Equality = Equalness?

The cry for equality sounds loudly and clearly from both sides of the aisle right now.

"The claim to equality, outside the strictly political field, is made only by those who feel themselves to be in some way inferior."

--The Screwtape Letters

 Equality under the law has one meaning, Constitutionally-derived. Equalness has a very different connotation. Equalness is used here as the antithesis of Equality. They are two very different terms.
Equalness draws its power from the illegitimate use of the word "fairness". If one person claims that something is not fair, than it must not be equal. Fairness is unfortunately a subjective term. Equalness results from fairness. Fairness in the current political dialogue means equality in outcome, which cannot be legislated, forced or adjudicated.
If one person has more through his own industry and thrift, should he be required under the law to give up the fruits of his labors that the slothful should have an equal amount? Such is not fair from the perspective of the laborer. But if the laborer has more than the slothful, he who has not worked esteems that discrepancy as unfair. This cannot be resolved adequately between the two of them. There are two directly opposing philosophies that cannot be reconciled. It requires a third entity to step in as a mediator.
That mediator is the Law. Equality under the law means that all men are judged the same way under the same law. No preference is given based on the standard criteria by which we define ourselves. A worker is entitled to the rights of property, privacy, expression, petition for redress of grievances, and so forth. A person who takes of the laborer's earnings is judged as a thief. They are dealt with under the constraints of the Law.
The government has as its sole responsibility the protection of the rights of the people under the Law. The specifics are laid out in the Constitution of the United States of America. No government, at any level, whether public, private, institutionalized or religious, should ever be in the business of making people feel good about themselves. Governments are instituted to enforce laws, statutes and guidelines. They are to protect those they serve, they are not entities unto themselves.
To draw this full circle back to the quote by CS Lewis, "The claim to equality ... is made only by those who feel themselves to be in some way inferior." Let's look at the stars. Some are brighter than others. Why? There are several possible explanations for this difference in brightness.

• One star is farther away than another.
• One star is larger than another.
• One star is actually brighter than another.

Much of the brightness depends on the perspective of the viewer. The man who mops floors may be overlooked by the executives and the white collars that drive the business. This same man who works all day may receive honor, praise and thanks when he comes home to his family. A child may think his father a hero, no matter if he mops floors, shuffles papers, or seals deals. 

So apparent difference in brightness may be imagined through differences in perspective, or it may be accurate. What's wrong with a person being superior to another? The moral trap enters when one assumes that they are destined to superiority. 

Just as the man with the mop may be promoted, so too the CEO may be fired. We are all in a constant flow up, down, sideways. Some days I may be equal to you, other days you may be superior to me. We look to heroes as being greater than ourselves. That superiority of our heroes gives us attributes to strive to obtain in ourselves. The inferiority of others gives us opportunity to lend a hand, teach, share and lift.

Equality does not equal Equalness. The Utopian ideal of equality in possessions, knowledge, wisdom and power does not exist in this world. The closest that we can get is a free-market system with limited government regulation to protect the rights of the people. In this system, the worker gets what he earns. The marketplace of his peers decide through the power of their purchases if the product/service/idea is of worth. Worthwhile ideas find success. Poor ideas do not find success but failure.

The freedom and liberty we strive for engenders equality, which is equal parts success and failure. Some days you win, and some days you lose. When you lose, you work harder the next day, and you get what you earn. You keep what you earn. That is fairness. That is equality. That is liberty.