Rockin' In the Free World

In his 1960 Inaugural Address, John F. Kennedy called upon the people of the United States to aid those in the lowest economic levels of society, domestically and worldwide. "If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich." He famously pleaded for Americans to "ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country." In one of his first actions as President, Kennedy established the Peace Corps, a program which gives young Americans the opportunity to volunteer in an underdeveloped society somewhere in the world with the hopes of promoting sustainability and development.

Kennedy realized the danger of a divided society in which the top percent of the population controlled an overwhelming amount of the wealth and means. The Peace Corps was one of his first attempts as President to close the equality gap, later followed by his push for a New Frontier of improved education for all, civil rights, Medicare and economic aid for rural regions. Since then, similar Peace Corps-like programs such as Americorps, Teach for America and City Year have helped hundreds of thousands of Americans domestically through volunteer work. Hundreds of other service organizations have had an impact both at home and abroad.

As Stephen Mack points out in a recent post, studies have shown that the more unequal a society is, the more volatile it becomes. While socialism theoretically produces the highest level of equality in a society, it is clear that socialist structures like those of the Scandinavian countries would never be possible in the United States. While it is easy to disagree on whether we should "eat the rich" and "redistribute wealth," it is impossible to argue that showing compassion, or as Mack puts it, fraternity, to those less fortunate wouldn't help narrow this growing schism of inequality.

No matter your political or economic tendencies, we can all agree that such selfless service helps our domestic and world societies. And while much inequality is economic, many solutions are not. Whether it is two years of service in the Peace Corps or 3 hours volunteering at a soup kitchen, expressions of fraternity for our common man reduce inequality even if it is by the smallest of margins.

So when questions arise such as those of public options and tax cuts for the rich, those so entrenched in ideals and rhetoric that they are bound to be endlessly battled out legislatively, ask not, and do more.