The Modern Slave Trade

I am a part of the new slave trade. I work my ass off day in and day out, and I do it not for my own advancement and improvement, but rather to improve the lives of others. I didn't choose this, it was imposed upon me because of who I am.

I am told by my owners that my needs and desires are unimportant, that I must work for their needs and desires. I am told by parents of children that I must work to subsidize the education, nutrition and health of their children. I am told by the elderly that I must work to bring them comfort, health and susidized drugs. I am told that I did nothing wrong to become a slave, but that my type of people were simply meant to be slaves because of who we are.

I am between the ages of 25 and 45 and therefore I am meant to be a slave. I am without children, and therefore I am meant to be a slave. I am a hard worker who strives to better my life and my quality of productivity, and therefore I am meant to be a slave.

I am told that despite my toil, I am but a small, small person compared to those who no longer work due to their age, or cannot productively work due to a lack of age or education. I am told that the elderly are far too important to my "society" to be allowed to produce their own comfort or health. I am told that mothers and children are far too important to be required to provide for their own educational needs and goals. I am told that the most important people in my society are those who produce the least and consume the most.

I must continue to produce for my society's consumers. I must do this not because of what I've done wrong, but because I belong the the class of individuals which my society has chosen as its slaves. I do not want to be a slave, and I don't understand the values by which my enslavement is enforced; but if I want to live, and if I love this world despite my enslavement, I must continue to toil for my masters or face certain death, as my society does not tolerate unproductive slaves.

I often wonder if my fellow slaves hear me when I cry at these injustices? I often call out to them to rise up and revolt against their masters - to go on strike and refuse to continue to provide the unearned and undeserved sustinence I give them. But as slaves, we are too busy facing the daily chore of surviving our work and properly utilizing the meager portions left for us. We are far too afraid of losing not only the wealth left to us by our masters, but even our lives if we fail in our rebellion. Our spirits seem broken, and perhaps they are...