Recently, I watched the movie, "Origin", on Netflix. It is based on the life of Isabel Wilkerson who wrote the book, "Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents".
Watch the movie and learn what she has to said about caste if you think that it is not relevant in your life. Maybe, I can persuade you to watch it by sharing what she said:
"Caste is not simply hatred. It is the worn grooves of routine and expectations, patterns of a social order that have been in place so long it looks natural when it isn't. Caste is everywhere, yet invisible. No one avoids exposure to its message and the message is simple. One kind of person is more desrving of freedom than another kind. Freedom to love whoever you want to love. Freedom to go wherever you want to go. Freedom to express yourself however you want to express yourself. Freedom to resist and fight for your human right to do so.
A world without caste would set everyone free".
Have you read this quote by J.M. Barrie?
"All of this has happened before, and it will all happen again".
The reason why issues with social status can happen again is because we were not taught how to face it. The victims do not want to talk openly about their traumatic events. Those who could benefit by allowing unfair segregation to continue will not feel comfortable talking about it either. Isabel Wilkerson said that you don't escape trauma by ignoring it, you escape by confronting it. Her metaphor will change your mind if you plan on letting bygone be bygone:
"We are all like homeowners who have inherited a house on a piece of land that's beautiful on the outside but the soil is unstable. People say I had nothing to do with how this all started.I never owned slaves. I didn't mistreat untouchables. I didn't gas Jews. And yes, not one of us was around when this house is built. But here we are. The current occupants of a property with stress cracks built into the foundation and a roof that must be replaced. We are heirs to whatever is right or wrong with it. We didn't errect the uneven pillars but they are ours to deal with now. The cracks won't fix themselves. Any more deterioration is on our watch."
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