Imagine you were not you. Imagine who you are – your race, your socioeconomic background, your income, your gender – were all stripped away, until all that was left was your inherent moral compass. Now imagine that happened to everyone in the world.
Imagine you were in a room with your fellow humans. You are acutely aware that the real world exists, but, in this room, you have no recollection of who you are. If you were to agree on fundamental principles for how the outside world should be governed, knowing you had to live somewhere random in it, what would they be?
There is one basic principle that would emerge, the American philosopher John Rawls posited in ‘A Theory of Justice’: equality of opportunity. If you did not know where you were going to end up, would you risk being on the receiving end of injustice? Probably not.
Of course, the argument is more nuanced than that, and certain philosophers may have qualms with it, but that powerful reasoning is why, at my core, I try to be a devotee of service. In a world where the playing field is so uneven, and is getting more so by the day, I believe it is more important than ever to stand up for others less fortunate than ourselves.
That, above all, is why I am proud to be a Youth Ambassador for People Against Poverty. It is a charity fuelled by a noble conviction – one that should resonate with us all – that everybody deserves a shot. Together, let us stop the flames of injustice searing the opportunities of those born into a situation they could not control.
Advait Kuravi
Youth Ambassador – People against Poverty
