thegra: even though I am unable to see the connection between physical appearance and spiritual essence, I believe there is one. I do not believe physical appearance to be an incidental quality / property.
Also, I think the situation is more complex than how you discussed. I think your example should be expanded.
1) Yossi
He is a Cohen and he is fit, he can duchen, but he can’t do any service in the Beit Hamikdash as there is none.
2) Shlomo
He is a Cohen but he has a minor blemish and is disqualified
3) Binyamin (and Reuven, and Daniela, and John, and Bob….)
Binyamin is a Levi, Reuven is a Yisrael, Daniela is a female, John is a convert, Bob is non jewish. They are all *forbidden* from serving in the Beit Hamikdash (I repeat: forbidden. Our problem is not that we can’t.)
4) Shimon (and …..)
Be them Cohanim or not, be them males or females, be them Jewish or not, we suppose they have ALS or similar. They *can not* serve in the Beit Hamikdash, they can’t even walk or talk or wash themselves. Let us think about it for a moment.
5) Yaakov (and ….)
These people, be them Cohanim or not, be them males or females, Yidden or goyim, have a difficult disability. They have no awareness. They can not even wonder if they would like to be the Cohen Gadol.
None of these people serve in the Beit Hamikdash. There is no practical difference.
Are we really bothered by the fact that #2, who looks fit enough to us to serve, is instead disqualified by Torah?
Personally I am very bothered by the fact there exist people like #5 whose suffering is beyond human understanding and by the fact there exist people like #4 whose suffering is instead very obvious to their friends as they are aware and thanks to computers etc. can interact with everyone else. While I do not have an answer and I think no one does, I think most people who are bothered by #2, by a G-d who could have allowed the person with a small physical problem to serve (which now is theoretical, and when Moshiach will come, we may hope that blemishes will be immediately healed) — how so much more will they be bothered by #4 and #5, especially when it is an obviously innocent person who have been suffering since birth.
Maybe Golda will prove me wrong, but that’s how I see it.