As equality increases, so does the number of people struggling

Hear, O seekers of wisdom, the measured and discerning words of Mason Cooley, the master of observation and subtle truth: “As equality increases, so does the number of people struggling for predominance.” This saying, though calm in tone, carries within it the pulse of all human history—the rise and fall of empires, the revolutions of thought, the ceaseless yearning of mankind for both fairness and power. It is a truth as old as civilization itself: that when the walls of hierarchy begin to crumble, the struggle for dominance does not vanish—it multiplies. For equality awakens not only justice, but ambition, and ambition, when unchecked by wisdom, turns brother against brother, sister against sister.

Cooley, a thinker of the modern age, saw with clarity what many before him sensed in silence—that the pursuit of equality is both noble and perilous. When societies grow more just, when opportunity opens its doors to many, the field of life becomes a grand arena. No longer are only kings and nobles contending for honor; now every man and woman, every voice and vision, rises to compete for place, recognition, and influence. It is as though equality, by lifting the barriers that once confined a few, releases a torrent of striving souls, each eager to prove themselves worthy of the heights once reserved for the few.

In ancient times, this truth was written not in ink, but in blood. Consider the Athenian democracy, where the dream of equality first took root. When the people were granted voice and vote, when the common man stood beside the noble in the Assembly, Athens flourished with genius—but also with discord. Every citizen became a contender, every orator a rival. In the name of equality, new hierarchies arose—of eloquence, wealth, and cunning. The city that gave birth to freedom also birthed envy, and in the tumult of ambition, it destroyed itself. Thus, even the cradle of democracy learned that liberty without humility leads to chaos.

This paradox has never ceased. When revolutions overturn tyrants, they often give rise to new tyrannies born from within. When movements for justice succeed, they awaken not only the righteous, but also the restless—those who seek not harmony, but supremacy. So it was in the great revolutions of France and Russia, where cries for equality became the prelude to reigns of fear. The oppressed, once freed, sometimes forget the wisdom of mercy and take upon themselves the mantle of their former masters. This is the warning hidden in Cooley’s words: equality without inner discipline becomes a contest for dominance, and freedom without virtue becomes another name for strife.

Yet his insight is not meant to sow despair. Rather, it is a call to maturity of spirit. For equality is not a guarantee of peace, but a test of character. When all are raised to the same field, the question is no longer who is born above another, but who will rise through effort, kindness, and wisdom. The truly equal soul does not seek to rule others, but to master oneself. The struggle for predominance that Cooley speaks of need not be destructive—if guided by conscience, it becomes the noble contest of self-improvement, the striving for excellence that elevates all rather than crushing some.

Think then of the age we live in, where voices long silenced are now heard, and the boundaries between classes, genders, and nations grow thinner. It is a time of awakening—and of tension. The air hums with ambition, for equality has opened the gates of possibility. Some see this as chaos, others as rebirth. But both are true. For freedom is the forge in which the soul of humanity is tempered, and equality is the fire that tests whether our hearts can hold justice without greed, and power without pride.

So, my children of this restless age, take heed of Mason Cooley’s wisdom. Do not fear the striving that equality brings, but let it be guided by honor, compassion, and restraint. Compete, but not to conquer. Rise, but not to dominate. For the truest victory is not over others, but over the selfishness within. Equality is not the end of struggle—it is the beginning of a higher one, where the battlefield is the soul, and the prize is the peace that comes from knowing you have uplifted others even as you rise.

Thus, remember always: as equality grows, so too does ambition—but let your ambition be noble. Seek not predominance, but purpose. For only when power serves compassion, and equality is joined with humility, will humanity finally find its balance—and the dream of justice become not a battle, but a harmony.