We have modified our environment so radically that we must now modify ourselves to exist in this new environment.
Norbert WienerRead
This is how a revolution begins. It begins when someone grows tired of standing idly by, waiting for history's arc to bend toward justice, and instead decides to give it a swift shove. It begins when a black seamstress named Rosa Parks refuses to give up her seat on a bus to a white man in the segregated South.
Interpretation
The quote emphasizes the importance of taking action to create social change rather than waiting for it to happen.
Jo Becker’s quote illustrates that revolutions are sparked by individuals who refuse to accept injustice and choose to act decisively. This particular reference to Rosa Parks serves to highlight how a personal act of defiance can ignite a larger movement for civil rights, signifying that change often begins with the courage to stand up against the status quo.
In practice
In a speech about civil rights, one might say, 'This is how a revolution begins.'
We have modified our environment so radically that we must now modify ourselves to exist in this new environment.
Time changes all things; there is no reason why language should escape this universal law
Do one of three things. One, go find a wailing wall and feel sorry for yourselves. Two, go psycho and start bombing - but this will only swing people to the right. Three, learn a lesson. Go home, organize, build power and at the next convention, you be the delegates.
Most new movements start this way: hundreds or thousands of individuals and groups, working in different fields and different locations, start thinking about change using a common language, without necessarily recognizing those shared values. You just start following your own vector, propelled along by people in your immediate vicinity. And then one day, you look up and realize that all those individual trajectories have turned into a wave.
The ultimate end of all revolutionary social change is to establish the sanctity of human life, the dignity of man, the right of every human being to liberty and well-being.
I knew hundreds and hundreds of women like me, who had traveled in and out of prison in a revolving door. They needed support and help just like I had received. And it could make a difference, just like it had made a difference in my life. I wanted to see them come back to the community and have a chance at a different life, too.
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