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.
Rest in peace, you ol’ rabble-rouser.
Related Articles
4 users responded in this post
Anytime someone comes into the bookstore where I work looking for books on American history, Zinn is the first place I point them. The young adult adaptation of People’s History is also a very good American History intro for students.
Godspeed you! Howard Zinn
It’s a rare capacity that allows a gauge of the landscape from a hard won high point, and then profess to others that it’s a great view because there are so many unpredictable positives in sight.
Godspeed you! Howard Zinn
That brought tears to my eyes.
Thank you, Howard. RIP.