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On Being a Democratic Socialist

the_liberal

It seems to me like there is a lot to consider now.
To think that we are evolving right before our eyes.
We live in cities now.
We eat better now.
We are taller now.
We have more complex languages now.
Like I said, evolving right before our eyes.

This is not my observation.
I listened to How It All Began on NPR’s “Ted Radio Hour.”
You can listen to this show too, I highly encourage it.

I only paraphrase using my not entirely reliable memory.
I do this because I like to write things down, to make sense of things.
What I seem to remember is that we all come from Africa.
~60,000 years ago much of the world was covered in kilometers of ice.
A massive volcano erupted, sending ash into the air, obstructing sunlight.
Temperatures severely dropped.
Ice takes moisture out of the air, so everything was either ice or desert.
Our hominoid ancestors felt the deep cold.
Our population dwindled to 2,000.
Our species nearly went extinct.
In the name of survival, small groups migrated in search of more hospitable lands.
What was special about our ancestors was that they had language.
An increasingly complex language and history.
So our ancestors could problem solve.
In this way the world came to be populated.

~60,000 years later we are living in the Technology Age.
Our brains have grown so powerful that we are now responsible for changing our planet’s climate.
Our brains have learned things about the universe that dinosaurs never would have learned.
In the last 50 years we’ve pieced together some of the Big Puzzle.
More and more things are making sense.
We’ve learned so much from looking into the sky, measuring points of light, staring into our past.

While all this science is very promising, it isn’t something we can ignore.
Just because there isn’t an immediate danger, all this science isn’t fake.
It is something we have to pay attention to because the world is made up of more than YOU.

Some people don’t believe in climate change.
These people sometimes have an “I ♥ Fracking” bumper sticker on their SUVs.
It’s a fact that our species has been around for 200,000 years.
This is less time than the dinosaurs survived before they went extinct.
It stands to reason that we could go extinct.
Or we could throw our planet into another Ice Age and our numbers could dwindle to 2,000.
This could happen if we don’t treat our planet with compassion.
This could happen if we ignore climate change.
Just because it was habitable when you were born doesn’t mean it will be habitable forever.
Throw away your trash.
If you’re feeling generous, pick up litter and throw it away.
Recycle whenever possible.
Keep your cars running cleanly.
Get cities running more efficiently.
Encourage sustainable energy research.
Use science.
Fossil fuels are dirty.
Walk whenever possible.
Treat our planet like it’s your home because it is your home.
Most importantly, support and vote for people who represent science, not special interest.
Support and vote for people who want the best for everyone and everyone’s children.
It is simple.
Use your brains.
Be compassionate.
Let the REAL YOU have a voice.
Let the REAL YOU be your compass.
I want to believe everyone came here wanting the best for everyone else.

Income inequality has gotten out of control.
It is a serious problem that can, thankfully, be addressed in a sensible way.
Even though we are all hominoids living on this beautiful blue rock floating in space, very few of us are millionaires and billionaires while MOST OF US are paid starvation wages.
No millionaire or billionaire should be able to rig a system in which they can make more money than everyone else just because they have money.
It is selfish and, with all the problems on our planet that need to be addressed urgently, inexcusable.
Even Stephen Hawking knows wealth redistribution is critical for progress.
Read his answer to a question about “technological unemployment.”

If machines produce everything we need, the outcome will depend on how things are distributed. Everyone can enjoy a life of luxurious leisure if the machine-produced wealth is shared, or most people can end up miserably poor if the machine-owners successfully lobby against wealth redistribution. So far, the trend seems to be toward the second option, with technology driving ever-increasing inequality.

I am a democratic socialist.
I believe in a world that is “by the people, for the people.”
This is why I’m actively supporting Bernie Sanders.
And I’m not alone.

bernie sanders leads

October 15, 2015 8:43 am

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