Moral Courage

Few men are willing to brave
the disapproval of their fellows,
the censure of their colleagues,
and the wrath of their society.

Moral courage is a rarer commodity than
bravery in battle or great intelligence.

Yet, it is the one essential, vital quality
for those who seek to change the world
which yield most painfully to change.

~Robert F. Kennedy
1966 speech

Of Note: Individual moral courage is a humble act that may not make the headlines. It is often apolitical and asymmetrical and doesn't always provide a story that impresses the presses. But a movement of moral courage is afoot. An observer can tell that change is happening at many different levels led by courageous visionaries, who often sacrifice their reputations to put forward truth. Even more impressive, however, is the beginning of an even larger surge--that of massed moral courage. I dare say that Bobby Kennedy would not even recognize today's world where a free populace has elected a black President. Or a place where corporations are vying to be the greenest. Or a place where many of the richest people on the planet are giving away their wealth to the poorest. Massed moral courage is power. Get its energy going in the same direction, and the world could change overnight.

Today's Weather Report: At 50 some degrees Fahrenheit, spring has officially arrived! Someone forgot to tell our frozen lake, however. My husband said you could probably still walk across it although he's not about to try. In past years, the lake has been open water by now. It looks like all those sub-sub-zero winter days are having their effect even now. See that little deer in the photo above? It's not real but a good fake, especially at a distance. Marie took this mellow shot at the Dallas Arboretum a few weeks ago. Down in Texas they never have to worry about frozen lakes.

Watch For Change Snippet: I've been watching this presidency as it unfolds and noticed a trend. Seemed that the masses were being manipulated intentionally. As it turns out, I was right. TIME magazine ran a recent article "How Obama is Using the Science of Change." The subheading read: "It's more than a campaign slogan. Inside the White House's plan to employ behavioral economics to promote its agenda--and fundamentally alter the way Americans live." The military and others have been using these techniques for years, think Hitler. But, finally, someone has figured out how to use mass psychology on a grand scale for potential good. This timely article points out that the administration is full of renowned behavioral scientists from Harvard, Princeton and the University of Chicago, who are intent on inculcating the science of influence into national policy. Based on sound research, they know what gets folks to change, and it's not too hard really--make it clear, easy, popular and, if all else fails, mandatory.

Unsurprisingly, popularity is one of the biggest people movers. If someone else is doing it, so will we. President Obama used that potent psychological change agent much to his advantage during his campaign. It was so simple, but more importantly, effective. Others have noticed. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, for example, is spending millions to develop TV scripts that promote health and education and recently funded the writing of an ER episode that featured the return of George Clooney. The foundation promises to invest even more money influencing popular culture on such stations as MTV and VH1. So should we be fearful of this manipulation? Probably not, because it is nothing new. What is new is that we are hearing about it in the popular press. It just makes the "watching" more interesting to see if knowing we are being influenced makes a difference in the outcome.

Flames Alive and Dead

China is attempting to keep the Olympic flame alive in its trek around the world. In France, the flame was extinguished by protesters five times along the route through Paris. The beleaguered torch was finally put on a bus for the final leg of its trip, while in San Francisco the route was shortened when things turned ugly. London was no better, nor does it appear the rest of this usually peaceful trip will be different. It would appear that the Himalayas going up in flames has had the decided effect of trying to put this symbol of peace out.

Have you noticed the blue-uniformed men in a phalanx surrounding the torch? Their official name is the "29th Olympic Games Torch Relay Flame Protection Unit." Turns out these are top cops from China chosen from The People's Armed Police. The job requirements? According to the state run China News Service, these guys had "to be tall, handsome, mighty, in exceptional physical condition similar to that of professional athletes." Training included "daily mountain runs of at least six miles and lessons in protocol. They also learned basic commands in English, French, German, Spanish and Japanese."

Apparently, commands are the only words they learned in these languages, and these elite troops have been described by the Olympic organizers as thugs and robotic. In their defense, the reception in the various countries may have exceeded their expectations and training and thus put them at a strategic disadvantage--especially when they speak only Chinese.

Ironically, as this Olympic flame makes its way on a tortuous path around the world, the Chinese have ordered other national flames extinguished before the games. On May 1st, a ban on smoking will go into effect for most public places in Beijing, which will then join 150 already smoke-free cities in this previously smoke-filled nation. What's more, on May 31st smoking will be banned at all schools--kindergarten through high school. China is the home to a third of the world's smokers at 350 million, who consume 2 trillion cigarettes a year. That's a lot of inhaling.

Speaking of inhaling--one morning as I was inhaling my daily ration of oats, I had a novel, potentially enlightening idea that could foster a feeling of unity that is woefully lacking in the world today. To wit: if everyone on Earth lived in one Time Zone, the feeling of being separated might disappear. Time is an artificial, separating construct anyway, so why not? Greenwich could be the official time--so, if it was 5:00 there, it would be 5:00 everywhere. Military time would work even better.

OK, I can hear you say, "But, but, but that wouldn't work." Well, play with it, and you might find that it actually could. If nothing else, think of it like an exercise in jumping way out of the box or stepping into a future that hasn't happened. Stay tuned, because in the next few blogs, other ideas will be put forth that could prove to be as revolutionary.


Of Note: Marie spotted this en-flamed sky at her house one March evening and beautifully captured the essence of burning. The photo symbolizes China's schizophrenic problems at the moment with fire.

Today's Weather Report: Lower forties and cloudy, but not nearly as oppressive as yesterday for some unknown reason. One day of sun would do in the rest of the lingering snow. We can only hope!

A Couple of Firsts

Milestones are often an important indicator of change. Therefore, when watching for change as I do, tracking firsts is one means of doing that. 2008 might go down as a banner year for first time events. Here are a few.

--The Vatican announced Monday that Muslims outnumbered Roman Catholics for the first time as the largest religious denomination in the world. The Vatican's statistician, Monsignor Vittorio Formenti, placed the Catholic number at 1.13 billion, which represented 17.4% of the world's population. Muslims stood at 19.2%. The monsignor noted that while the Catholic figure were fairly stable, the Muslim percentage grew because of an escalating birth rate (WSJ, 3-31-08.)

One wonders if the statistics were inflated with non-practicing Catholics and Muslims. If that were the case, a significantly smaller number of Roman Catholics might be the result, although the Muslim figures would most likely stay the same. If this was true, the number of Muslims would have overcome the Roman Catholics before now.

Not a big deal to some, but a worry for many nations like France. In that country non-practicing, secular Catholics no longer fill the Church's coffers and have low birth rates; a situation that is unlikely to change. On the other hand, the Muslim population is increasing greatly--so much so that there is talk that someday minority Muslims could become the majority in Europe. Europeans tremble at the thought.

--A newly released United Nation's population study revealed that by year's end, more than half the world's population would live in cities for the first time. Most of this shift has taken place in Asia, particularly China, although newly emerging India has contributed its share of city migration. By the year 2025, 27 megacities with 10 million plus inhabitants will have sprouted in such places as Lagos, Nigeria, Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Paris, France.

These behemoths will join Toyko which was expected to have reached 36.4 million by then, and 20.6 million will call Kolkata, India home. By the year 2050, not too far down the road, the world population will have mushroomed to 9.2 billion people with 6.6 billion of them living in cities. At that point, 70% of Chinese will live in cities compared to 40% currently. Even sleepy Africa is expected to follow the same tend. By 2050 half of it's population will live in cities (AP, 3-31-08.)

The question of resources is obvious; therefore, I wonder if these predictions will come to fruition. Thomas Malthus was famous for his theories about non-sustainable populations. In 1798, he was famously quoted as saying:"The power of population is so superior to the power of Earth to produce subsistence for man, that premature death must in some shape or other visit the human race." To date, he has been proven wrong because technology and new resource discoveries have always saved the day (WSJ, 3-24-08.) Whether this techy salvation will continue is open to speculation. Some believe that Mr. Malthus may have been a prophet before his time, and that now is the time of which he was speaking.

--In 2008 China will produce more carbon monoxide than the United States for the first time. It was expected to take place later this year, but may already have occurred. China's growing economy has also allowed China to overtake America in number of cell phones this year as well.

It's not so much that America was overtaken on these two accounts, but that it took China so long to catch up. But catch-up they have with avengeance this year. There will most likely be a long list of firsts for China as the next few years unfold. I expect even more firsts this year such as the Beijing Olympics. Who would ever have thought when the Olympic Committee awarded the summer games to Beijing all those years ago, that China would be where it is today. Amazing, really.

--Cuba opened its previously foreigner-only stores to its citizens for the first time this week. Not only were they allowed to buy cell phones as previously mentioned in this blog, the excited shoppers gauked at DVDs, TVs and other consumer goods imported from China and other friendly nations. Since the average pay in this communist enclave is $19.50 a month, most didn't have enough money to buy the goods, but enjoyed looking none-the-less. That situation is expected to change for the better as more people begin to participate in a more normal living environment post Fidel Castro.

Even more importantly from a production standpoint, was the government's new policy on land use announced this week as well. Up until now, 51% of the arable land remained fallow, and the Cubans were itching to till that unused soil. Now, they will get their chance. Exportable goods such as coffee and tobacco for cigars were mentioned as produce of choice rather than food, but it showed a promising start to reforms (AP, 4-2-08.)

--And lastly, technology experienced a first with the demonstration of a $299 headset that allows users to "control simple actions within games using their thoughts." The device works by measuring electrical activity in the brain and is fairly primitive. However, the first phase of these futuristic headsets will be delivered to gamers by the Emotiv Company later this year.

What's even more fascinating is the company's collaboration with IBM which could lead to thought controlling headsets for use in virtual worlds. You've heard about these make-believe places that are described by those in the know as "free-form on-line environments in which players assume the roles of characters called avatars." Didn't I see that in the sci-fi movies somewhere? Well, the "some time in the distance future" might be right around the corner starting quietly in 2008. Stay tuned. I would imagine that this potentially news provoking discovery will not stay quiet for long.

Of Note: This watchful Indian photo was taken by me last year. I admire the little guy because he keeps an eye on our expansive yard year-round. He seems a good mascot for this blog about watching for change, don't you think?

Today's Weather Report: Partly cloudy but a balmy 41 degrees. The road has gone to mush again. Jim and I always have a bet on the day the ice goes off the lake. I always lose, but told him this year I'd bet on April 11th. Why? For the last two years, that's the exact date the ice broke up. Looking outside today, that doesn't seem possible. But I'll let you know what happens..

A Time of Change

No one would argue that we are in a time of change. Most would also agree that this a a time of drastic, maybe even a time of accelerating change. Some would say "Yeah, but it is certainly not in the right direction. That group might call themselves realists; some might say pessimists.

While others, probably a minority, would say, "Hum, you know, it's always darkest before the dawn. But, the light is already starting to shine through in a place or two." This latter group, too, might call themselves realists; some might say optimists. Others might just call them dreamers, idealists or just plain stupid.

The challenge on this blog is to watch for change that tracks the second premise. It asks responders to put on an optimist's hat and send those stories, tidbits, anecdotes, dreams and quotes that tell an underlying story of the light that is emerging during the next decade. Given time, I feel certain that we will see a story unfold that may be starting in its simplicity--even though the happenings of the times might look otherwise.