The late author (motivational speaker) Zig Ziglar (2019) said: “there is a vast difference in understanding something well enough to buy, as versus, understanding something well enough to sell.” This value statement is comparable to understanding equity (fairness) well enough to make it equal (outcomes) for all.
Equality of outcomes varies between individual’s preferences (knowledge), interests, and skills. Equity fundamentally strives to provide a structure (framework) where access to choices is available equally to all.
Referencing a picture of a child standing on three boxes to see over a fence, while the father is standing beside with clear view and no boxes,, presents a situation of equality and equity.
Equal sized boxes did not produce the outcome (equity to see game). Intrinsic Motivation has an ideal intention, but the implementation is of course difficult (impossible) to achieve without discrimination of choice for some.
Instead of a black/white, two-sided solution, a third alternative would be for the tall person (father) to put the child on his shoulders requiring no box. Creating innovative solutions involves spatial not linear thinking. Our Newtonian model of the world is imbedded, where cause is effect, rather than potentiality continually actualizing.
The Four Noble Truths in the Buddhists Eightfold Path 1. All is suffering. Life, by definition, involves suffering. 2. The cause of suffering is craving, greed, or wrong attachment to goods and outcomes. 3. It is possible to stop this greedy, wrongly attached way. 4. There is a cure. (Sommers-Flanagan & Sommers-Flanagan, 2015).
Realizing and accepting that life is not fair due to prejudice (pre-judgment) and stereotypes living in the mind of individuals, explicitly and implicitly, in attitudinal behaviors and evaluations. Preference affects behavior, intentionally (consciously) and unintentionally (unconscious), thus fairness is subjective and hard to define.
Discrimination is thought to be unfair by most people. Some people think about fairness as equality—all people get the same thing. According to Sommers-Flanagan and Sommers-Flanagan (2015) “a focus on equity is another perspective—you get an equitable return on the efforts and resources you invested” (p.37).
References
Sommers-Flanagan, R., & Sommers-Flanagan, J. (2015). Becoming an ethical helping professional: Cultural and philosophical foundations, with video resource center. Wiley. https://bibliu.com/app/#/view/books/9781119377252/pdf2htmlex/index.html#page_48
Ziglar, Z. (2019). 5 Steps to successful selling [The Rich Man Secrets-Video]. You Tube. https://youtu.be/0kYUQbgsQZM
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