I also believe in Equality

Some freedoms be damned.

Equality, to me, is more important than efficiency. Equality, a sense of shared burden, effort to lift the burden together--to each carry a piece--leads to deeper happiness and authentic joy.

Capitalists have got it wrong. I swear. They do.

What good is a higher GDP, even a higher "quality of life" full of material things, if a segment of society MUST do the grunt work--disempowering and undesirable jobs--and the rest of society then carries the guilt deep down inside of knowing they got an unfair deal...they got off easy.

Capitalism and efficiency aim to produce more in order to garner more profits and harness more material goods. Capitalism hopes that there will be a trickle down effect with materials and happiness. That the more capital we accumulate, the easier our lives are, and the more joyful our souls become. Efficiency = fulfillment.

Really, not everyone's souls work this way. Joy comes from within, from our actions, from our contributions, from our sense of self-value, authenticity and empowerment, and explodes out. Joy comes from community, from lessening the load for others, from giving, from selflessness, from justice.

While some people deeply care about efficiency (the people who invented capitalism, presumably), efficiency does not make everyone giddy inside. It is also not the answer to everything.

What's traded for efficiency in our competitive capitalist society? Respect, equality, fun, love, compassion, generosity, spontaneity, altruism, authenticity, empowerment, togetherness, fairness, justice. These are fundamental parts of the human heart--the human race--that we fold for the sake of efficiency.

I can't believe in this system.

I must believe in equality. In valuing each person on earth the same despite their contributions, talents or skills. "I am woman; therefore, nothing human is alien to me." I must believe in a system that empowers people to do work that is empowering and desirable. I must believe in a system that strings humanity together and redistributes the burdens for everyone to carry pieces of. I must believe that if efficiency neglects so many core human values, equality and democracy must be prioritized for the sake of humanity's soul, for the sake of fulfillment and for the sake of true gratitude for our time on earth.

I don't want to spend my time here so hung up on efficiency that I neglect compassion, generosity, and spontaneity. That I neglect to enjoy life. To love it. To love others, fully.