Is it necessary to eliminate differences?

The question you asked highlights what I believe is a problem in society. The founding fathers (again, this is my opinion) built this country on a foundation of equal opportunity. That is, the government will not prevent anyone from pursuing life, liberty, and happiness. We, in our modern day, have mistaken what the Founding Fathers wrote for meaning that everyone is entitled to life, liberty, and happiness. Equal opportunity is taken to mean equality. That is, everyone's opportunity must be the same. There must be no person with more opportunity than another person, because then we wouldn't be equal. The only way the government can guaranty that we are equal is by making us all the same. Therefore I think that many people get the mistaken impression that that this sameness is a virtue. It is not. Everyone is unique with unique talents, gifts, backgrounds, and knowledge. To treat everyone the same does them a disservice and, in fact, hobbles us as a society. We need to make sure that everyone can take full advantage of their talents, gifts, and places in society. Only then can we be truly equal.