Attempts toward equal treatment will diminish happiness based on attributes, incentive to work, and potential within society. Government and society should not have laws that guarantee complete health, safety, and equal treatment for all.

Why should those who are gifted and can enjoy life, particularly in one aspect, be forced to share the misery of those who are inferior in such area? Should the human race eliminate what makes the people within it unique and creates a variety of interests within? Although superiority creates violence, due to envy and other resistance, it also creates possibly the only source of happiness within the subject who has such and the lack of it would be devastating to the bearer. Could it be imagined if one had no reward for their achievements, due to their common existence, or if nothing one created seemed any what good, even to one’s own eye?

Mass depression would strike because, in fact, every human being has at least one superior attribute within, which allows the enjoyment of life to exist and creates a certain self-confidence. Human differences and their ranking are key parts of general happiness. For instance, in The Giver, when Jonas receives a basic amount of memories, and now is considered different with his new ability of seeing color, Jonas enjoys the basic principles of life much more and now sees what he has missed for so long as he gets to make choices of his likes and dislikes and has unusual talent. This is illustrated when Lois Lowry writes, “But I want them! Jonas said angrily. It isn’t fair that nothing has color,”(pg. 97). Also, in “Harrison Bergeron”, Vonnegut creates a society where, “Not only were the laws of the land abandoned, but the law of gravity and the laws of motion as well,” displaying just how beautiful and enjoyable talent is to a viewer and how dull the lack of such is as shown by the exaggeration, which is usually created by strong contrast (pg. 304). These examples help depict just how enjoyable life is with gifts and hence how miserable life would be for everyone, especially those who are gifted, which almost everyone is in a different sector, if these gifts were no longer there.

If humans were given the same abilities in order to be treated equally, there would be no appraisal or competition and, without appraisal or competition, motivation would not exist. What does this really mean? This means that the human race would not progress or expand its scientific knowledge at all nor any other areas of specialty. Hence, there would be neither general success nor economic and medical stability, which creates an imperfect and more expanded miserable life. People would have no reason for success and hence success would not come. For example, during a period of time when Russia and many other countries did not provide gold bonuses, work was ineffective. It did not matter how hard one worked, but how long. So, one would work at the slowest rate possible and would not care how well one will complete one’s task. However, even at that time, there was the motivation of feeling superior and a natural craving for appraisal. In a world where each individual is equal, there would be no difference in pay, power, or appraisal; hence, life would be without goals of success.

Finally, our world relies on both motivation and natural talent. If all were to be equal, this natural talent would be neutralized. No longer would we have great people help our society in times of trouble or allow us to reach farther in times of success. Our world would be without protection. For example, Albert Einstein, a very famous scientist, managed to help progress our society greatly, using his ingenious ability in science, and created luxury and dominance among our society, aspects that help protect us from natural disasters, opposing life forces, and fear. However, if Albert Einstein and others’ scientific ability had been neutralized, such luxuries would not have existed and history may have unraveled in a very different and, perhaps disastrous manner, as we would have had no protection from natural disasters and other forces overwhelming us. The society would lack potential for success.

As one comprehends these points, one begins to understand the difficulties of equal treatment and its extremes and how it may not be a good idea at all. Equal treatment can disrupt happiness and progression within society and provides a safety hazard for humanity. Equal treatment can require us to be all the same person, due to the fact that with differences come opinions and with opinions come superiority. Equal treatment, health, and safety should not be provided by society. However, should equal opportunities be guaranteed by society and what should be done for this to be created? Unequal opportunities may truly create resentment and, in fact, provide peace as all humans may have a unique ability after all. We should pursue this path with great depth.


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