Voltaire said. “All men are equal; it is not birth but virtue alone, that makes the difference”. Do you agree?
The statement is clear and easy to see as the palm of one’s hand unless one is stone blind. Before arriving at a conclusion let us examine the statement in greater detail and depth.
All men are equal in what? They are all equal as an organism. From the way they are conceived until death, in the physical form and growth, the man follows the same timetable. Differences there are, but they are only quantitative, for instance, one may be taller than the other, the second weigh more; the third may eat more. But basically, there is no difference for they eat alike, breathe alike and the functions of the body are alike. His faculties are almost alike; given the chance and training, all can use his or her hands and feet to the same advantage. What a white man can do, a colored man can do with equal grace. In creativity, man has shown the same aptitude in all climes and countries. So, as a creature, men are all equal.
But birth makes a difference in this world. We find the rich and the poor, we find the forward and the less developed. This difference is being brought about more by circumstances rather than by the physical act of birth. The same child will behave differently in different places according to how and under what influence it has been brought up. Two children of the same parent will grow and behave differently if they are separated from birth and are brought up in different environments. The differences brought about thus are sociological. Children brought up in an ideal classless society may not feel the difference created by birth or circumstances. Color of the skin or hair may be looked upon as something useful for identity as birthmarks.
Differences created by birth have always led to conflicts. The high and low, the haves and have-nots are some such differences we see today in our society. The law of inheritance, the law of property, and the ownership rights all create problems. In a world where man is free to think and act, these differences are explosive in nature and are at the bottom of social upheavals. History is replete with such instances. The so-called civilization is nothing but the tidal waves caused by such upheavals on the sea of humanity. Anyway, there is no meaning in differences caused by birth.
But there are real areas of difference among men. Sociologically we may try to put all men under the same roller and flatten them all out of shape. We may give them equality in every aspect of life; there may be no rich or poor; there may be no classes, the owners or the owned. All men share the fruits of their labor equally. This society is possible theoretically.
But there is an area where differences do exist and in the long run, they count. This is what Voltaire calls virtue. Virtue, briefly means, the good qualities of head and heart. It is a strange phenomenon of nature that these qualities do not develop in the same way on all. Even in the same family, the traits do not run the same way. One is noted for virtue while the other is far from it. Even in twins, the differences persist.
How are these differences brought about? Still, we are probing to find the answer. Nature and nurture have been found to play a prominent role in the formation of these virtues. Nurture much more than nature has a great part to play in developing the virtues. Chance and circumstances go a long way in developing the virtues. Uproot a child from its bad surroundings and transplant it in an area where it will come across virtuous men and their deeds, then it is quite possible the child acquires all virtues. The exception is also possible but the exception only proves the rule.
Circumstances develop the virtue in men as could be seen in the great lives of the Buddha. Jesus Christ, Emperor Asoka, Emperor Akbar, and so on. In the great story of Les Miserables by Hugo, we find how the virtue of a man can be completely reformed by fortuitous circumstances.
Only the differences of virtue will sustain. The other differences of birth, caste, or creed will be forgotten because only the men aryl women of virtue stand apart like stars in the firmament guiding the fate of men and nations. They are like the beacon of light in the surrounding gloom; their lives, their words, and deeds bring solace to millions. They shape the course of a people and they alone in the right sense make history. History is not the battles won or the treaties made but it is the battle between vice and virtue and good and bad, where virtue ultimately wins. The cross has a greater meaning than the Taj Mahal. At all times and in all climes virtues have led people from destruction to salvation. So it is not the birth of men but it is the virtue that makes the real difference.
