I remember as a child of four or five, one day I learned a new game in day-care called "Musical Chairs". The staff would count how many children were present, let's say - nine... and then place eight chairs in the center. Well, I'm sure you all know how the game went. I think the first time I played, I cried because I wasn't familiar with the rules, and when I didn't reach a chair fast enough - whoever was in charged blew the whistle like some evil-child-hater tyrant and yelled "You're OUT!" Out? Out!? What do you mean "I'm out" !?! I went and stood by the corner, with tears gushing down my face and vowed next time to find a chair fast enough so I wouldn't "be out". Sure enough, next time, I found a chair. And the next time, again, I found a chair. I was never the one "out" again, thanks to my speed and competitive nature. But for whoever got a chair, some poor child was the last one standing and was yelled and laughed at by all the kids "you're out!". That was my earliest memory of the inner structures of meso and micro sociology. They inadvertently inform us early on, how to compete, even though it isn't necessary. How when the music stops, there will always be someone left out. Out, jobless. Without adequate support for education, housing, food. Even love... Most of us have at least someone in our lives that loves us to bits and pieces. Loves us fully, no matter how annoying or selfish we can be. Their love is found in their forgiveness, generosity and actions. They support us, in whichever way. It is only with that love that we owe whatever outward or inward success to. Love heals, blesses, blossoms. But for the person who is left without, what exactly does "out" look like? Donna Baines' discusses in Doing Anti-Oppressive Practice: the module for working together in an effort to advocate for equal human rights. She goes into length about the society in which we are raised teaches us from childhood how to - in my own words - fend for ourselves. I for me. You for you. Instead of the word We being associated with Solidarity, it is considered too political. Communism - yikes! What a controversial and heated debate that word brings up, most people want to avoid conflict altogether by sweeping it under the rug. How many people in the last century, even in the last decade have died for believing and striving for a cause whose integrity lives on equal and shared rights for all? It goes the same for Religion. The base of which all religion is fundamentally the same, that of unconditional love. When politics and religion (the two most dangerous topics to bring up in a crowd) fall in the hands of Man. Power-hungry, uncompromising arrogance.... all hell breaks loose. Something once pure, is now tarnished and whose good name is remembered primarily for its abuse. We live in a society where one family can have 6 houses, 9 cars (several of which are joyrides that just sit in their bloated garages) and the most premium produce from Whole Foods. Abundant access to the best doctors, dentists, beauticians, etc etc... While another family, not so far away, doesn't even have beans and rice to feed their malnourished children. Well what did we expect? We were all a product of Musical Chairs growing up! Before we learned how to read, write and practice arithmetic, we were strategizing with speed and aggression how to secure our chair when the music suddenly stopped. When we exist in a world of these ethics, their is no moral support or even answers to questions like these. People respond, "why should I have to give up half my possessions that I worked hard for because of some family I don't even know? What's that got to do with me?" In my opinion, however insightful or insignificant, we don't need to rally and march down the streets where protests quickly turn into riots. We need to simply change the education of our future generations, first by changing the rules of Musical Chairs. When the music stops, should one child be left standing up, every child sitting stands up alongside him/her. And no one sits down until the teacher (government, corporations, politicians.. whatever...) provides enough chairs. This instills different characteristics besides that of competition and fear. |
2 Comments
12/5/2016 09:32:06 am
I adore your websites way of raising the awareness on your readers.
Reply
Dorrina
12/7/2016 12:46:01 am
Thank you for your kind words :)
Reply
Leave a Reply. |
Categories
All
Archives
July 2022
|