The Road to Equality

                 Destiny never comes as a kind word to some, as their futures hold very little promise of an equal path toward goals that are usually shared by all.  Walking this dreary path changes an otherwise enlightened soul into one who separates himself from others based upon reasons that most would like to forget, as the many “ethnic” communities prove by simply existing.  Usually, when one tries to voice an idea that could possibly break down the walls guarding such distrust between people that are only different on the outside, they are met by strong resistance.  Color, that which has historically been the strongest reason to distance  one group from another, is still a common divisor; however, other divisions can be made for all manner of reasons including age, sexual orientation, background, nationality, religious affiliations, and even  financial standing.  Most simply accept this separation as a basic part of society; which, if left alone, will continue into futures that even the simple minded can predict.

            After several social movements that held the promise of reaching a stage of equality which was felt as  an inevitable outcome,  the work of men with hatred in their hearts and justifications based upon “common knowledge,” proved that the walls were not only unscathed, but actually strengthened.  Now, many live in areas where their education attempts to erase any idea that one person receives less than the next, or is subject to stricter rules which others do not need subscribe.   It is not a difficult task to see that many people are simply looked at as almost sub-human, and as such, are thought of as guilty even before an act could take place.  Even children, our donations to humanity’s future, wake up each day facing trials that destroy their innocence and cement society’s perception of where they should be.

            For the world to truly change, a revolution must occur, one which is not to be led by those underneath, but from those that offer the strongest divisions.  This means that to fix the problems plaguing the many minorities within our society, one from the majority will have to accept that, for some time, his actions may lower him below those he seeks to assist.  However, one cannot come from the top and expect their words to resonate with all without a deep understanding of the trials faced by such minorities.  Only by clothing oneself in the apparel of the minority, walking without fear in their communities, and living as if equality was an alien concept, will one understand.  Equality is a word that has truthfully never found a situation in which it could be applied without question.  Despite what the common man believes, there has never been an equally shared concept that anyone can take part in, other than death itself.

            How does this change begin?  This question has likely been asked by every man of color, every homosexual, every reformed criminal, and every person seen as outside the “in” crowd.  Answering this question, as one can imagine, is exceptionally difficult, as the idea has been tossed around by many with good intentions; however, they usually lack the knowledge necessary to structure it into a narrative.  To throw a message into the wild, without a name to blame, or a target to be had, means that even if the answer is correct, no one will give it a second thought.  If though, a man throws his message and his life into the public arena without fear or prejudice, the road will begin to look passable, even if it has the promise of death for the first to raise the issue. Fear, the greatest enemy to all who walk the earth, must be the first target eliminated for equality to even have a chance of survival in the long term.

            If one walks without fear, then the “common knowledge” that the dark man will do you harm will not be considered before initiating contact with him.  Fear of being attacked, robbed, or having one’s community polluted by color fuels the hatred which is continuously inherited by the next generation; one which, if left alone, creates an assortment of negative imagery which is next to impossible to remove without exposure to the original fear.  Unfortunately, fear is a basic part of the human experience and without a proper education, there is nothing to alleviate it.  Thus, those that seek enlightenment through increasing their knowledge of the world stand the greatest chance of accepting the concept of equality.  Once, the thought of absolute equality promoted a fear that saw the nation fight a bitterly cold war against an enemy that simply had an opposing philosophy for how to structure a society.  

            While the communist ideals will forever find damnation here, the idea of being equal, at least in an interpersonal capacity, is the point this narrative and the life mission of its author.  If ever we are to stand together, truly united against the storm that life continuously throws at us all, we must see the person, not the exterior.  The old phrase, “never judge a book by its cover,” is one of the greatest lessons a person can apply to their lives; furthermore, “never judging a corn cob by a single bad kernel,” would be more appropriate, as society is guilty of making too many generalizations about a particular group, based upon the actions of a single person or the very few.   Without fear, the strong, well educated man will greet the Arabian without assuming he will hail from a terrorist cell; he will hire the black man without fear of being robbed blind, and associate with the homosexual who seeks to simply coexist, not promote his own lifestyle upon others.   The future has arrived, but have we?