"You remember how one of the Greek Dictators (they called them 'tyrants' then) sent an envoy to another Dictator to ask his advice about the principles of government. The second Dictator led the envoy into a field of grain, and there he snicked off with his cane the top of every stalk that rose an inch or so above the general level. The moral was plain. Allow no preeminence among your subjects. Let no man live who is wiser or better or more famous or even handsomer than the mass. Cut them all down to a level: all slaves, all ciphers, all nobodies. All equals. Thus Tyrants could practise, in a sense, 'democracy.' But now 'democracy' can do the same work without any tyranny other than her own. No one need now go through the field with a cane. The little stalks will now of themselves bite the tops off the big ones. The big ones are beginning to bite off their own in their desire to Be Like Stalks". - C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters
Egalitarianism hates excellence. There is enmity between them as there is between the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent. They are diametrically opposed to one another. They each have wills which they desire to impose upon the other.
Egalitarianism resents the implication of the differences. Inequality always sniffs of injustice in their eyes as though all nuggets of gold must weigh the same or that pellets of gold and plastic of equal weight should be equally valued.
Excellence, however, is not plagued by envy. It does not resent smallness. It does not hesitate to be great. It aims high and does not apologize. It doesn't need the smallness to recognize how much bigger it is. It's aim is not downward. Yet, it refuses to aim low. That is why small things stay so small. They are always looking down on things. Excellence grows upward towards the sun from where it receives its energy. It isn't hamstrung by looking down to ensure everything else is looking up to it.
Lewis foresaw the participation award, self-esteem culture coming down the pike, The spirit of "I'm as good as you" can only slide and tumble one direction. A dead fish can only swim downstream and as long as you know where the current is going, you can predict where the fish will end up. God is great and His Spirit in a man compels him to greatness. He desires to achieve in keeping with His calling in order to honor His Creator. He does not do so in order to be considered great by others, but because he considers his God worthy of the effort. He doesn't need to be noticed by anyone as long as he is noticed by His God. He can be great in secret knowing the greatness of His God allows Him to see him in secret. But whatever he does, he does not seek to be insignificant. He does not try to go unnoticed across the board. In fact, he desires all the more to be noticed by his primary audience. He doesn't dance as though no one is watching, but as though only One were watching - One who loves dancing.
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