1. Life in Vietnam would be perfect if everyone were totally equal. Do you agree or disagree? Explain your answer in complete sentences.
I truly believe that life in Vietnam would not be perfect if everyone were totally equal, because it's just impossible; and even if it is, it would be boring. If everyone was equal, then there would be no government. If everyone was equal, then we'd be doing the same things every single day. People are born differently and possess different talents, which makes the world diverse in many areas. And because people are not equal, people are motivated to work harder to pursue a better goal in their life. People can have equal amounts of money, cars, clothes, or in brief materials, but we just can’t have equal intelligence – which means if people do have equal intelligence, then there will be no government, no business, no further studying into science or technology, father can’t teach or control his children, there will also be no teachers – a society where nothing is organized. Vietnam probably would return to the late centuries when people only knew how to cook and hunt food and so on. Anyway, I think it’s just impossible to make everyone equal because each of us is functioned in a unique way and can only learn and develop the way that is suitable of us (for our brains).
2. You are designing a society in which everyone is equal. What are the laws?
Since I don’t think there is an existence of a society where everyone is equal, I have no idea what the laws are. But, if I am to design a society in which everyone receives equity, then these are the laws:
Everyone should have freedom (of speech, religion, privacy, entertain)
Everyone should have access to education
Everyone should have access to shelter and food/drink
Everyone should have access to services (ex: healthcare)
If equality does exist, then these are the laws:
Everyone does the same things every day
Everyone has the same amount of properties and their qualities
Everyone must speak the same language(s)
Everyone must think the same things
No countries, no governments
3. What would you do to help people who were less capable mentally, physically, or socially to “catch up”?
Empathy is always the key for everything, but it isn’t enough if we don’t carry out what we feel or understand. That means I’d “physically” and “mentally” give my best support to those who are less capable mentally, physically, or socially.
- For those who were less capable mentally, I’d try my best to be patient and see the world through their eyes so that I can talk the way they talk, and that I can fit in the way they can accept me. Since there are already lots of places for people who were less capable mentally to live as a community because they’d feel equal, I’d go there and talk to them, tell them what happens out there in the world, help them to understand concepts that they can hardly get through on their own. I’d probably pull them to the outside world, too, because they are humans and so should have a feeling of being accepted and adapted to the society they’re living in. If we only think that there should be a special place just for those who were less capable mentally, we’re wrong, because the only way to help them catch up is to help them fit in the real world.
- For those who were less capable physically, I’d make devices/equipments or anything that helps them get to know things like I get to know things, but only that the way they know is different from mine. For example, if a person is blind, then they can read news or write using the Braille. If a person is deaf, I can talk to that person via hands language. In brief, I’d create things that aid them, so that they can feel like normal people with the same access to what they need. Once they are equipped with what they need as normal people, they can do anything that normal people do, and so it’s just a piece of cake for them to catch up.
- For those who were less capable socially, I’d help them to gain self-confidence and show them that I respect and trust them. People communicate best when they feel that they are respected and important, or needed. I’d also help them to analyze their strength, so that they’d feel helpful in life – which helps them socialize better. Besides, I’d also introduce friends to them, or suggest that they can join clubs, activities so that they get more chances to socialize with people.
I suppose most of the problems will be negative if a society has laws that force equality for all, because people think! I guess most people are “smart” enough to know that there is no such thing as equality, which means forcing equality is just too unreasonable. They can rebel; they can do anything, even risking their own selves, to prove their perspective. Forcing equality is like taking humans’ rights away, taking their rights to be themselves and where they’re supposed to be. Some people need more than others, such as disabled people. If the government enforces equality for all, then that means all of us have to be disabled? (Because disabled people cannot get any support – because everyone’s equal) Anyway, I wouldn’t even come up with laws that force equality for all, because it’s stupid. In my perspective though, I DO think that everyone is equal somehow – because no one’s perfect. A rich person can be poor in personality; a disabled person can be the best runner, a person who has no family can have lots of friends/relationships. In brief, people have something and don’t have something. We are talented in different ways, and different talents make a society. I’d encourage people to develop with their talents and contribute together to make the society a better place.
5. Do you believe that total equality is possible, or would human nature make sure that some people would eventually dominate others?
NO, I don’t believe that total equality is possible. Rich people have more chances or more “rights” somehow, to dominate poor people; but also they help a country to raise its own economy, which affects poor people to have a better life. People are not equal, because we all have power over each other, depending on the situations. Governments depend on citizens to make laws, but the later also depends on the former to live/make money, etc. Also, smart people, people with broad relationships, and people with political influence usually have more power; they end up controlling those who are not as good as them. However, I think it would be fair though, IF all of us receives enough education. Only then, some will be better at this, some will be better at that; which means people will be professional in different areas and so can have power each other at different times.
6. In what situations have you felt similarly to any of the characters? What persons, places, or ideas from your own experience came to mind while you were reading this story? Try to list as least two examples.
Once my dad was caught at night by some policemen in a quite dark but big alley, and they wanted him to give them money because the lights of the car weren’t on. He explained to them that they were broken while he was driving – sounded accidentally enough, but the policemen were quite smart to choose a dark alley to get money from dad. I was really mad at that, and so questioned mom why shouldn’t we stand up to that. All she said was: be smart and don’t mess with them. Similarly to the story, Harrison stood up and broke the mental handicap from his body and did what he thought was right, but messing with government ended him up with death. Which is unfair!
Another story I heard from my mom, her experience and not mine though, was when her family’s properties were taken by the government during the Vietnam War. I don’t really remember the story, but it was when the government thought that everyone should be equal, and the reason why her family was rich was because they stole things from other. Then they burnt down her books, took away all of their money – which quite gave them a miserable life thereafter. It was like in the story how the government wanted to make everyone equal – while it wasn’t equal at all because the government still had control over the citizens. Anyway, who messes with the government will end up with negative consequences – that’s what I’ve learnt.
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