It is the universality of the story, it's long-entrenched position in our Western culture that gives the story its poignancy. The digital notion of equality and the analog notion of freedom are constantly working with and against each other to shape and direct our lives. We are continually at the center of the interaction of these two forces.
The universality of the story also lies in the fact that it describes each and every one of us, as we are, here and now. Equality tells us that everyone is more or less entitled to the same kinds of things (and I'm not talking about possessions here ... that's a completely different issue that we may get to later), ideals, hopes, dreams, feelings of safety, security, health and more. Freedom tells us that it's not an all or nothing game, there are degrees of freedom: children are not as free as their parents, nor should they be, but they should be raised to be able to deal with freedom. In some situations, like the movie theater referred to earlier, we must limit our freedom ourselves. One way to think of it is that your own freedom stops where the next person's freedom starts. Equality reminds us that we're not naturally deserving of any more of it than anyone else. To put it another way: we're all in the same boat together.
As such, it is necessary that we find a way (or ways) to accommodate one another. We need to work with each other, not against each other to achieve common goals. In our boat metaphor, what benefits one of us (be she look out in the front or the guy holding the rudder in the back), benefits all of us.
What is particularly tricky (and intriguing) about the situation is that at different times for different reasons, individuals may have different needs, and this is part of the equation as well. Being in it all together does not mean that there are no reasonable or worthy differences that shouldn't be accommodated, for there are, and there should be.
The question that springs to my mind is, however, who decides and how?
No comments:
Post a Comment