Equality

As a diplomat of many years service, I have witnessed my fair share of inequality. whether it is the unequal struggle of the ordinary people against those who wield power or the subjugation of certain minorities because of religious prejudice, the desperation of poverty or simply the dominance that one family member or an entire political elite can have of another. In the diplomatic service as in many other spheres men work alongside women and in the main they usually are given the same status. Of all the inequalities perpetrated, the one that I dislike the most is woman's inequality with man. I believe this was instilled in me form an early age and I like to think it is just a natural part of my thinking. I am not unique in this and nor would I try to persuade you that it is some kind of virtuous trait, it should be not even need to discussed. Indeed the very need for me to write like this is in itself is patronising.
I am constantly shocked at the way women still have to fight and are asked questions that no man in the same position would ever be asked. We in the West often condemn other cultures for the way they treat women transferring our values into a situation we usually do not understand and whilst many of the practices in those cultures are abhorrent to any right thinking civilised society and should rightly be condemned, we do not yet have a fully equal playing field. 
On a slightly different tack old Guesty has noticed a worrying trend since this awful "Brexit" business of a heightening in racial slurs and attacks. Now I'm no saint, I've made plenty of off colour references in my life mostly born out of ignorance or a misguided attempt at levity but as I have matured it has occurred to me that the human race is obsessed with highlighting the differences between us and almost never emphasizing the similarities. It would be better for all if race, creed, religion, culture or colour was just never mentioned, easy to say almost impossible to perform. Trouble all around the world seems to stem in most cases from one of these well springs (including money and power) and just never seems to stop. The human race seems destined to keep repeating the same mistakes, in a never ending spiral of destruction.
I was speaking with an old chum of mine, with whom I play a regular round of golf, a charming chap who we all refer to as Sid. He readily admitted that as a youth and into adulthood, through ignorance and little exposure to other cultures his language was peppered with derogatory terms that are no longer acceptable. It was not spoken with malice or to cause insult, it was normal to him in the environment he was brought up in. His children who are of school age, now correct him if he misspeaks and he is delighted when they do so, as it shows they are being educated in the right way. It is clear that education of the correct nature, is the key to eradicating most prejudice, intentional or otherwise. 
In my scribbling I know that I often comment on these intangibles and especially the way that one people treat one another, regardless of their background, I am daily reminded in small ways that this ignorance continues no matter how enlightened our society believes it is. It is unlikely I will live long enough to see prejudice eradicated, if indeed it can be but it must be one of the most important attitudes that we must all strive to eliminate. A broad subject encompassing every aspect of human interaction to be sure but one all the more worthwhile pursuing for that very reason.
I understand that most people want just to get on with their lives and not involve them selves in the bigger questions that affect the human condition and that's fine, perhaps it actually does not matter but think on this would you as an individual not like to leave this life by making it a better one, if only with your family, no matter how small or trivial you may feel your contribution is?
Well that's enough rambling for this addition to the Guestling cannon, until next time.