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Do you believe that no one is better than anyone else?

Is one person's value greater or smaller than another's based on what they contribute or do in life? Why or why not?

I ask because I'm reading this book that makes the claim that no one is better than anyone else because no one does anything "inappropriate" based on their model of the world. What do you think?

 
moniquinha

Asked by moniquinha at 6:20 PM on Jun. 25, 2010 in Religion & Beliefs

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Answers (16)
  • I believe every human possesses the same inner worth, the same Divine spark, and the same human potential. We're all God's children/creation, all connected, all equal in terms of humanity. I believe all of our lives are sacred. So I do believe on our basic human and spiritual level we are all equal - no one is better than anyone else.

    I don't like the idea of labeling anyone as "wicked" or "bad" or anything, either. And I believe no matter how "bad" a person is, they are still a creation of God, which means they have the same goodness and value within them as any other creation of God - and they're still someone's son/daughter sister/brother, etc etc. There are so many facets of a person, so many layers that make up a being. The wrongs someone may do don't make up a person, they are only a part of a person, and I believe we all have those basic layers of goodness and equality inside. :)
    bandgeek521

    Answer by bandgeek521 at 9:58 PM on Jun. 25, 2010

  • If you had to choose between saving an 85-year-old man or a pregnant woman, whom would you save?

    I would save the pregnant woman, because A) it's safe to assume she has much more life left than the old man, and B) she is also carrying a brand-new life, with millions of possibilities. Her life has more value.

    If you had to choose between saving a nun or a convicted serial rapist, which one would you save?

    Me? The nun; leaving religion out of it, she helps people, or at the very least, doesn't harm them, while the serial rapist has ruined lives and probably will continue to do so. She is a better person.

    Extreme examples, maybe, but yes, some people are "better" than others; not in terms of class, but in terms of humanity and decency.
    Koukla12905

    Answer by Koukla12905 at 6:44 PM on Jun. 25, 2010

  • I am no better than you and you are no better than me. I agree with the author of that book!
    delilahsmom1177

    Answer by delilahsmom1177 at 6:23 PM on Jun. 25, 2010

  • I absolutely don't think that any person has more value as a human being than any other person, with one exception. If you take another person's life, your value, in my opinion, is no longer as great as those who haven't. No one has the right to take life from someone else. That is inexcusable, and it ruins the life of so many others. You destroyed someone else's chance at existence, and that is something that can never be replaced. As for money making someone better...a millionaire is no better than a homeless man on the street. An attractive person is no better than someone who is unattractive, and so on and so on.
    LovingSAHMommy

    Answer by LovingSAHMommy at 6:26 PM on Jun. 25, 2010

  • I think your book is generally right. I believe we are all created equal, BUT, I also believe that some of us CHOOSE to be worth less to society than others do. As a person, in the grand scheme of things, we are all equal to one another. But I also believe that when a person makes the choice to be a killer, rapist, drug addict or whatever, they are making  the choice to lower their worth to society.


    So yes, I agree with your book in the sense that we are all equal to one another when we look at the bigger picture. But that there are different ways to weight worth... You may not be worth less to the universe if you kill 300 people, but you sure are worth less to me! Generally though, I think we are all one in the same...
    SabrinaMBowen

    Answer by SabrinaMBowen at 6:48 PM on Jun. 25, 2010

  • I believe most human life is precious. I say most, because rapists, pedophiles and murderers are NOT precious to me, and I wish they all would die already. They are a waste of space, air and money; not to mention the dangers they pose.
    NightPhoenix

    Answer by NightPhoenix at 3:38 PM on Jun. 26, 2010

  • I think we are all just as important as the next guy. Do some people do more good in the world then others, yes, but that doesn't make them more important.
    RyansMom001

    Answer by RyansMom001 at 7:26 PM on Jun. 25, 2010

  • pretty much. everyone has value. everyone. no one is better / more important. even so-called bad people... good is meaningless without bad and everyone has the right to interpret the world according to their own experiences and beliefs.
    figaro8895

    Answer by figaro8895 at 8:12 PM on Jun. 25, 2010

  • Koukla...I understand your logic, but couldn't you be making some risky assumptions? Your pregnant woman and old man for example. Her baby could have great potential, but couldn't he also be the next Hitler? maybe the old man is close to death, but what if he's a scientist who creates a cure for cancer tomorrow?

    And the nun and serial rapist? Maybe the nun verbally abuses children in the catholic school where she teaches. Who's to say that she hasn't hurt just as many people, just because she wears an image that people generally see as "good".

    The point is we apply value to what people do in thier lives and that value, or sense of right and wrong, is totally subjective and we may not fully understand what leads people to do the things that they do. I think that's why the book says no one does anything "wrong" based on their model of the world. How they see the world personally affects how they define right and wrong.
    moniquinha

    Comment by moniquinha (original poster) at 10:36 PM on Jun. 25, 2010

  • Nope. I am categorically opposed to socialism, and at it's base level, that's all it is - an insistence that everyone is "just as good" and therefore "deserves the same". You cannot separate people from their actions unless you are reducing them to carcasses.  We are people, not hunks of flesh, and deserving of more respect than a side of beef hanging in a butcher's window.
    NotPanicking

    Answer by NotPanicking at 11:26 PM on Jun. 25, 2010

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