Submitted by Viki
Let’s talk about the caste system. To a western mind, the idea that we are all equals is baked into us from a young age. We have all heard Martin Luther King‘s famous speech, quoting from the Declaration of Independence:
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal”
However, in certain cultures, most prominently, in South Asia (India especially), there is a caste system, which is a structured and rigid set of tiers within society. The higher class are treated like royalty, and must marry within their caste, or near enough to it. At the bottom end of the caste system, the untouchables, we have those unfortunate and downtrodden people, victims of bad luck of being born into a lower caste. We even use the word “pariah” in common English use, to refer to someone who is reviled and shamed: this is literally the name of a tribe / caste of people in Southeast India, who took on unsanitary work. Let’s dive into the merits and downsides of these two world views.
Unlimited social mobility
Here in the west, we sometimes have a tendency to think that we are the greatest culture on earth, and that all other cultures, countries and nations could do better by being more like us. While it’s certainly true that we have a lot to be proud of, this kind of thinking has created blind spots for us. There are weaknesses and flaws with our world view, and I’m going to highlight one of them here. Let’s take the commonly held belief that if you come to the United States of America and work hard, then you will be successful. This is a powerful motivator, and it gives a strong incentive for everyone to try hard, and to strive for success. However, the dark side of this view is that it implies, if you’re poor and homeless, you ended up that way because you didn’t work hard. It’s mentally phrased as “Well if you work hard, you could solve your problems and improve your situation, so why haven’t you done that?”. This mentality applies to very poor homeless people, but it also applies to very rich people. It means that you’re able to look at a billionaire, and question yourself: “Why aren’t I as successful as them? I must not be trying hard enough.”. In essence, because you believe that achieving upward social mobility is an option, then you can never be at peace, because you could always be trying harder. Think about that for a moment. It’s a heavy mental burden to carry. The truth is, in the United States at least, we don’t have unlimited social mobility: we have only the promise of unlimited social mobility. Let’s contrast that now.
Rigid social structures
In India, if you’re born into a low-caste family, then everyone around you will expect you to stay there. You will, in fact, expect yourself to stay there. The label will be permanent, and you will be expected to marry someone within your caste. You will be expected to do low-caste work for the rest of your life. Even if you try to improve your situation by becoming an entrepreneur, you will be frowned upon by people from your own culture, whether higher or lower caste than you. However, if a passing american sees your struggle, he’ll applaud you. In fact, if you know that your lot in life is mostly set, then very little of your time is going to be spent struggling, striving, stressing and generally forgoing the simple pleasures in life. Can a rich (or poor) person who is hell-bent on success, stop to take a full day to just watch the clouds go by? Or to play with their children every night? Or to even have children? For people who know that social mobility is impossible, life satisfaction reverts to the mean: you’re happy with your lot. Sure there are difficult times and good times, but ultimately it’s a completely different state of mind to be at peace with your place in society. This comes with one huge drawback for the culture or country as a whole.
Talent is universal
If there is a person born with a mind so special, so unique, and so capable that they are a once-in-a-century phenomenon, where will that person be born? What will happen to them? Let’s do the math. The vast majority of the world’s population sits in the region surrounding India and China. So, the probability is high that our unique hypothetical child will be born there. Let’s assume they’re born in India, for argument’s sake. Their talented brain may not be used for discovering the depth of particle physics, or building a billion dollar company that gets humans to mars. They are more likely to end up being extremely successful at whatever job is most common for people of the caste that they’re born into. If that same talented person were born into an american family, however poor, there is a good chance that they will be picked up by the school system and catapulted into college by scholarships and grants, and go on to make use of their talents. So if talent is universally distributed, it’s extremely important that we make use of it. Regardless of your place of birth, your gender, your nationality, your religion, or any other factor, if you have a natural talent for working with your hands, then it’s important for society that you become a master sculptor or heart surgeon. If you have a naturally beautiful, clear and calm voice, then your talent should be used on a radio talk show, or to make a medical device instructional voice over. If you’re great at manual labor while abhorring paperwork, then instead of being born into a fixed life of bureaucrats and government officials, it would be better for you to take on construction work. If talent is universal, then let it flow freely. Just remember to stop and smell the roses while you climb.