Created Equal

No one of us ever gets to have it all in life.

We all strive hard, yes, but no one will ever have enough of everything. The ironic thing is: many of those who have more are often the unhappiest of all. When you fall just a little short of having it all, the remaining lack can make you feel like you have nothing at all.

Many years ago I was in close association with a scion of a very powerful political family. The young lady, now a political figure herself, would have me come to Manila every now and then for casual chitchats. Our friendship made me a celebrity among my friends back home.

We were a small group from all over the country that the lady kept in her inner circle. She would take care of our travel and accommodation, including pocket money; so we had no reason to say no to her invitations. To any young person, as I was then, it was a great honor to be part of the lady’s pet pack.

In one of our get-togethers, held at that time at the most expensive suite of a posh Manila hotel, our benefactor friend was crying a river, while the rest of us pretended to fully share her desolation. She was upset about her high-ranking father’s denial of her request to use a government aircraft for our intended excursion to Batanes. I was confounded by the lady’s heartbreak; I would not myself even pout over such petty matter.

It was quite a long day for us in the group, having had to bear with our benefactor’s sorrowful act since six o’clock that morning. By four in the afternoon, only four of us – of the original eighteen – remained at the hotel room with her. The others had each earlier found a good alibi to excuse themselves, one after the other. I, too, was already raring for a breath of fresh air outside. Shortly, I announced that I was mailing a postcard at the adjacent post office, and then casually made my exit.

I hopped off the elevator, darted out of the building, and hurried across the street towards a small park. A concrete bench under a tree looked perfect for spending a few peaceful minutes alone. I settled myself there, and let my mind rest.

In a while, a snore directed my attention towards the well-trimmed bushes across where I was sitting. A small wooden pushcart was perfectly concealed among the plants. Inside, a man lay coiled to fit the space, deeply asleep, unaffected by the noise of the traffic and the apparent physical discomfort.

With the man in the cart were two tiny kids, probably aged five and six, who were absorbed in playing with each other. They, like the snoring man, were oblivious to the buzz of the world around. At the rear of the cart hanged a piece of cardboard with a crudely handwritten sign that read: “FRANKIE’S HOTEL”

My mind went back to the scene at the lavish hotel room where eighteen of us were trying to comfort a grieving princess. Our lady friend was unarguably the luckiest of us all, but just one denied wish made her feel she had nothing at all. In stark contrast, the sleeping man and the kids in the makeshift cart had too little, if at all, but they were content with what they had.

In the end, it seems the key to happiness is not material possessions but an attitude of contentment with whatever one has. Or, perhaps, it is the equalizing factor for all in life that those who have more will ask for even more and those who have less will ask nothing more. And so, everyone has equal rights to the experience of happiness.

We may be born into different worldly conditions. And, in the course of a lifetime, we may each create conditions of our own. But, first and foremost, we are all created equal.        

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