I haven’t read much of Zinn’s work, but this essay for The Nation meant a lot to me during the dark days of the Bush II administration. It still does.
In this awful world where the efforts of caring people often pale in comparison to what is done by those who have power, how do I manage to stay involved and seemingly happy?
… An optimist isn’t necessarily a blithe, slightly sappy whistler in the dark of our time. To be hopeful in bad times is not just foolishly romantic. It is based on the fact that human history is a history not only of cruelty but also of compassion, sacrifice, courage, kindness. What we choose to emphasize in this complex history will determine our lives.
If we see only the worst, it destroys our capacity to do something. If we remember those times and places–and there are so many–where people have behaved magnificently, this gives us the energy to act, and at least the possibility of sending this spinning top of a world in a different direction. And if we do act, in however small a way, we don’t have to wait for some grand utopian future. The future is an infinite succession of presents, and to live now as we think human beings should live, in defiance of all that is bad around us, is itself a marvelous victory.
If we do act, in however small a way, we don’t have to wait for some grand utopian future. I hope President Obama and congressional Democrats are listening.
I heard Zinn on Fresh Air a few weeks ago. He told a story about a woman who stood up for union rights. The story was just so powerful it sent chills down my spine.