There’s a story about the beginnings of two small seedlings in an everlasting amazon rainforest. One tree grew on a flat surface near the top of the cliff, while the other grew on an uneven section a few feet below. Over time, with rain and sunshine, the seedlings grew and grew.
Eventually, the tree near the top of the cliff started to grow faster since it had a better position that the other tree. It got to absorb more sunlight and rain while the other got whatever was left. Since it grew on an uneven section, the roots were exposed and it couldn’t germinate and spread its roots through the soil properly like the other tree.
It came to a point in which the tree near the cliff would eclipse the other tree, now dominating the sun and rain. This allowed it to mature quicker and spread its seed across the rainforest. The cycle would continue as the seedlings of this tree would start to grow and eventually the forest would be covered with the same type of tree.
The other tree would mature slower and would start to spread its seed, but by now, the forest didn’t have as much room for other trees. Future generations would have to struggle to survive and flourish.
Why does this matter?
This is something to consider when looking a realistic example like comparing someone from a wealthy and affluent environment or family versus someone that grew up in an impoverish area. We rarely see the reason why things accumulate and lean towards those with privilege.
In Malcolm Gladwell’s book, The Tipping Point, those with affluent parents could use their summer vacation to pursue interests and talk with experts in their field. This allows a child to gain invaluable experience, connections, and practical experience that the poor kid couldn’t. Repeating this over many summers and you can see how it compounds.
What can we do?
The first we must do is to not play the blame game. It’s an easy to point the fingers and relinquish self-discipline. We must take ownership of our actions and our future. To have the knowledge of this socio-economic discrepancy isn’t enough, we must educate others and lead the charge to make the change we want to see. I believe it starts with the self. We can’t change others, but we can start with us.
From there, as we find our own successes, we need to help the next generation find their own successes and to accumulate their own advantages. An example could be to tutor or to be active community member for the youth. Or even easier, be that person for the group of people around you. It doesn’t have to be as lavish as creating your own organization.
These are imperative lessons we need to pass onto the next generation. The narrative of hating those in power is one that doesn’t give the progress that we want. There are still lots of land in this rainforest, so we must keep working despite our lack of advantages.
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