Jefferson’s “All Men are Created Equal”

Jefferson`s statement, in the Declaration of Independence, that ”all men are created equal” had indeed the subject of serious debate all through the years. It caused a number of varied reactions. Some positive, others negative. ‘Life is unfair’, is a paradox we all know too well and often. We see people driving by in expensive sports car. While others, don’t even know where to find their next meal. And Jefferson’s pronouncements seem to negate what we reality throw upon us.

And to be told that we are all equal do not seem to sit well on people. Intellectual, physical, and spiritual inequalities among human beings are apparent in all walks of life. We go with our daily lives, pursuing the daily grind and ponder for a while how the other half lives. This is the pulsating reality.

But adherents to Jefferson’s line believe that he was not referring to what is obvious. Jefferson plunged to the heart of the matter by declaring that we are all equal in the sense that we are all equal ”in the eyes of God” or that all are equal in having a ”moral sense”.

This line of reasoning has added a new dimension to the interpretation of the quote. To some extent, this has resolved the paradox.

We are all aware that before the eyes of our Creator, we might not be perfect but we are all equal. We held same moral laws inside us that help us determine right from wrong. We are all unique, created in His image and likeness. Therefore, each of us holds a piece of God’s divinity in our being. God loves us all even if we do not give Him a reason to do so. He even let His Son die on the Cross to save our sins. That is the very essence of equality as preached by Christianity.

As human beings, made in the likeness of God, we all have the gift of free will. We have the choice on what kind of life we want to lead. Free will comes with a price tag – the accompanying responsibilities. Each of us is responsible for his or her actions. God judges us not on how much we riches we accumulated in our lifetime but how we live.

God also gives all of us talents. We may differ in our capacity but we are all gifted in one way or another. How we harness these gifts will spell the difference of success or failure in our lives. ‘What we sow, we reap.’ If we work hard at something, it necessarily follows that we attain some measure of success. This is where people differ. Some are naturally more successful than others.

The underlying principle in all is that we are all basically the same. We may be different in degree of our talents but that do not make us less than a man. The more talent you have, the more expectations God placed on you. And the more success, the more responsibilities that a person has. Everything comes with a price. With equal amount of success comes equal amount of responsibilities. There is no cause for the common man to complain because the load the he carries on his shoulders is not as heavy as those in position. Jefferson did speak the truth when he said “all men are created equal”.