Edward Zeauskas

For the news paper

A time for Change


It is about time that the American people stood up and used their rights to start an intellectual revolution. A revolution does not necessarily mean hatred, war, or violence. It can mean simply challenging the status quo.
It was during Lincoln’s first inaugural that he stated “this country, with its institutions, belongs to the people who inhabit it. Whenever they grow weary of the existing government, they can exercise their constitutional right of amending it or their revolutionary right of dismembering it”
The revolution I speak of is one based on critical thinking that leads to common sense morality. I think in order to do so, we as a people must change our ideas of what is considered moral. Now morality at its core is simply actions taken in order to prevent or stop pain and suffering and the embracing of human rights as dictated through logic.
The morals within our society are based on an outdated sense of capitalism and the Judeo-Christian ethics of history. These outdate concepts throughout history have “not only accommodated itself to but has justified slavery, war and almost every other human exploitation of what ever status quo happened to prevail. Our society has deemed good dependent on the variable of whether we want it or not.”- Taken from Rules for Radicals, by Saul D. Alinsky
As a first step we can start this journey, this revolution of ideals, this want of change with the basic fundamentals of free speech and human rights. There is a “controversial” cause that is happening around us at all times. The right for gay marriage, the “underground” prejudice shown against those labeled as homosexual within the confines of our society is not only appalling but immoral in of itself, and this lack of human rights is based on the ideals of the current status quo. Just because rules and regulations make some people happy does not make them morally justified.
According to Kant’s categorical imperative in its simplest form; do unto others as you would want done to you. You should not lie, because you do not want anyone lying to you. You should not steal because you want no one to steal from you.  This is basic common sense, so why than do people not stand up for the rights of everyone if they were in the same situation they would want others to stand up for them. Why are those labeled “homosexual” denied the same rights as those labeled “heterosexual” do we not all deserve the same treatment? Are we not all created equal? Are we not all “human”, if you know the answer than ask yourself what is the moral justification behind not legalizing gay marriage?
If we as a people, united by just causes as is the embodiment of the American spirit were to stand up for the rights of all than all will stand up for the rights of everyone. There is a difference between the way the world is and the way it ought to be and it takes a united effort to turn it into what it ought to be. Slowly through the years it has been happening and now it is our turn, it is our generation’s time to make a difference. As was stated through history “an injustice anywhere is an injustice everywhere.” Let us start this intellectual and moralistic revolution by correcting this injustice and stating that gay marriage must be legalized based on common sense, logic, morality and the principles of human rights.