Dreaming the REALLY BIG Dream
In May of 1946 Albert Einstein warned the world that, "The unleashed power of the atom has changed everything save our modes of thinking and we thus drift toward unparalleled catastrophe." At the time of that warning only one country had atomic bombs and the hydrogen bomb had not yet been invented. Today's world is a much more dangerous place. We have let the nuclear genie out of the bottle and its terrible secrets are now known far and wide. Everything HAS changed except our modes of thinking, which begs the question, how do we go about changing our modes of thinking? For an answer to this question, let us consider the following hopeful scenario:
Nobody would suspect that the complete victory over the various terrorist organizations would come, NOT as the result of covert intelligence and military operations, but in the form of a speech that the President would give before a joint session of the Senate and the House of Representatives at which leaders and representatives from the governments of the United Nations would also be invited to attend. It would be a speech that would ring around the World and would be translated into every language and dialect on the planet. The President's vision for the future would kindle hope and fire the imagination of every person who would hear it, read it, or have it explained to them. It would be a defining moment, not only for American politics, but for every government and society on Earth. It would not be an exaggeration to say that this one speech would profoundly change the course of history and the way that all of us would see and understand the world we live in. Indeed this one speech would have a greater effect than any other speech in the history of mankind. This is what the President would say:
"My fellow Americans, and my fellow world citizens, in May of 1961 John Kennedy set a goal for our country to put a man on the moon before the end of the decade. In response to this goal Neil Armstrong stepped onto the moon in 1969, and rather than proclaiming the moon landing as an American accomplishment, he heralded it as a giant leap for all of mankind so that we might all share in this victory.
"The time has now come for us to take on a new challenge even bolder than the one set before us by John Kennedy. It is a call not only to the United States of America, but to every nation on Earth that will join with us as partners in this bold new adventure.
"I believe that the challenge for our generation should be to put an end to hunger, malnourishment and preventable disease worldwide before the end of this decade and perhaps much sooner. Our goal should be to provide nutritious food, clean drinking water and basic health care worldwide.
"The United Nations reports that at the present time, agriculture worldwide produces one and a half times the amount of food necessary to feed every person on the planet. Furthermore, it has been estimated that the annual cost of providing clean drinking water and distributing food to all the world's hungry would be approximately forty billion dollars.
"We have the technology to do this. The cost is within our means. The only thing that has been lacking has been our collective will and determination to assume this task and carry it through. Today I ask that we collectively assume the duty to put an end to unnecessary suffering for all of the people of the world now and into the future.
"There are some who will say that this is going to be too expensive, and yet from time to time our country finds itself fighting wars that cost far more, the root causes of which we are now planning to eliminate. We cannot afford not to do this.
"Some will claim that this is the Christian thing to do, and while that is certainly true, we must not forget that it is also the Islamic thing to do, and the Hindu thing to do, and the Jewish thing to do, and the Buddhist thing to do, and so on. All of our religions teach us compassion and caring. Now it is time for us to pay heed to what our religions teach, put these teachings into practice, and do what we know is right.
"If this great undertaking is to succeed, it must be done in a way that is respectful and does not destroy the local cultures and cultural identities of those it hopes to feed and help. It must also be done in a way that strengthens local agriculture, food production and distribution rather than replacing them. These may be the most difficult aspects of our mission, and it will require that we employ special sensitivity and care as we seek to complete this task.
"I am calling on Americans and all world citizens for a new spirit of volunteerism to help share the gifts we have received with those in need. Achieving the goal of putting a man on the moon required a focus on extremely advanced technology. Today's challenge will require much less advanced technology and much more broad based human effort. Millions of volunteers will be needed from all walks of life to make this dream come true.
"While some may look upon this call as an opportunity to reap huge profits, I want to ask everyone to accept this great undertaking simply for the greater good. There will be many more opportunities to make profits later on. The pride that will come from knowing that together we all put profit aside in order to do something truly great will be priceless.
"Many hands make light work, and so to all of the nations of the world, I invite you to join with us as equal partners so that all may share equally the joy of this great accomplishment that we will achieve together.
"Some of the rulers of the poorer governments may fear that this initiative will usurp their authority. On the contrary, this initiative is an invitation for them to step in front and lead the efforts to feed and provide for the needs of their people. It is an opportunity for them to be true leaders, beloved by their people for having put an end to hunger and suffering in their countries.
"What we have here in this call to all nations is the opportunity to create a world that we would like our children and grandchildren to live in. We have the opportunity to create a planet that is moving rapidly towards true peace, and we have the opportunity to make of ourselves much better people than we are today. Let's all make this happen!"
The question to be answered now is: What president or presidential candidate will be willing to deliver this speech? To determine this we must find out where they stand and what vision of the future they are offering us. We really can change our way of thinking and make the world a far better place. Perhaps the only real obstacle in our way is our fear of the unknown.
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