Fruitful
"But life at its best is a creative synthesis of opposites in fruitful harmony."-MLK
What does fruitful harmony among opposites look like? Is it the "American Dream" of a melting pot? Is it religious and political freedoms? Is it gun control? Is it stricter immigration laws? Is it police reform? Is it bridging the wealth gap?
MLK was assassinated 50 years ago, and I can't help but think that his America mirrors mine with very little progress. Yes, we have had some significant historical accomplishments, but we've suffered major setbacks. What does America's fruit look like? Have strange fruit on Southern trees become bullet-riddled bodies in backyards? Have we been fruitful or are we like cursed fig trees that bear no fruit? Have we been fruitful with our passions and dreams or have we buried our time, our tenth, and our talent? Have we been fruitful or are we barren?
Maximize
When I first heard the term "working poor," I thought it was some kind of sick joke. I could not fathom the idea that someone could work forty hours and still live below the poverty line. I did not think that homelessness just meant you didn't have an address. You could still have a job and sleep in your car. You could rent a room for a week and pay for storage. I was blissfully unaware. The wealth gap is expanding. The middle class is simply making ends meet. Some of us are one paycheck away from poverty. Our government is passing laws to ensure that the rich get richer and the poor stay impoverished.
“No person can maximize the American Dream on the minimum wage.”