We’ve lived so long under the spell of hierarchy—from god-kings to feudal lords to party bosses—that only recently have we awakened to see not only that “regular” citizens have the capacity for self-governance, but that without their engagement our huge global crises cannot be addressed. The changes needed for human society simply to survive, let alone thrive, are so profound that the only way we will move toward them is if we ourselves, regular citizens, feel meaningful ownership of solutions through direct engagement. Our problems are too big, interrelated, and pervasive to yield to directives from on high.
—Frances Moore Lappé, excerpt from Time for Progressives to Grow Up

Saturday, April 25, 2015

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver: Doomsday Video

from HBO TV via YouTube.

I'm not sure that the demise of humans is suitable material for comedy. It may serve to trivialize the concern, or it might serve as a good antidote for excessive anxiety about this concern so that we can pursue constructive efforts to avoid this doomsday. You decide.
CNN produced an actual doomsday video to broadcast when the world is ending and it’s incredibly dull. We've enlisted Martin Sheen to help make humanity’s final moments happier!