We are all coming to class twice a week, listening to Eben's version of what is going on in the world around us, nodding our heads, challenging his ideas, and contributing our own. But is this just an intellectual exercise? I feel that it will end up being only that for a number of us. I also wonder whether the class believes in the "dark" reality Eben teaches, and whether you think that you are either capable of or willing to "create an organization" for yourselves and the community at large.

I am inspired by the ideas, and to a large extent I am consuming the persuasive Kool-Aid that I've been given to drink, but I'm still unsure of how to proceed. I'm also being hindered by my tendency not to betray any idealism or radicalism in public, for fear that I will be ridiculed for it.

I know exactly what you mean, Walker. In my opinion, this problem boils down to two issues

1) Fear. Fear of failure of whichever organization one may found. Fear of ridicule. Fear of not making a dent in the 'dark reality'. Fear of loss of comfort. Fear of going beyond one's comfort zone. Fear of being wrong.

2) Lack of knowledge or creativity. Given the odds, the competition, the stakes, I find it hard to think of a new, better way of changing anything or building something. I spend a fair amount defending the status quo and posting counter-revolutionary comments. Given that the current system, for all its flaws, is working better than just about any system the world has seen thus far, I find it hard to think up any great improvements (a) which don't already have their organisations and defenders or (b) without buying into empty ideological rhetoric.

-- TheodorBruening - 26 Feb 2009