I want everyone to have access to basic necessities and a high quality-of-life. But I also want people to thrive, and that means more than just the basics. Humans deserve to have good lives! They deserve to live in comfortable homes, and take vacations, and eat a variety of foods, and explore the world they live in, and be surrounded by bright colorful things that make them happy. People deserve to be excited about being alive! They deserve to enjoy the amazing things this world has to offer! And it’s ridiculous that in a world full of this strange new abundance of wealth and wonders and resources—things beyond anything our ancestors could predict!—the majority of the population still struggles just to meet basic needs.

Humans deserve better lives. All of us, not just the ones on top.

“Our lives shall not be sweated
From birth until life closes
Hearts starve as well as bodies
Give us bread, but give us roses”

Oh I love this.

“Bread and Roses” was a powerful early 20th century political slogan associated with women’s suffrage and worker’s rights. It was popularized in part by the Jewish poet James Oppenheim, in his breathtaking poem (quoted above) of the same name, and used famously in the Bread and Roses Strike of 1912.

The message of Bread and Roses resonated deeply with underpaid, exploited workers of the era, who worked long hours for abusive employers, for unlivable wages. Sound familiar?

Yes, we should absolutely bring this slogan back for the 2020s.

(Full poem below!)

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