Tuesday May 10, 2011 #314

 “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.”

~Howard Zinn

Over the next several weeks, I am dedicating my JAMs to the concept of action.  I have compiled a list of compelling quotes about taking action which I hope will inspire in you the energy, passion, will, and the means to take action in your own life.  There is much to be done to move our own lives forward.  There is a greater responsibility, however, for each of us to take action to move our families, communities, work groups, and organizations forward.  I believe we are in an amazing time in human history in which we can shape our current and future possibilities – if only we will take action.  So let’s limit the intake of negative thinking and move into possibility mode.  Will you join me?