The author
An opinion by Jacob N.B. Parley
From time to time, there has been a divergence of opinions about the issue of equality of all human beings who are made in the image of God.
Theologians in many parts of the world, as I have heard on several occasions continue to spend countless hours of their interactions with members of their respective congregations to spread messages bordering on how everyone is equal in the eyes of God.
As contained in the Bible, God created all of us in his own image and I strongly believe that God cares for all of his children, no matter each person’s status in life.
Taking the argument beyond the margins of the Holy Bible, those who subscribe to other schools of thought as far as economics, political and social sciences may see the issue of equality from different lenses.
The famous “I Have A Dream Speech” delivered by the Late Martin Luther King, Jr. during the days the American society was actively being torn apart by the manacles of racial segregation, a sentence in the speech reads: “We hold these truths as self-evident that all men are created equal.”
Luther, one of my much-loved advocates in American society at the time and in fact still dearly admired by me for his brilliance, eloquence, selflessness, unassuming nature and compassion, was not wrong for saying all men are created equal because, in my opinion, God is a man of justice.
Let me also take my readers back to the days when the entire African Continent was plagued with the dehumanizing situation of slavery, where a number of brave advocates started to abound.
These great humanitarians like William Wilberforce, John Thornton, preached against slavery because they realized that it was depriving Africans of their human dignity. Their political and humanitarian crusades focused on equality, liberty and fraternity of man before God.
There is one keyword I want every reader grasp in this article as mentioned by Martin Luther King, Jr., William Wilberforce and John Thornton, including the great men of God in many parts of the world who continue to talk about everyone being equal in the sight of our Creator, and the world being referenced this context is equality.
Equality from the Perspective of Existing Environments
Again I will agree from the perspective of the Holy Bible that all human beings are equal in the sight of God. But when it comes to things that are happening in contemporary environments, I disagree to some extent. We can however obviously see that the world is not even based on several reasons. Those who have been carefully following what is happening nowadays will agree with me to some extent, if not in totality that we are living in an uneven world caused by man’s inhumanity to fellow man and not by the approval of the Almighty God.
Here are some classic examples that I want people who will be privileged to read this article to look at carefully:
1. There are increasing cases in which some of those who exhibit diligence on the job are among the first group of employees to be tormented, demonized, and given salaries and incentives that do not commensurate with their qualifications and performance.
- In some institutions, whether political or Ecclesiastical, neophytes take home the lion’s share of resources simply because they are able to spread gossip and falsehood about the experienced.
- There are cases in which a woman who is faithful and serviceable gets married to the wrong man and therefore makes frustration and sorrow her pillow as their goals and future plans look completely incompatible on several fronts.
In some cases, it may be that the wife is up to the task while the husband is the one causing most of the trouble in the home or the other way around.
- My father, the late Philip Q. Parley once told me when I was growing up that it is always hard to find two people (husband and wife) whose ideas are the same in terms of achieving set goals.
- Another point is that those who struggle so much in certain institutions, both private and public to improve them may not really enjoy the fruit of their hard toil. This is because as soon as these institutions start shining (attractive) as a result of improvement, some elements will fight to get these people out.
- There are increasing concerns about some qualified applicants being denied jobs while a neophyte is considered to the disadvantage of the merit system, simply because some policymakers in the system want to appease a relative, friend or exercise t political power.
- Have some of you who are reading this article not seen or heard that sometimes a mother who cares for her children so much is neglected by the very children when they come out as successful nation-builders?
- Have any of you not heard in your life that the very father who once denied himself all the comfort of life, just to see his children educated is thrown out of the home or rejected by the same children based on unexplained reasons?
9. Have not you equally seen that an employee who only signs in the attendance book and walks away or spends a lot of time on Facebook is admired by some policymakers in a particular working place more than those who make their presence felt on a daily basis by contributing to work of the very entity?
10. Is it not a reality that individuals who lack focus are likely to be afforded great opportunities in life when such golden opportunities keep eluding potential and determined people?
- Have not you seen an electoral process in which the very people who publically insulted a particular candidate are the key decision makers in the very government of the then-candidate when those who honestly, sincerely, and faithfully campaigned from door-to-door and almost got beaten up are mere messengers in the very government?
- Have not you seen that when you have stayed in certain entities for many years, serving with diligence and building up your capacity by going through the rank and files of that entity to the extent that you are now supposed to an asset to the agency due to your contributions or accomplishments, letters are manufactured overnight to throw you out because there are elements who see you as a potential threat?
- Have not you seen that some of the very elements who are ruthless, wicked and corrupt are feared, respected, honored and glorified by some people in today’s Liberia, when the few honest ones are suffering as if they are not worth to benefit from the resources of the country?
- Even in nearly every field, including my cherished journalism, elements who ignore professional standards or lack the basic skills to write a complete sentence are said to be best friends to people in high places as well as lucrative commercial entities?
13. Have not some of you seen that those who made what is locally called calendar grades when they were in grade school and even at the university level at times get better jobs and other opportunities in life more than others who made better passing marks?
- Have some of you who are reading this article not seen or realized that the very people who preach about competence or the merit system, accountability and transparency are sometimes the very ones who ensure that these very good ideas are buried under the carpet to appease their friends, relatives and other elements in society?
To close, I agree that God made us in His own image and treats us with equality under His watchful eyes. However, it is our own decisions or the societies in which we live that make us to suffer various forms of inequalities.
Therefore we should take the blame if we cannot take concrete steps to improve on these negative practices.
Yes, as time reflects, human life is almost a journey of high expectations, challenges, surprises and the reality may be different from what we always expect.
It is on this basis that I see it timely to urge all of us to always leave room for the unexpected in any given human situation. My experience shows that those who always believe that their projected expectations in life will be realized at all cost may be making a big mistake.
An elderly man once said to me: “My son, we should not be too quick to pass judgment when we see a beautiful woman who is not married because her condition may not be the will of God but the environment we live in.”
This is the author’s personal opinion, informed by experience, especially with experience being described by those who are endowed with wisdom as the best teacher.
The author is reachable through:
Emails: jacobtheancestor@yahoo.com/ jacobnbparley1@gmail.com
Contacts: 0777604576/0886560455
WhatsPP: 0881336137
