The respect of three values – freedom, fairness and equality – has nearly been an obsession for most of my life. In my (ideal) world these are some of the core leftist values – yes, the left, that abstract concept that unfortunately doesn’t exist anymore, at least not in the western hemisphere. I took many decisions, personal and not, with these three values in mind. It didn’t work every single time, but I still feel being driven by the three guiding principles.
Time ago Seth Godin published a short post where he defined, guess what, the three values. Here is what he writes. I think it is worth to share, one more time.
Freedom doesn’t mean no responsibility. In fact, it requires extra responsibility. Freedom is the ability to make a choice, and responsibility is required once you make that choice.
Fairness isn’t a handout. Fairness is the willingness to offer dignity to others. The dignity of being seen and heard, and having a chance to make a contribution.
And Equality doesn’t mean equal and doesn’t mean to be fair. Equality doesn’t guarantee me a starting position on the Knicks. Equality means equality of access, the opportunity to do my best without being disqualified for irrelevant reasons.