> Does anyone remember the Port Huron Statement? I'm reaching > here, and I don't remember the date. Hell, most of you > probably weren't even BORN yet!
I cheated with Google and still didn't know who it was. Yep, 6 years before I even saw light. Thankfully, things have turned out nothing like what was described there ;-) -Steve > -----Original Message----- > From: Merle Lefkoff [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > Sent: Wednesday, April 11, 2007 8:58 PM > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]; The Friday Morning Applied > Complexity Coffee Group > Subject: Re: [FRIAM] Can you guess the source. > > Nicholas Thompson wrote: > > > > I am curious to know if anybody in Friam-land will recognize the > > following passage. No Fair using google. > > > > It is NOT from the Gettysburg Address. > > > > *"Our work is guided by the sense that we may be the last > generation > > in the experiment with living. But we are a minority--the vast > > majority of our people regard the temporary equilibriums of our > > society and world as eternally functional parts. In this is perhaps > > the outstanding paradox; we ourselves are imbued with > urgency, yet the > > message of our society is that there is no viable > alternative to the > > present. Beneath the reassuring tones of the politicians, > beneath the > > common opinion that America will "muddle through," beneath the > > stagnation of those who have closed their minds to the > future, is the > > pervading feeling that there simply are no alternatives, that our > > times have witnessed the exhaustion not only of Utopias, but of any > > new departures as well. Feeling the press of complexity upon the > > emptiness of life, people are fearful of the thought that at any > > moment things might be thrust out of control. They fear > change itself, > > since change might smash whatever invisible framework seems to hold > > back chaos for them now. For most Americans, all crusades > are suspect, > > threatening. The fact that each individual sees apathy in > his fellows > > perpetuates the common reluctance to organize for change. > The dominant > > institutions are complex enough to blunt the minds of their > potential > > critics, and entrenched enough to swiftly dissipate or > entirely repel > > the energies of protest and reform, thus limiting human > expectancies. > > Then, too, we are a materially improved society, and by our own > > improvements we seem to have weakened the case for further change.*" > > > > > > Nicholas S. Thompson > > Research Associate, Redfish Group, Santa Fe, NM ([EMAIL PROTECTED] > > <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>) > > Professor of Psychology and Ethology, Clark University > > ([EMAIL PROTECTED] <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>) > > > > > > > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > -- > > > > ============================================================ > > FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv Meets Fridays > 9a-11:30 at cafe > > at St. John's College lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at > > http://www.friam.org > I was teaching in the sixties to put myself through grad > school. This is definitely from that period, probably SDS or > one of those groups. > Does anyone remember the Port Huron Statement? I'm reaching > here, and I don't remember the date. Hell, most of you > probably weren't even BORN yet! > > Merle > > Merle Lefkoff > Change Factors > Santa Fe, N.M. > > ============================================================ > FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv > Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College > lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org > > ============================================================ FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org
