Which Future Will We Fight For?
We live in a reality which has produced stark contrasts in every aspect of our lives.
For instance, while some of us have the ability to pay whole middle class salaries for a ticket to an island music festival, others are working so many jobs that they are unable to spend time with families, barely making enough to survive despite their sacrifices.
Some of our fellow human beings are worried about their vacation homes and stocks, watching the ticker to determine if they will earn even more money, while others are stressed about rent, utilities, and working magic to somehow feed their families.
A few are fortunate enough to live in communities that aren’t ravaged by crimes, or climate change, or police terror, while still others are being forced from their homes by property companies and landlords who work with local governments to gentrify all areas deemed “up-and-coming”.
In between these growing extremes lies the ever-shrinking middle class, the many who are slipping into the cycle of poverty, anxiety and despair which accompanies the issues that millions of poor people face.
There are those in the middle who reinforce this system of stark contrasts, a culture which values only specific types of hard work.
These people believe that even though they are in the same sinking boat, they will one day become the 1%; the greedy few who steer the ship to disaster as they extract our wealth, while trying to profit on every aspect of our lives including the political system itself.
We keep sinking while they work on their elaborate escape, keenly aware that we’ve already hit the iceberg. As the waters rise and begin to fill our shoes, we must ask ourselves what our next steps will be.
Will we realize that our grievances are connected? That our hopes and aspirations are intertwined with our worries and fears, as we push forward toward a future much closer to justice, compassion, and equality?
If we can all feel the breeze from the river, why can’t we all have access to clean air and water?
If we can all feel hunger pangs and stomach-aches, why can’t we all have access to healthy food and the means to feed our families?
If we can all feel the sadness of losing loved ones and the pain and tragedy of disease, why can’t we all have affordable healthcare?
If we can all feel our hearts beating in our chests, then why can’t we all have access to a quality education, safe neighborhoods, and freedom from racism, xenophobia, sexism, bigotry, and the threat of deportation?
Our capitalist society has created these stark contrasts, a culture of continuous competition where feelings of individuality and jealousy are valued over togetherness and solidarity.
More than any policy prescription or complex theory, socialism means a world where every neighborhood has access to safety, education, healthcare, healthy food, and clean air & water. It means our webs of hope and struggle entangling to form networks which finally shift this cold paradigm. It means joining hands and surrounding the greedy few who have steered the ship for so many years now.
This is a pivotal moment in our history and the actions we take now will determine how we live the rest of our lives, as well as what we leave behind for those who follow our fateful journey.
How much more will the waters have to rise before we ask ourselves:
Which future will we fight for?
