sauntervaguelydown:

FMA 2003: equivalent exchange is a myth because the world is imperfect and you can suffer and work your whole life for nothing but also you don’t always have to suffer in order to “earn” the good things you have; think of equivalent exchange not as a hard and fast rule of the world but as a promise to work towards the future you want to create no matter what stands in your way

FMA Brotherhood: equivalent exchange is a myth because giving more than what you take and adding a part of yourself pays off later in your life. giving is what forms relationships with the people you love, and those people are the ones who will support you no matter what and will always be there to pick you back up