David reads books

Idealism vs realism

A few years ago I read Satish Kumar's autobiography, No Destination. I was deeply inspired by his peace walk undertaken across continents without carrying any money.

I read an article about Satish in the Taipei Times today. It contained this wonderful quote:

"Is my approach unrealistic?" he asks. "Look at what realists have done for us. They have led us to war and climate change, poverty on an unimaginable scale and wholesale ecological destruction. Half of humanity goes to bed hungry because of all the realistic leaders in the world. I tell people who call me 'unrealistic' to show me what their realism has done. Realism is an outdated, overplayed and wholly exaggerated concept."

This echoes with me deeply. I often think I am overly idealistic, but perhaps I am not idealistic enough. I haven't had the courage to walk the path that Satish has walked. Another world is possible. We just need to have the courage and the wisdom to create it.

Labels: environment

posted by David @ 11:02 AM