History classes teach us that The Enlightenment happened in Europe and the United States (the U.S to be, that is) between the 1500's and the end of the Industrial Revolution. I believe that this couldn't be further from the truth. In fact, I believe that The Enlightenment is still going on today. And today it's leaders are social liberals.
True in the 1789 all men were created equal, but it wasn't until 1865 that black men were included, and 1921 until white and black women were included. And still after that point we had segregation, race riots, the KKK, and to this day anti-gay movements.
But I think we are about to reach the top of the mountain on this one. Thankfully, it's been nearly 500 years. In time we will learn to accept the rights of those different from us in all their aspects. We won't look away when a black man or gay couple walks down the street. We won't have need for words like nigger and fag. Someday soon we will see that Arab is not a reason to kill. Neither is race, religion, orientation, sex, age, mental capacity, or ideas.
I do hold out hope for civilization, perhaps we can look beyond the color of our skin, our religions, our differences really and realize that in the end we are all people. And people all deserve the same respect and dignity that you have.
My only hope is that I live to see this come true. Then I will be happy.
1 comment:
I agree that somewhere inside us all we have made choices and that those choices have varied from generation to generation, to discriminate against certain people. I say that I hold out hope, eternally optimistic in man's ability, that we one day will be able to realize that we are all people, none better than another. Perhaps of all the impersonal, big picture dreams that I have, this one is my favorite. It's not as if we couldn't do it. I know we can. But as you did say, history seems to object to this theory.
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