Best Pattern to Indifferently Compare Strings/Symbols for Equality?

If you want to monkey patch the generic functionality in everywhere.

class Object
  def to_s_equals? var
    self.to_s == var
  end
end 

As mentioned, only convert symbols to strings, not strings to symbols unless you have a subsequent use for the symbol. You could be more specific and only do that on Symbol

Alternatively you could add something for String and Symbols, but I can't think of a good common name.

class Symbol
  def equals_string? var
    self.to_s == var
  end
end 

class String
  def equals_symbol? var
    self == var.to_s
  end
end

Even then equals isn't quite right, but match infers a regex. homologous maybe? (corresponding in structure, but not necessarily function)

I don't think your getting much brevity on to_s ==. Maybe a bit of clarity enforcing the order you do the comparisons in.