revolutionary robespierre

It is Friday night (Saturday morning) and I just experienced that lovely, yet sad feeling of finishing a great book.

City of Darkness, City of Light

The French Revolution, a story told from 6 characters' vantage points, eventually intertwining their lives. For the purpose of this post details are not necessary, but definitely look into reading the book. Here are the basics of the French Revolution: The lower and middle classes rise up to defeat the nobility and monarchy. Their basic goals are to instill democracy, make their voices heard, and ensure a stable price for their one absolute necessity- bread. The revolution creates change eventually, yet fails to produce a secure government and essentially backlashes into the oblivion of Bonaparte.

Does this story sound familiar? It should.

History teaches us that change, and I mean serious change, can only occur through revolutionary action. Disrupting order, be it with good old fashioned storming of Bastilles or sit-ins for peace, continues to be the only way to accomplish anything. It astounds me that the basic tactics used during the French Revolution are still very much a part of how we air grievances, even if our organization methods differ. Social networking has transformed the art of protest into an efficient organizational machine while camera phones with instant upload capabilities now allow global audiences to instantaneously participate in the fight. So, with these new tools literally at our fingertips, why are we still behind our computers?

Because we're comfortable. I'm comfortable. Hell, I'm typing this lying in my bed while studying abroad in a foreign country. Why should I sacrifice my life fighting for something that probably won't work out anyway? The questions, the excuses. "There's too many causes I'm suppose to be fighting for, it's overwhelming." "There's too much wrong with the world." "I'll care tomorrow." "Nothing will ever change."

Well, I'm here to tell you that it will. Definitely not today and maybe not tomorrow, but not without copious amounts of effort and perseverance. We have the resources to create global solidarity like history has never witnessed, but we must gain the ambition and the hope.