THE MOMENT WE BEGIN TO THINK SOMEONE is better than we are, or inferior, we set ourselves up for less-than-happy feelings. I remember the overwhelming anger I felt when I was ten after something happened at home that confirmed, in my mind, what I had felt for some time—that my parents favored my younger brother.
Of course, I didn't want to feel this way. What broke through the mental turmoil, was a clear "angel thought" from God that said I did not have to have this sense of being a victim. I realized that I could expect infinite blessings from my Father-Mother, God. God, who is Love, was providing an equal measure of good to me, to my brother, and to my parents. I could never be deprived of all the benefits of that goodness. With that comforting thought, I was immediately calm. That was the end of those disturbing feelings.
Noting a link between equality and happiness, Economist.com had this observation in a brief report published last year: "Nordic countries, which are the most equal, regularly do well in happiness surveys. The highest levels of inequality are in poor countries, especially in South America and Africa" ("Income inequality around the world," October 1, 2008). When we get to the root of the conflicts in much of the world, the common denominator is the perception (real or imagined) of inequality—the feeling that some people are being treated disrespectfully, or that they're victims of low expectations, or that they're faced with someone who fails to cooperate with others in some way.
