Rank and Status
In a higher sense, no human being can outrank another. To the extent that anyone gains a greater earthly status than others, it is because enough people agree to that perception and behave accordingly. This is not to say that one's position in this life has no meaning at all. It can be earned, won, bestowed, inherited, pretended... Others agree for a reason. And once status is achieved, it may be handled in many different ways - sometimes well and sometimes poorly. But we must each decide very carefully what our own positions and identities are to us, as well as what we think and feel about what we learn of others'. This is true from whatever office or title we may hold to whatever membership we may claim in any group, lineage, tradition, or faith.
Respect your own achievements and responsibilities as well as those of others - or, where appropriate, the right of those engaged in a game to imagine and play as they like. But do not think, for even a moment, that rank and status dreamed up by mortal beings can hold weight before the eyes of God. Do not find yourself treating someone living on the street or hailing from another country as a lesser being than a person of means and worldly power or a citizen of your own nation, respectively. Live rightly, and do not presume to dictate that which is not for you to judge.
Articles Set 4
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