Is everyone entitled to the dream?

Between goals and objectives, there exists one main obstacle: inequality

Written By: Fernando Cafe

Being an astronaut. Making a lot of money. Graduating from university. Having a job. Not starving. Dreaming is an intrinsic part of human existence, and the diversity of possibilities that this creates helps build our perspectives, goals, and objectives. The sense of idealization we yearn for becomes something practical and feasible. However, dreaming and seeking one's dream is determined by how privileged you are (believe me, this is for a few).

Every day, stories of inequality are often interpreted to be synonymous with meritocracy. This term emerged in Michael Young's book "The Rise of the Meritocracy" and represents an ideal of merit and power, in which those who "succeed" dedicate themselves and strive the most. In other words, we all have a condition of equality to accomplish our goals. However, in countries of extreme inequality, meritocracy imposes a scenario in which some are given a head start while others begin at stage zero. Thus, unfortunately, the result of this departure - which defines lives and stories - is already predefined, and dreaming becomes a mere illusion.

Based on UN and UNESCO data, 735 million people are going hungry, and 2.3 billion experience food insecurity. Moreover, political instabilities persist in Syria, Yemen, Ukraine, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Haiti. Approximately 258 million children do not have access to education. The dreams of these people are not stratospheric and instead represent simple desires to live with adequate food, peace, and education – all constructs of life that we have the privilege of having.

So, how can we dream of going to the moon if there still exists severe problems here on Earth? How can we inhabit new planets if we do not take proper care of our own? Unfortunately, one cannot dream of the universe if you do not even have the world. But, "if living is better than dreaming," when will the right to dream come out of the paper and turn into life?