To what are we entitled?

*Originally posted 18 November 2010 on Prophets of the New World

"Which Things, tell me, are yours? Whence have you brought your goods into life? You are like one occupying a place in a theater, who should prohibit others from entering, treating that as this own which was designed for the common use of all. Such are the rich. Because they preoccupy common goods, they take these goods as their own. If each one would take that which is sufficient for his needs, leaving what is superfluous to those in distress, no one would be rich, no one poor . . . The rich man is a thief." - Basil of Caesaria *

We do not choose where we are born. Yet, it has been assumed a priori by proponents of the capitalist free market system, especially in the United States, that all citizens are afforded an equal chance at the "American Dream," (which unfortunately is commonly associated with wealth). But circumstances matter and hard work is not all it takes to live well in our society.

History has played a huge role in the way social groups have become unequally granted proximity and access to resources. Being born into a privileged life has obvious advantages to becoming a self-reliant adult. And those of us fortunate enough to be born into privilege reap the benefits of a history we are derived from and rarely taught. This history includes slavery, colonialism, war, prejudice. We frequently mistake our wealth as justly entitled. But the argument that "that was then and this is now" will not suffice anymore. What has happened throughout history cannot be undone, this is true. And the generations and millennia of history that we have lost with every dying species of plant and animal and every now extinct language cannot be recovered. But they can be discussed and correctly acknowledged. So rather than ignore and pretend, it is time to move forward.

We must be proactive in achieving balance once again. In order to sustain the test of life on Earth we must share responsibility for evils we did not commit. As the community of Earth, we win together and lose together. We must take a hard look at what we have, and honestly perceive what we have been so fortunately granted. Ask what you are fighting for that you should not be. Ask what you should be fighting for. It compels me to say aloud:

I am the luckiest man on earth because I was given all I know, and have never been hungry or frozen or without help a day in my life.
I am the luckiest man on earth because I can die today and not miss the computer and car and coffee I will leave behind.
I am the luckiest man on earth because I have more than I need, and I am ready to give.

- Basil of Caesaria was the bishop of Caesaria Mazaca in Cappadocia, Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey) during the 300's A.D. He was sainted in both the Western and Eastern traditions of Christianity. He gave away his family inheritance to help the poor. *

* Excerpt from The Verso Book of Dissent. pg. 10. Verso, 2010.