The future versus the past, fear, and Mark Warner's speech

Mom,

 

Yesterday we briefly discussed a bit of politics. I wasn’t quite sure how to articulate my thoughts in a way you wouldn’t find contradictory or emblazoned against. I want to emphasize to you to not let fear of the unknown sway your judgment.  That is of course how Bush led us into Iraq.  Convincing everyone of ”weapons of mass destruction” which simply did not exist except in his his own mind.  By implementing the terror threat index that never gets below orange.  It led to denying hope for new technologies and healthcare involving stem cell research and other areas out of fear of the unknown.  Teaching/Preaching fear is characteristic of dictators to maintain power through it. 

 

Fear of change has often been cited as the greatest force and restriction on people’s freedom.  It touches all levels from restricting your thinking to actions.  People have demonstrated they will even choose to stick with a horrible government like The Soviet Socialist Republic, Stalin, the hardliners of Iran, the current North Korean government, and even the Nazis and other various dictators through history out of fear of the unknown.  Somehow people always believe it could be worse and it’s safer to stick with what is known - to stick with the past.  You really need to watch this speech.  It is one of the best I’ve seen or heard in a long time.

 

http://www.markwarner2008.com/pages/watch-the-speech

 

Mark Warner does a great job of breaking things down to the fundamentals.  The future versus the past, moving forward versus being stuck in the mud, fear of the past versus hope for the future.  Understanding the new dynamics of the global economy in which social change is inevitable as people are able to move about the world far more freely.

 

I haven’t made up my decision yet, but I’m listening and reading.  I’m about ideas and the people who lead by them, not parties, not hype reported by self-identified experts. I’m not asking for a decision one way or the other, only to open your mind, listen to what is said with an open mind not limited by fear, and consider all the possibilities before making a decision that doesn’t need to be made for some time!