apropos de istorie:
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“To be hopeful in bad times is not just foolishly romantic. It is based on the fact that human history is a history not only of cruelty, but also of compassion, sacrifice, courage, kindness. What we choose to emphasize in this complex history will determine our lives. If we see only the worst, it destroys our capacity to do something. If we remember those times and places–and there are so many–where people have behaved magnificently, this gives us the energy to act, and at least the possibility of sending this spinning top of a world in a different direction. And if we do act, in however small a way, we don’t have to wait for some grand utopian future. The future is an infinite succession of presents, and to live now as we think human beings should live, in defiance of all that is bad around us, is itself a marvelous victory.”–Howard Zinn, from “The Optimism of Uncertainty” (2004)

A-ti pastra speranta in timpuri grele nu este doar romantic si nesabuit. Se bazeaza pe faptul ca istoria omenirii nu este doar o istorie a cruzimilor, ci si o istorie a compasiunii, sacrificiilor, curajului, bunatatii. Ceea ce alegem noi sa scoatem in evidenta din aceasta istorie complexa ne va determina vietile. Daca vedem numai ce e mai rau, asta ne distruge orice capacitate de a face ceva. Daca ne amintim acele situatii si locuri – si sunt atat de multe – cand oamenii s-au comportat magnific, aceasta ne da energia sa actionam, sau cel putin posibilitatea sa trimitem acest titirez care e Pamantul intr-o directie diferita. Si daca actionam cumva, chiar intr-o mica masura, nu trebuie sa mai asteptam un mare viitor utopic. Viitorul este o succesiune infinita de prezenturi, si a trai acum asa cum consideram ca ar trebui sa traiasca oamenii, sfidand ceea ce e rau in jurul nostru, este in sine o minunata victorie.”

For more on Zinn’s life, see his obituary from the Boston Globe
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via ak press