May 11 2013: I have not lost my optimism, I am happy to say. I have seen the concept of spirituality (as opposed to religion) growing considerably over the last decade, and the recognition that working together is far more effective for everyone than striving to beat someone else to the same goal. A mindset that can change overnight -- in terms of history. The internet is the source of so much that we do not know yet what to do with, but fortunately it is not my generation's thing -- which will help the younger generations evolve with it without interference perhaps from the less technologically gifted among us. The status quo has always been a burden to a population, but now it seems the very nature of the "status quo" is constant change. I happen to really like change.
May 11 2013: My reaction was, this is not an accidental thing. One cannot create a mass consumer society if everyone is able to think and evaluate for themselves. Advertising is based on wanting things or fearing things or needing things -- all based on an education system that perpetuates myths about history as well as about current events, while not disputing anything at all. It is my great hope that the younger generations will ignore what we have tried to teach them and use the internet -- the most amazing university ever invented -- to discover new ways of seeing everything, new ways of doing everything, and how to think. I just realized recently that key to learning how to think is in playing games -- I never had kids, so didn't recognize the value in games. I think our love affair with the internet started out playing games. There is a certain joy in that :)
Jan 22 2012: It will require a whole lot of hard work, but it can be done by a real movement that uses the present system to elect people who are not backed by corporations. A superpac can spend millions of dollars to its media partners (rather incestuous, it seems), but we actually have the means to combat them on the internet by promoting candidates to run for the available senate and congressional seats, which are basically local contests. Choose the party that ailgns most with your core philosophy, and promote a candidate who is reasonable and willing to work to reach solutions. Not one Superpac has a vote. It is our job as responsible people to encourage better candidates. Americavotes.org is doing this, and probably others. One big problem, however: people have to work with others of totally different views; each one must give up the need to be right and work on common goals. Can we do it any better than our politicians?
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A reply on Talk: Ken Robinson: How to escape education's death valley
A reply on Talk: Ken Robinson: How to escape education's death valley
A comment on Conversation: How do we get corporations out of government.