I Desire Inequality.

"The year was 2081, and everybody was finally equal. They weren't only equal before God and the law. They were equal every which way. Nobody was smarter than anybody else. Nobody was better looking than anybody else. Nobody was stronger or quicker than anybody else."

This is the opening paragraph of the short story "Harrison Bergeron" by Kurt Vonnegut.  When I first read those words I thought that it was a beautiful statement.  Equality has finally come.  Everyone, of every color, of every background, of every facet of difference, is finally treated the same in society.  But I now say this:  I do not want to live in a society of equality. I'm not talking about equality in relation to an oppressed group.  I think often we confuse justice with equality.  Most times in history when people want equality, what they're really desiring is justice.  Equality is, in fact, undesirable.

If true equality means that all become equal, then things must also be subtracted.  Giving rights to one group must also lead to taking rights from another.  In the story, ALL are equal in EVERY way.  Equality in this fictional world is achieved by taking away the outstanding characteristics of individuals.  A handicap is given to camouflage any good quality about anyone.  Beauty is masked, intelligence is hidden, and talent is concealed.

But let's be honest for a moment.  At one time or another haven't we all wished this upon someone else?  Even right here on this campus.  We see the remarkable qualities in others, and in the midst of our jealousy wish there was a way that we could strip them of their talents, of the things that make them them.  And why do we want this?  Because it will make us feel better about ourselves.  But they're too good.  People won't see me because they're obstructing the view.  I won't get my chance because they're in the way.  I think that we need to stop desiring equality and deal with our own jealousy.  Because after all, our worth only comes from one place: from the fact that we are made in the image and likeness of God.  Each in our own unique and individual ways.

Rejoice in other's victories. But realize that you will never be them, for you are you.  Celebrate your external inequalities; relish in the things that make you unique.  For in your inequalities, you are still equal in worth:  you're made in Christ's very own image.

A Dream Deferred

Two years ago I took a road trip with my brothers.  We departed from our home in Pennsylvania and ended our journey here in Lakeland.  Our trip was loud and filled with laughter and memories as we stopped in various cities we had mapped out in our planning.  But there was one place amidst the noise of our adventure that is distinguished in my mind by its moving silence.  We were in Memphis, Tennessee standing outside the Lorraine Motel, eyes locked on the balcony where Martin Luther King, Jr was assassinated some 41 years earlier.  The silence lingered as there were no words fitting to express the overwhelming emotion.  How does the life of a man with such compassion, such dreams, and such passionate pursuit of justice be brought to such a tragic end?  How could so much hate collide with such immense love at one moment?  It was a time where injustice festered in America; all value was stripped away from a portion of humanity.  In an instant, a dream was seemingly shattered.  What then?  Langston Hughes writes:



What happens to a dream deferred?Does it dry up
like A RAISIN IN THE SUN?
Or fester like a sore--
And then run?
Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar over--
like a syrupy sweet?Maybe it just sags
like a heavy load.Or does it explode?

The day before his death, Martin Luther King, Jr delivered a speech in which he said, "I've looked over, and I've seen the promised land.  I may not get there with you, but I want you to know tonight that we as a people will get to the promised land.  So I'm happy tonight.  I'm not worried about anything.  I'm not fearing any man."  His dream was fulfilled long after his life was ended.  His vision of justice manifested itself long after that day in 1968.  I believe that there is strength in dreams.  I believe that there is power in a vision for the future.  I believe that justice is possible.  I believe that "injustice everywhere is a threat to justice everywhere."  I believe that justice is possible today, even in our world immersed in child prostitution, poverty,  and war, where human lives are bought and sold, where hatred runs rampant.  I believe that one day, through the actions of dreamers, value will be restored to humanity.

Wrong Dreams. Right Dreams.

“He had all the wrong dreams.  All, all, wrong...He never knew who he was” (Miller 111).  These are Biff’s words at his father’s funeral.  What is a dream?  Is it a something that our imagination makes without our consent?  Or is it something that we create ourselves?  We can scientifically study the dreams that come in our slumber, but what about the dreams that are born while we are awake?  One definition of dream is “a strongly desired goal or purpose.”  A dream is something that we wish to accomplish.  One must first discover and create for himself something that he wishes to accomplish.  As Biff so painfully states, his father did not know who he was; Biff later sharply says that he knows who he is.  A dream comes first from finding something that is personally fulfilling.  Willy Loman’s dreams led to dead ends because they were adopted from the heart of another man and founded in the opinions of outside sources.  I contest to say that a dream is something one must work for.  The dreams we discover are not our fate, but our choice.  It is a choice to work for and accomplish the dreams our heart hold for our lives.  According to the Oxford English Dictionary, one early use of the word dream derived in Old English is a verb meaning “To make a musical or joyful noise; to make melody.”  To dream is to take action; it is a verb.  To dream is to make an audible sound that others can hear.  To dream is to bring joy to the heart.  Three-time track and field Olympian Gail Devers once said, “Keep your dreams alive. Understand to achieve anything requires faith and belief in yourself, vision, hard work, determination, and dedication. Remember all things are possible for those who believe.”  Willy Loman did not know what it meant to dream, to find something fulfilling and work towards it with determination.  Amidst the dreary and dismal background of Death of a Salesman, there is perhaps a gleam of light coming in at the close: Biff’s realization that self-revelation leads to the right kind of dreams.

Miller, Arthur. Death of a Salesman. New York: Penguin, 1998. Print.