I'm privately asking our 20 finalists to say what they liked about one particular essay they voted for. Each time a new review is posted it will be on the current Substack, since that's what most subscribers will see. I've just issued the first couple of invitations to write, and, wherever they show up, please read them and add your opinions. Let's see if this is a workable way, for starters, to play with ideas for how to get this world on a better course.
I chose Round-Up (https://suespeaks.org/round-up/) as one of my 5 favorites because it was well-written, creative, and followed the rules of the contest. Most importantly, it had what I thought was a simple, yet workable idea — turning spare change into world change. At one point in his essay, Stuart says, “…it brought out the best in people, and tapped into their innate desire to be altruistic”, which I think is a good assessment of human nature—if not for everyone, at least for a large enough percentage of the world population to make a significant difference. Thank you, Stuart Johstone, for your contribution.
Jeffrey identified a key leverage point for evolving a viable society: raising kids who are not conditioned into the status quo, and who indeed can think critically with compassion for themselves and others.
The real-world background for this is that public education systems in America have been heavily influenced by smart people in the 1800s who wanted students to learn basic math and literacy skills, but did not want them to think for themselves lest they challenge the current authoritarian system.
Therefore subjects were taught in silos, with no reference to the great issues of the day. And for decades America schools have used multiple-choice tests, and teachers ‘teach to the test’. Fortunately, there are many exceptions.
Of course, Artificial Intelligence is the new kid on the block. Ever more sophisticated programs will be developed that plausibly imitate actual human interactions. But they are not actual human interactions; kids will be communicating with machines that have no feelings or real empathy. In other words, kids will be trained to be okay with dealing with psychopaths, and they will fail to develop their own capacity for empathy and skillful social interaction.
Not good! Therefore those of us who care about a positive future for humanity would be well advised to champion rolling back the emphasis on STEM (science technology engineering and math) education, and instead focus on helping young people – and ourselves – become the kind of people that can create and enjoy a compassionate life-affirming culture.
My fav was Benches and Snacks ( I loved the The End of the Beginning, too Very Vonnegut-esque).
Not long before I read Benches and Snacks I was at talk with Roger Hallam - he's one of the founders of XR and Just Stop Oil. He's a hardcore activist who has served a lot of time in prison.
I've heard him talk before and he can be very direct about the challenges we face and the solutions he proposes - which are revolutionary.
However, at that talk he was stressing the vital importance of just sitting and chatting to people. Of those interactions which have no purpose beyond being an exchange pleasantries and gentle inquiry. Benches and Snacks really played into this idea. And ultimately I think this is how change manifests itself. We need spectacle, we need transgression (or there'll be no impetus to change - nothing to talk about) but the real change takes place in the quiet conversations between friends, neighbours, acquaintances and strangers. And we need to nourish and nurture places where that can happen. (We can't really rely on the state to do it for us as the last thing they want is revolutionary change).
A finalist that I voted for was The Empathy Chip (https://suespeaks.org/the-empathy-chip/) by Ben Wakeman because it provoked within me the strongest, most visceral, emotional response out of all the finalists. I almost voted this piece as my first choice for this reason alone, but ultimately let my fear of the story’s potential hold me back. The response I felt was toward the idea of a technological device plugged into my brain. This wasn’t the first time I had confronted that idea, but it was the first time I actually felt a door within myself crack open to it. I’m not saying I am in full agreement with the concept or of the suggested reality in its entirety, but the overall direction of this imagined reality intrigued me as out-of-the-box and very different. The Empathy Chip catalyzed a deep self-reflective period for me, more so than any of the other essays. I felt the invitation to question my beliefs, my biases, response-ability, and what I thought I knew about myself and the world. Moreover, I resonated deeply with the story’s root in empathy. Ben’s piece speaks toward the past and future in a way that highlights but doesn’t define us as our individual and collective history. And it does so in a way that focuses on our capacity for understanding. This, ultimately, feels significant and transformative.
I'm privately asking our 20 finalists to say what they liked about one particular essay they voted for. Each time a new review is posted it will be on the current Substack, since that's what most subscribers will see. I've just issued the first couple of invitations to write, and, wherever they show up, please read them and add your opinions. Let's see if this is a workable way, for starters, to play with ideas for how to get this world on a better course.
I chose Round-Up (https://suespeaks.org/round-up/) as one of my 5 favorites because it was well-written, creative, and followed the rules of the contest. Most importantly, it had what I thought was a simple, yet workable idea — turning spare change into world change. At one point in his essay, Stuart says, “…it brought out the best in people, and tapped into their innate desire to be altruistic”, which I think is a good assessment of human nature—if not for everyone, at least for a large enough percentage of the world population to make a significant difference. Thank you, Stuart Johstone, for your contribution.
This made me smile (and not just as the mom of a stutterer ;)
I voted for Jeffrey Dunne’s Changing the World: A Reflection. (https://suespeaks.org/changing-the-world-a-reflection)
Jeffrey identified a key leverage point for evolving a viable society: raising kids who are not conditioned into the status quo, and who indeed can think critically with compassion for themselves and others.
The real-world background for this is that public education systems in America have been heavily influenced by smart people in the 1800s who wanted students to learn basic math and literacy skills, but did not want them to think for themselves lest they challenge the current authoritarian system.
Therefore subjects were taught in silos, with no reference to the great issues of the day. And for decades America schools have used multiple-choice tests, and teachers ‘teach to the test’. Fortunately, there are many exceptions.
Of course, Artificial Intelligence is the new kid on the block. Ever more sophisticated programs will be developed that plausibly imitate actual human interactions. But they are not actual human interactions; kids will be communicating with machines that have no feelings or real empathy. In other words, kids will be trained to be okay with dealing with psychopaths, and they will fail to develop their own capacity for empathy and skillful social interaction.
Not good! Therefore those of us who care about a positive future for humanity would be well advised to champion rolling back the emphasis on STEM (science technology engineering and math) education, and instead focus on helping young people – and ourselves – become the kind of people that can create and enjoy a compassionate life-affirming culture.
Congrats to Glen!
Ok this wasn't anyone's essay that I read but! Look these people are doing something right! About housing!
https://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Society/2024/0214/Why-Boston-s-wealthy-Back-Bay-said-yes-in-our-backyard
My fav was Benches and Snacks ( I loved the The End of the Beginning, too Very Vonnegut-esque).
Not long before I read Benches and Snacks I was at talk with Roger Hallam - he's one of the founders of XR and Just Stop Oil. He's a hardcore activist who has served a lot of time in prison.
I've heard him talk before and he can be very direct about the challenges we face and the solutions he proposes - which are revolutionary.
However, at that talk he was stressing the vital importance of just sitting and chatting to people. Of those interactions which have no purpose beyond being an exchange pleasantries and gentle inquiry. Benches and Snacks really played into this idea. And ultimately I think this is how change manifests itself. We need spectacle, we need transgression (or there'll be no impetus to change - nothing to talk about) but the real change takes place in the quiet conversations between friends, neighbours, acquaintances and strangers. And we need to nourish and nurture places where that can happen. (We can't really rely on the state to do it for us as the last thing they want is revolutionary change).
A finalist that I voted for was The Empathy Chip (https://suespeaks.org/the-empathy-chip/) by Ben Wakeman because it provoked within me the strongest, most visceral, emotional response out of all the finalists. I almost voted this piece as my first choice for this reason alone, but ultimately let my fear of the story’s potential hold me back. The response I felt was toward the idea of a technological device plugged into my brain. This wasn’t the first time I had confronted that idea, but it was the first time I actually felt a door within myself crack open to it. I’m not saying I am in full agreement with the concept or of the suggested reality in its entirety, but the overall direction of this imagined reality intrigued me as out-of-the-box and very different. The Empathy Chip catalyzed a deep self-reflective period for me, more so than any of the other essays. I felt the invitation to question my beliefs, my biases, response-ability, and what I thought I knew about myself and the world. Moreover, I resonated deeply with the story’s root in empathy. Ben’s piece speaks toward the past and future in a way that highlights but doesn’t define us as our individual and collective history. And it does so in a way that focuses on our capacity for understanding. This, ultimately, feels significant and transformative.
Wow! I imagine the smile on his face with such surprise! Beautiful Suzanne! I'll have a read.