The arc of the moral universe is long but it bends toward justice.
President Obama is fond of this quote, do just a little web walking and you will see how many times he has written into his speeches and press conferences.
It has a rhythm to it, a poetic attractiveness.
These words have been attributed to Martin Luther King, Jr., who did use them in more than one instance but they really belong to Theodore Parker, a Unitarian minister, reformer and abolitionist, who used them in 1860.
What is a moral universe? My web browsing did not answer this question but during my paging, I was taken to an article about Shakespeare’s Macbeth. This is one of my favorites.
I have the benefit of a liberal arts education, a major in Psychology and English Literature has given me knowledge on a little bit of everything and a lot about a few things. In plain English, it means I can ask with authority if you’ll be having fries with that.
So, what is a moral universe? It must be big. The arc is long. A little bit of science in there, physics, maybe. I’ll check my transcripts and see what class covered arcs.
When I was helping organize during the earliest days of the Americans with Disabilities Act, I asked our very talented Executive Director about morality. You cannot legislate morality, though some may try. This is a good thing when you are trying to bring about social change.
Because attitudes cannot be legislated they become an obligation. If the law does not specifically state, for example, that people with disabilities are entitled to dignified access, it is easy to claim that the facility, store, or business has a moral obligation to provide dignity.
So, the “Arc of the Moral Universe is Long.” As a person with a disability, the arc has been a long one, it was 1990 when the ADA was signed into law, enforcement began between 1994 – 1997, and to this day, the matter of dignity is still an issue.
The second half of the quote, “But it Bends Toward Justice,” is reassuring. When the Reverend Parker said these words he was talking about an end to slavery. When the Reverend King took them up, he was taking things a step further and President Obama uses them to reach even further.
When people begin to understand their moral obligations, they become a part of the long arc of the moral universe.
Thank you for wading through this post. Click the links, read Macbeth, and come back in a few days to read about the very cool MacGyver-ism I performed while under the influence of sleep meds.