By Georgie Bright Kunkel

Over the years people have risen up to demand what they considered to be their rights and to share in the good life. But even with any one group speaking out for equality at any one time, there has been the impression that the human rights movements could never serve the needs of all people. Each needy group had to wait its turn to be served. The fact is that equality means that every individual in society deserves to have his or her basic needs met. But in reality each needy group has had to stand in line for equality. First it was the early settlers who needed to escape the class divisions of old England. Then as each new ethnic group ventured to the New World they had to wait their turn for equal treatment. From the beginning of time people have tended to associate with their own kind. Those who stood out in unique ways were shunned.

The labor movement was one of the ways that working people gained at least some of the rights they deserved. Over the decades, however, the rich managed to become richer and the poor simply had to wait for handouts. With wars dictating the spending of great sums of money it seems there is often not enough money to go around. We complain about how much it costs to educate the young but there is no hue and cry about the cost of war after war.

It is not pleasant to dwell on all this and so I have decided not to. Since I cannot stop the warring in the world, I prefer to ignore the TV news and try to concentrate on what I have power over. More and more I realize that stripping away the superfluous frills of our culture is essential to living the good life. After all, what is truly basic is communicating with friends and family. Realizing that each one of us is living a unique culture is important in recognizing the importance of each human being who touches our lives.
Real live human contact is all important. Not the adoration of an image on the movie screen or the gyrations of a singing star on stage.

Older siblings, friends or teachers can make an indelible impression on young children. There is no such being as the self made individual. Without the influence of older, more mature humans in our lives we would remain like our savage ancestors.

Each generation grows and develops as a result of interaction with mature beings that influence their lives. As a former teacher, I cherished the letters from former students who remembered what I had brought into their lives in the classroom. Each person carries in their psyche influences that nurture and help to mold character. When society turns its back on the less fortunate, then there is a segment of this society that is short changed.

Often we forget that each one of us can make a difference in someone else’s life. Each one of us is responsible for our actions in helping to shape the next generation. Young children do not learn to love and to value the virtues that make them human without each generation modeling for the next one.

Before women could limit their childbearing, they could not easily reach out into the world and share the brilliance of their minds. Once only males were formally educated. But as I have often said, if society utilizes only the minds of males then only half of the brilliance and expertise of the human race is available to the world. It is time to make sure that all humans are trained and educated so that they can function as total beings in maintaining a fully functioning society with cooperation and sharing of talents a priority.
Georgie Bright Kunkel is a freelance writer who can be reached at HYPERLINK "mailto:gnkunkel@comcast.net" gnkunkel@comcast.net or 206-935-8663.