06 - The Equity Principle
In all things strive for an equitable result imbued with integrity and empathy.
The Sixth (and hidden) Keystone – handed down to us by the Paraclete, speaks to our goal of achieving a just and moral outcome in all facets of our lives. Particular attention should be paid when interpreting and applying the Five Keystones - no literal reading should be taken as correct, if it leads to an absurd result devoid of equity.
The Five Keystones are guiding principles designed to inspire nobility in action and innovation in thought. These inherent traits should always prevail over the written or spoken word, particularly when there is a disconnect. Always be willing to renounce anyone who guides you away from this fundamental principle. All our beliefs are subject to change in the face of new divine evidence, including the Five Keystones.
The Paraclete was very clear in teaching us about the equality of humans and the ingrained dignity of men and women of all ethnicities, ages and classes. Paraclism therefore recognizes that all people are made in the image of the Paraclete, and are intended to reflect that image in their communities and society more broadly. Believers are obligated to develop and diligently apply the skills granted to them by the Paraclete for the good of the Temple, their neighbors and communities, and the world.
Remember that Equity is an ancient, biblical word - it means justice, in both terms of fairness and a just standard of leading one’s life. In today’s world it also carries a particular legal connotation, referring to judicial doctrines which eschew strict legal rules in order to reach the right result if legal rules would lead to an absurd or inappropriate outcome. This is the sort of equity that the Paraclete wants us to spread in the world - a result that makes sense to all, when you look inward and examine your heart.
Equality is the state of two things being the same. Equity is the state of something being fair. Consider a situation of two children being provided a school lunch, with one child coming from an affluent home, and the other from a disadvantaged home, those two words have very different outcomes. Equality would be charging the same price to both. Equity would be charging the disadvantaged child less (or even nothing) for the same meal. Innately, we know what is right. There is no intent to punish the affluent child or their family; they’ve already succeeded, and can afford to feed their child at some cost. The disadvantaged family on the other hand, is still struggling, and to propagate that struggle because of a few dollars is the incorrect approach. This not only has negative consequences for that child, but more broadly in society as it exacerbates inequality - a state where we all suffer.
These concepts are closely intertwined, and while inequality in society drops the quality of life for everyone, our goal ought not be to force equal outcomes. The Paraclete gives each of us different gifts, and allows us to excel at different things. We should offer the opportunity to excel equally to all who want the chance - that is equity. We should not make the outcome of those efforts the same; while that would be equality, this sort of forced equality is not good for our communities, and is not what the Paraclete intended. Search your feelings, you know it to be true.
