If we could feel genuinely that we are the equals of our neighbors, neither their betters nor their inferiors, perhaps life would become less of a battle, and we should need less in the way of intoxicating myth to give us Dutch courage.
Source: Bertrand Russell : Ideas That Have Harmed Mankind，1946
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We are all naturally innocent in our early childhood. However, as we grow, we begin to compare ourselves with others, feeling or thinking that we are either superior or inferior, and a sense of discrimination gradually develops. Moreover, disparities in education and health tend to arise from economic inequalities. In reality, differences in intelligence and economic status (the gap between rich and poor) exist from the moment of birth.
When such disparities become large, society cannot remain stable. In extreme cases, revolutions may even occur. Those who perceive this danger have created various myths to justify the relationship between rulers and the ruled. The oldest of these myths is probably the story of Adam and Eve. Throughout history and across cultures, rulers have produced countless myths to secure the legitimacy of their authority, ranging from grand narratives such as the divine right of kings or the myth of the descent of the heavenly grandchild (used in Japan to justify governance) to more trivial ones, such as "must-win myths" in sports.
Russell points out that we need these myths precisely because we do not genuinely believe, at our core, that all humans are equal, and he argues that such myths should be discarded. It would be wise for us to take a "thorough inventory" of the extent to which we rely on myths.
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