Equity

O mighty King, lover of justice, you have established equity . . . 

 - From Psalm 99

"Equity" is a prominent word in 2020. It's right up there with "systemic" and "fragility." Of the three words, equity found it's way into the daily parlance, first.

Personally, I began hearing about it probably in the year 2005, when pursuing my MA in Educational Studies from the University of Michigan. Modern movements that describe themselves as focused on "reform" will rely heavily on the word "equity" and the other two listed.

Equity came into vogue when it's predecessor, equality, had resulted in arguably massive positive changes to American life (and therefore, to needed reforms globally). There was nowhere else to go. Our culture was convinced and committed to the idea of equality. As is the case with human nature, a goal having been achieved, meant that some new target would have to be identified. Enter: Equity.

Social Media is awash with memes "explaining" equity to people with other priorities (usually a set of anonymous charitable pursuits).

The Millennial generation, cited most frequently as being responsible for advancing the concept of equity, seems to believe nobody had heard of such a thing, prior to about the year 2000. But as with all good concepts . . . it has been around for a very long time.

The God of the Old Testament is an enforcer of equity. But the problem with the Old Testament (and the New, and Eternity) is that such ideas of equity are always coupled with other ideas, like charity, humility, and purity.

Our modern ears cannot grasp how equity and purity can go together. Doesn't it take brutal force to make people treat each other with equity? How can we have equity, if the people responsible for it, are humble self-deniers?

But real equity is, indeed, consistent with purity. Equity that is enforced by bullies is no longer equitable. A person with any power over another, for any reason, is no champion of real equity. For, such is too self-absorbed to have the moral authority to promote real equity. A pure person is a person that is not focused on pleasure, or fulfillment, for oneself, first. Only unselfish people can be pure. Only pure people can be unselfish. And the stewards of equity must be unselfish.

Let us be aggressive in our pursuit of equity. But let our aggression be tempered by a humble spirit, and a servant's heart.