Upon the progress of knowledge the whole progress of the human race is immediately dependent: he who retards that, hinders this also.
“
| — | Johann Gottlieb Fichte |
To the liberal Democratic faithful, Mr. McGovern remained a standard-bearer well into old age, writing and lecturing even as his name was routinely invoked by conservatives as synonymous with what they considered the failures of liberal politics.
Comparing the 20th century to now there are many hopeful signs. Look at the way people view war. These days many people challenge the need for it, they question why we have to resort to it. In the early twentieth century there was no talk about protecting the environment, yet now everyone is aware of it. Our perceptions are coming closer to reality; humanity is becoming more mature and I am optimistic about the future.
“
| — | Dalai Lama |
“We’re celebrating the news that President Obama just endorsed marriage equality for the first time. What does marriage equality have to do with climate change? We believe that a society that believes in treating all people equally — no matter their race, class, gender, religion, or sexual identity — is a society that’s more likely to extend that same respect and care to future generations and the planet.
Just as important, our movement is only possible because of the love and personal connections that so many of our organizers share. When you look through the incredible photos from this weekend’s Climate Impacts Day events, for example, you’ll see people of all ages, races, religions, and sexual orientations taking part. We’re a diverse movement and we support the rights of each and every one of our members.
We’re also incredibly thankful for the support that many LGBT activists and organizations have given to our work. Here in the Bay Area, our first 350.org office was a room in a big shared space that included one of our all-time heroes, Kip Williams, who went on to co-found GetEQUAL, one of the groups that helped lead the fight for marriage equality. Years later, we used GetEQUAL megaphones to power our chants at the White House during the Keystone XL sit-ins. And we were joined at those demonstrations by equal rights advocates like Lt. Dan Choi, who gives powerful testimony in the video below about why he was willing to risk arrest to stop the pipeline: “
We are very, very small, but we are profoundly capable of very, very big things.
“
| — | Hawking. (via thesummerlivesoninmywalkman) |
Predictions of the Future, circa 1900
American civil engineer John Elfreth Watkins, Jr. published this set of predictions in that eternal home of futurism, Ladies Home Journal. In it he nails the following:
- Americans increasing height
- Central air conditioning
- Prepared meals
- Color photography and mobile sharing
- The internet
- Speed trains
Unfortunately we have yet to see the strawberries as big as apples. C’est la vie.
John Lennon & Yoko Ono: WAR IS OVER! (If You Want It) (by Y0K0ON0)
Human history becomes more and more a race between education and catastrophe.
“
| — | Herbert George Wells |
‘As the president noted: “When middle-class families can no longer afford to buy the goods and services that businesses are selling, it drags down the entire economy from top to bottom. … that’s why a CEO like Henry Ford made it his mission to pay his workers enough so they could buy the cars they made.”
There are many other connections besides the demand case the president makes: a strong middle class is a prerequisite for robust entrepreneurship and innovation, a source of trust that makes business transactions more efficient, a bulwark against credit booms and busts, and a progenitor of virtuous, forward-looking behaviors, such as valuing education.’
Tenzin Gyatso, 14th Dalai Lama - The Power of Women (by gyalwarinpoche)
