"Any human power can be resisted and changed by human beings," said LeGuin. It’s the hardest and the best work we could ever do. Now, everything depends on it. - P136
This book was written for something—for the encouragement of activists who share some of my dreams and values. We are all activists in some way or another, because our actions (and inac-
tions) have impact. And it was written against something—a defeatist, dismissive frame of mind that is far too widespread. We talk about politics as though they were a purely rational exercise in the world of deeds and powers, but how we view that world and act in it has its roots in identities and emotions. There is, in other words, an inner life to politics, and I wanted to get at it, to plant and to weed there. - P137
I went on the road from 2003 onward, talking about hope, change, civil society movements, and the power of stories. - P137
It was striking that the people with the most at stake were often the most hopeful. - P138
Yet the range of the hopeful extends beyond that, and you can find hope in surprising corners. - P138
I believe that you can talk about both the terrible things we should engage with and the losses behind us, as well as the wins and achievements that give us the confidence to endeavor to keep pursuing the possibilities. I write to give aid and comfort to people who feel overwhelmed by the defeatist perspective, to encourage people to stand up and participate, to look forward at what we can do and back at what we have done. This book was always for them. And if you’ve read this far, for you. - P142
|