Slavery

I’ve always been concerned that we may blame slave traders for something they did not fully understand in the same way that we do today.

They had no concept of how our brains might work. They encountered people who were called slaves, who could not speak their language, who were starving, downtrodden and denied opportunity.

They were assumed by some to be lesser animals, and it was only years later, when people began to receive enough food and the beginnings of an education, that others started to see the change.

So, fifty years ago, I knew that when I walked into an office to interview a very senior executive of a major oil company, and he was as black as an ace of spades, it made no difference whatsoever. He was top class.

We both treated each other with the utmost respect. We got along extremely well, and we both achieved our objectives.

Now we know, based on the latest findings, that each of us has the innate power to learn, develop and achieve things that, to some, might look like miracles.

We still have this problem today whenever people, both men and women, are denied or refused education. Whatever name we give it, if someone is denied the right to do better, then they are being held back from reaching their potential.

That means we need to think seriously about those who deny others education, opportunity and advancement. In that sense, they are modern slavers, and we probably need to review and revise how we treat them.