Borders
In an enlightened society, everyone would have the opportunity to perform honest labor, and all labor would be prized equally. In an enlightened society, children would be encouraged to discover their true talents, and those talents would be celebrated by all. Money would not be the ugly thing it is. It would be sacred script, for its use would be a joyful reminder of our ability to cooperate in order to meet our needs. In an enlightened society, we would take delight in our myriad languages, customs, and ways, and see them as an expression of our collective intelligence and wit. We would understand that diversity is strength.
In an enlightened society, the very idea of borders would be considered offensive, for borders would be recognized as a hindrance and a blight. When I see them on a map, I feel no sense of pride. I see instead scars that shift and fade, only to be replaced by fresh raw wounds, which in time also become scars.
And to those who are content to think that barbarism is our lot, I say this: You will die by your assumption, and your descendants will be left with the work that you were not willing to do. Laugh if you must. Take more than your share. Build your dreams upon the failed dreams of others. Build them on their scarcely paid labor, and on their corpses piled high. Your success will be your prison. And when you are dead and gone, and the name on your tombstone has been obliterated by the elements, it will not matter which side of the border you were on.
May 3, 2006
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