Building a More Equitable Society
Recently two academics co-operated in the production of a book which examined the aspect of what constituted equity in a society and then went on the give an assessment of every country in the world on this basis. Their conclusions were quite astonishing - the most successful countries in terms of development, social indicators (education, health, longevity, social services, productivity, per capita income) were all states that had deliberately pursued policies that had created more equitable societies since the Second World War.
Guess who headed the list? Japan, third largest GDP in the world, almost destroyed by the War, rebuilt with American help under the direction of one of the most astonishing leaders of the 20th Century - General Macarthur. Closely behind were the states that I would have put in that category - the four Scandinavian countries, followed by the Netherlands and Germany. Way down the list was the USA and the UK but the bottom was crowded with countries that all have rather nasty or mixed reputations. Brazil and South Africa were close to the bottom and among the most inequitable societies in the world, and both ruled by Parties that claim leftist credentials.
So why is equity important? It's important because if you view humanity as God does, each person is a special creation that has value for its own sake and therefore has value and deserves recognition, care and respect. Giving people dignity and worth is a goal that is always worth pursuing - either as a society or as an individual. I well remember the night of the political convention in the USA when George Bush senior was selected as the candidate for the Presidency.
Standing next to him and the family was a small Mongoloid boy - a grandson. This boy held his grandfathers hand on the platform in front of that huge crowd and showed no sense that he was any different or should not be there. Clearly, the most powerful man on the planet had a special relationship with that small boy. Simply on the basis of that relationship, I would have voted for Mr. Bush had I been an American.
When I was CEO of a major company, I always took time to treat every person on the staff with dignity and respect. In my view they all did important jobs and made my life easier. I recall the man who served tea in Head Office. To most staff he was invisible; a shadow that flitted in and out of the offices delivering tea and coffee. I called him in one day and said that he was no longer going to be employed - his face fell and he asked why?