Looking Forward and Looking Back
I’ve been looking forward to when the COVID-19 curve is on the decline around the world. To when the quarantine is over, and we can begin interacting somewhat normally again. I’ve been looking back and thinking about how I’d like my day-to-day life and the day-to-day world to be different.
In Justin Michael Williams’ book, Stay Woke:
“If you ever think beyond your current circumstances, how can you ever live beyond them?”
Justin Michael Williams
Stuck
I think this is one of the major problems in American society. For too long we’ve allowed our bosses to keep stacking duties on our desks and shoulders. We allowed our elected representatives to whittle away the foundational human rights of healthcare, education, housing, food, and the right to collectively bargain with our employers in good faith (among other things).
All of these things have left too many Americans in survival mode. So much so that we haven’t been able to look up and see that it doesn’t have to be like this!
Looking Around
We just have to take a trip north to Canada. Or across the Atlantic to western Europe. Or to Australia. Or even to Japan. They’ve got their issues, but they still don’t work as many hours as Americans do!
An aside: technically it could be worse, because there are countries where folks work even more hours than the U.S. Generally, they are considered less developed than the countries listed above.
The big picture is, we need to walk away from our abusive relationship with work. We are valuable as human beings. Our places of work need us. They absolutely can not function without us.
We need to stand up and say, “We will not let you abuse us any longer. This is what we need to get the job done in a healthy way.”
And when we give our list of demands, we’ll make sure our human rights are respected. We’ll make sure that all people, including the most vulnerable of us, are taken care of.
A Lovely Idea
Once upon a time, our Founding Fathers wrote:
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all people are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these rights are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
Declaration of Independence
They recognized these rights when they sent that declaration to King George. Now, don’t get me wrong. There’s plenty wrong with history. They didn’t mean it for black people or Native Americans. They didn’t mean it for women.
Ahhhhh, but the idea. If it actually applies to everyone. It is a glorious one.
What Could Be (Looking Around)
- We could create a world without money, where everyone’s basic needs are met.
- We could have universal healthcare for all, so that no one has to choose between their life and going into bankruptcy.
- We could provide quality, free education to everyone so no one would feel enslaved and trapped by their job.
- We could create affordable housing.
- We could ensure food security for everyone.
- We could create a more eco-friendly world that could offset some of the damage that is already occurring due to climate change.
- We could create a restorative justice system, that honors the humanity of those who violate law.
Oh, there’s more we could do. But that’s a pretty good start.
“If you ever think beyond your current circumstances, how can you ever live beyond them?”
Justin Michael Williams
I guess another way to put that is: “Dream big or go home.”
We’ve been stuck at home for a long time. (Not the best analogy during COVID-19 quarantine, but you know what I mean.) It’s time to pick our heads up, look out across the horizon, and insist on the life we deserve. Because we deserve more than the scraps of capitalism.
We are so much more expansive than that…
