Robert Creamer has a great article today over at HuffPo: Obama and the Revival of Responsibility:
The universality of the ethical demand to "love thy neighbor as thyself" is a very recent development in human evolution. It has emerged only over the last several thousand years of our approximately seven million years of evolutionary history. Previously, most behavior involving moral content pertained only to members of our own band, tribe or ethnic group.
At this point in history, responsibility for others is not some "soft" or "utopian" value, it is critical to our success and survival on our increasingly crowded planet. More than that, it's the key that will both prevent us from destroying ourselves -- and can unlock exponentially expanding human possibility in the 21st century.
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Last night Barack Obama spoke to Americans as adults. He told America that responsibility for others is not just a stupid value for chumps -- but the definition of begin a grown-up. He told us that the era of "where's mine" -- where success is defined by seven-figures salaries and five-thousand dollar designer suits -- is over. He challenged America to once again take charge of our futures and fulfill our potential -- to invest in future generations. And he pledged to lead us there.
3 comments:
I hope he takes his own advice with regard to all the pork in this new Omnibus spending bill.
Politicians looovvvee to spout platitudes. Always have, always will.
Unfortunately, platitudes do not change people's hearts. The change must come from the inside. And until there is a fundamental change in human understanding, the haves will always want more and the have-nots will always be in want. That sucks, but I'm afraid it's just the reality of things.
"The poor shall always be with you..."
Bobby Jindal's kindergarten lecture following was fascinatingly bizarre.
Gail Collins' column today nails it. Must read.
"The Republicans can’t try to convince the country their ideas are better because of (their) intellectual bankruptcy problem. All they can do is make Barack Obama’s programs look feckless, plunging everyone into so much despair that by next summer the public will be ready to go live in caves and eat squirrel stew."
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/26/opinion/26collins.html
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