“ Power in the hands of the reformer is no less potentially corrupting than in the hands of the oppressor. ”
We live in a system that espouses merit, equality, and a level playing field, but exalts those with wealth, power, and celebrity, however gained.
~ Derrick A. Bell
Resistance is a powerful motivator precisely because it enables us to fulfill our longing to achieve our goals while letting us boldly recognize and name the obstacles to those achievements.
Education leads to enlightenment. Enlightenment opens the way to empathy. Empathy foreshadows reform.
However self-sufficient we may fancy ourselves, we exist only in relation -- to our friend, family, and life partners; to those we teach and mentor; to our co-workers, neighbors, strangers; and even to forces we cannot fully conceive of, let alone define. In many ways, we are our relationships.