This status game is an elaborate way to try to differentiate ourselves, to prove that we are unique and unlike anyone else; it's a game that helps us pretend that we are desirable and we will live forever. We are desperately intent on showing others that we are unique, and unlike anyone else. And in some ways we are unique and unlike anyone else.
But in some essential ways we are also alike, the same, no different. We are all just human beings who will live and die. And there are those experiences which make this very clear. Death is one of them. It's probably the ultimate leveler. Illness is another. Families too, our DNA heritage, and our relationships with mothers and fathers and sisters and brothers can also be "leveling."
Standing in line, riding a bus, going to court, or visiting any government office is a good leveler too. Being in an elevator for an extended time can be a leveler.
In some ways, we have all been created equal. But then again, we spend much of our lives pretending this is not so.
