The Lottery of Life: Reimagining Equality in a Radical World

If I ruled the world for a day, what would I do? A simple question. Trevor Noah asks this occasionally on his podcast. What would you do, what would you change, and why?

Not only is this question a great conversation starter, but it also truly allows our imagination to be free. Envision a world that is out of utopia—our envisioned dream and way of life all being executed exactly as we see. What would be its flaws, what would be its weaknesses? Let’s see.

If I controlled the world, I would make all basic services that states or private entities provide allocated on a lottery system. Radical, I know. But think about how it would change how we think about our shared responsibility to humanity.

No longer can the rich and wealthy guarantee that their wealth and money are protected. They have to ensure that all schools are viable, all healthcare operational, and services adequate for everyone regardless of their socioeconomic background.

Imagine the diversity of thought and interrogation that would happen. The formative years would be hard. As the system normalizes, people living amongst each other from all different backgrounds welcome a world of perspective.

The easiest way to learn about someone is to talk to them. Now, in this new world, those conversations are more accessible than ever. Kids engage with the realities that face their countries and many of their peers. Parents have to learn to share the world with people outside their bubble.

No longer are people allowed to use historical infrastructure to protect their exclusive space. Nor will people be able to blame race as the cause of all our problems. This world is one where opportunity is the priority. Of course, though idealistic, it is my world. A world without labels and one where humanity is prioritized over emphasizing individual struggles.

This world is one where people are united in more ways than just the roads they share and the space they inhabit in public. It is one that requires active engagement in politics as people evaluate how they can create and protect their resources.

Remember, new systems do not change our human ways. There will always be people who find ways to cheat the system, rid it of its intentions, and manipulate it to their preferences. Because we are human. We have experiences that inform everything we do and the world we want to create.

In my radical, crazy world, do you think I ever achieve equality? Is equality even a good thing? What is our world, and how has our interpretation of the current world formulated our ideal world?

If you lived in the world today, what would you change to live in the world you ruled?