We have a choice to make for ourselves and the organizations that we lead: cynicism or hope. Moving forward or remaining still. Not starry-eyed, quixotic optimism but a realistic, determined belief that we can figure this out and do this. Or a stagnant, regressive retrenching, an unwillingness to invest in the proven and potential capacity of humanity. Which will you choose?
And when today cynics dismiss as and impossible dream or naïve idealism proposals to create the institutions of a truly global society let us remind them that people used to think black civil rights a distant dream, the end of the cold war an impossible hope, the ending of apartheid in our generation the work of dreamers, debt relief for the poorest countries an unrealisable idea … And so let us have confidence we can discover anew in ourselves the values we share in common, … and let us have confidence we can create a global covenant across nations to make peace and prosperity real in our generation.
– Gordon Brown, UK Prime Minister (courtesy of Richard Florida)
I choose “hope.”
Cynicism has never gotten me anywhere and only fills me with bitterness.
I see optisim for full integration of technology and more importantly a rethinking of our present k12 program. I work in k12 presently so I can’t really speak to the educational system above k12.
Confidence and optimism are two attitudes that seem to have gone missing from the US in recent years. I don’t think it’s being cynical to say that much of that comes from “leadership” that is more interested in keeping us scared and keeping power than anything else.
@Tim
Your comment reminds me of the video from the Ed4wb blog. See below:
It’s pretty powerful. Why do we choose to live in fear I will never know. I also love Robert Kennedy’s speech on the mindless menace of violence.