Never thought I would see this happen again in my lifetime--a sudden growth of consciousness affecting an entire generation, as I experienced in the 1960s.
And I hope they learn from our failures, cuz we didn't really get a whole lot done, as to the "military-industrial complex" and now add to that, the "prison-industrial complex," AND the impact of these forces, not just as to worsening poverty and injustice, here and elsewhere, but threatening the entire planet by use of fossil fuels. Nobody knew about the threat to the planet back then. A few voices crying in the wilderness. A few successful campaigns such as getting rid of DDT. But nobody--except maybe Indigenous peoples living close to nature--knew how much trouble we were in.
Anyway, we have loaded this and the next generations with an enormous burden of problems that really do require a revolution, as Bernie says--a very determined, well-informed, BIG revolution. He is close to the organic farmers in Vermont. That is one key.
I would say: Beware of being discouraged. This revolution needs to be very steady on its feet, very persistent, very resilient. It's not about Bernie. It's about all of us. That is one of his most wonderful points, that he makes again and again. He is so right. The forces that DON'T want him to be president are very, very powerful--like nothing anybody has ever seen before in human history, and they also subtle and wily. We need to learn about those forces, and how they operate, as we campaign. I DO think young people are getting this, and maybe are way ahead of me. But I would emphasize that DEMORALIZATION is one of the most effective tactics of these forces. Once you understand this, they cannot defeat you, even if you lose a particular battle.
I can tell that Bernie Sanders knows this. He cannot be demoralized, even if he loses the election. He knows how high the stakes are--the fate of our country and our democracy, and the fate of the human race itself, and the planet and all its critters and its beauty. He will never give up. He'll run 'til he's 90 years old, if he's still around and kicking. His purpose is not personal power, glory or money--as Clinton's is, and as all the Republicans are, and just about everybody in elected office. His purpose is to awaken us. I'm sure he'd like to gain the power to do the things he believes in. But he won't be stopped if he doesn't get it this time.
That is very inspiring to me. I've been in a lot of political and environmental and civil rights campaigns, and, at 70, it's easy to feel discouraged, even crushed, by the powers arrayed against the causes I've campaigned for, and the lack of progress. But, hey, Bernie's older than me, has done a lot more than I have, and has never given up and never will. What a great man!
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