Recently, I read "A Discourse on Inequality" by Jean Jaques Rousseau. His ideas permeated 18th century Europe and the Age of Reason, which further, no doubt, influenced new world ideas grappled by the Founding Fathers of America. Here is an illuminating quote which Rousseau presented: "You are lost if you forget the fruits of the earth belong to everyone and that the earth itself belongs to no one." To the minds of those trying to establish themselves in the expansive, new frontier of America, these must have been powerful, liberating words.
Rousseau suggests: From a beginning of equally sharing the earth, man was independent but gave away his freedom and his share of the fruits of the earth in prehistoric times when he first accepted the civil and social contracts that others were able to suggest and establish. When people first allowed others to lay stakes and claim land as their own, they sowed the seeds which would lead to many horrors the world has had to endure. For we may have been spared wars, murder and other crimes of power had someone had the foresight, at the beginning and continually through time, to remove any stakes of claim and rightfully point out that no one can claim "This is mine."
And when we look at the Earth from space, we have a new awareness and see a visible example of Rousseau's initial observation. For we find no lines separating country from country. All people born and being born on Earth should ideally have an equal share of the God-given fruits of the earth. The earth belongs to no one. And this, I believe, is the most pressing problem that the world faces today and one that the original founders of America recognized. But America has since slipped far away from that initial vision of the equality of man and now represents more the world that it was trying to escape. For now, America exemplifies a world of inequality and privilege. In America today, "Profit" is god and rules accordingly with a problematic world empire vision.
And so it comes as no surprise that we see inequality raising its ugly head throughout our over-populated world. And, according to Rousseau, it all began because of our naive, trusting ancestors initially buying into the concept "This is mine" a very long time ago in a world that seemed of infinite abundance. And now it has become the task of our age to find answers which can correct this inequality crisis, otherwise, we will continually face dissension and wars. And what encompassing, equitable system can the world envision and agree to establish for all?
Bill Wiedmann
Hot Springs
Editorial on 07/27/2014