In recent years, there has been growing interest in the relationship between
equality and personal achievement. Some people believe that individuals can achieve more
in egalitarian societies. Others believe that high levels of personal achievement
are possible only if individuals are free to succeed or fail according to
their individual merits.What is your view of the relationship between
equality and personal success?
In my opinion, an egalitarian society is one in which
everyone has the same rights and the same
opportunities. I completely agree that people
can achieve more in this kind of society.
Education is an important factor with regard to
personal success in life. I believe that all children
should have access to free schooling, and higher education
should be either free or affordable for
all those who chose to pursue a university degree.
In a society without free schooling or
affordable higher education, only children and
young adults from wealthier families would have
access to the best learning opportunities,
and they would therefore be better prepared for the
job market. This kind of inequality would ensure
the success of some but harm the prospects of others.
I would argue that equal rights and opportunities
are not in conflict with people’s freedom to
succeed or fail. In other words, equality does not mean
that people lose their motivation to
succeed, or that they are not allowed to fail.
On the contrary, I believe that most people would
feel more motivated to work hard and reach their potential
if they thought that they lived in a fair
society. Those who did not make the same effort
would know that they had wasted their
opportunity. Inequality, on the other hand,
would be more likely to demotivate people because
they would know that the odds of success
were stacked in favour of those from privileged backgrounds.
In conclusion, it seems to me that there is
a positive relationship between equality and personal success.