Getting From Here to There
Dear Diane,
The hope that there is a fast route to solving big problems is alluring. And, it might even be true if only I were smart enough. But it's unlikely. I spent many years of my happy youth believing in The Revolution—and I was of that faction that even believed that it would lead, pretty rapidly, to a full and richly satisfying liberation of human potential. But as you noted on Tuesday, Diane, it's the Rich who are now making a revolution—and quite a radical one. And doing it pretty fast! Properly speaking, it's a counter-revolution to a whole host of hard-won minor ones over the past 150 years. I think they're going after child labor laws as well. Yes, it's scary.
When political friends occasionally chided me for spending so much energy on education—which can hardly be a fast solution to anything—I agreed. I was a school teacher not on behalf of any "cause," but because I loved doing it; it was always fascinating. I enjoy crossword puzzles and appreciate the fact that each has a solution.
