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opportunities they were previously denied. The close of the 20th century resulted in women taking from
men their birthright. The advantages of being born male have diminished.
Suketu Mehta, an immigrant from India who now is an American citizen, reminds us that the
theft of birthrights is not isolated to gender issues. The birthright of being an American is being handed
over, as well. Suketu Mehta was brought to this country by his parents when he was 14, that he might
experience a better life than was possible in India. His parents’ dream became reality. They have
prospered in the United States; they are included among those Indians who are one of the wealthiest
ethnic groups in our nation.
The great irony is that, now, the children of Mr. Mehta may need to go to India to prosper! He
has observed about the generations in his family:
My father came to America in 1977 not for its
political freedoms or its way of life, but for the
hope of a better economic future for his children.
My grandfathers on both sides left rural Gujarat
in northwestern India to find work: one to Calcutta,
which was even more remote in those days than
New York is from Bombay now; and the other
to Nairobi. Mobility, we have always known,
is survival. Now I face the possibility that my
children will find their jobs outsourced to the
very country their grandfather left to pursue
economic opportunity.*
I.B.M. is eliminating 13,000 jobs in the U.S. and establishing 14,000 jobs in India. In the
coming year, alone, 1/10 of our technology jobs will be outsourced to other nations. That upon which
we thought we could depend -- lifelong security as a result of our labor -- is that upon which we are no
longer be able to rely.
Our birthright has been lost.
The story of Esau and Jacob reminds us of the value of a birthright. In ancient Israel, the first-
born son received a special inheritance, usually two-thirds of the family estate. Esau was born only
minutes before Jacob; nevertheless, the timing of his entry in this world entitled him to privileges that
were denied his twin.
The birthright was not an assignment of equality. The birthright was the awarding of privilege.
The birthright meant that Esau would have possessions and benefits denied his brother.
For all the privileges that came with being the firstborn, Esau was willing to let go of his
birthright. Esau transferred his birthright to Jacob. Esau gave up the promise of future rewards that
would come with his inheritance after Isaac, his father, died. Esau relinquished the benefits he would
receive in the future to receive a feast in the present. Esau traded abundance in the future to assuage his
immediate hunger.
Jacob – the shepherd, the chef, the cook, the man who literally put food on the table – Jacob
insisted that, if he were to contribute to Esau’s well-being, his brother would have to give him a cut of
the action. Jacob demanded that Esau forfeit his birthright. Jacob would not give him a morsel of food
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