Grande, Meritocracy, and the Path Forward

In chapter 28 of A Dream Called Home, Reyna Grande laments over the fact of how instead of sending money to her grandmother, she spent it on new shoes, hair, and stones for her yard, forgetting of the vow she made that once she finished college and got a job she would send money every month. She remarks, "My salary as a teacher had been more than enough."(218), however, by that time it was too late. In Michael Sandel's Video, he explores how "The spirit of humility is the civic virtue we need now, it's the beginning of a way back from the harsh ethics of success that drives us apart and will point us to a more generous life." I saw his view on meritocracy and the spirit of humility relating to Grande, because if she had the humility to consider her grandmothers needs before her own, her grandmother could have lived an easier life. If Grande had accepted this spirit of humility, she could have been more generous but instead was distracted by her own wellbeing.

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