Re: An Extropian Nation ??!

Abraham Moses Genen (futurist@frontiernet.net)
Thu, 19 Jun 1997 22:08:43 -0400

den Otter wrote in part:
>
> In recent mailings there has been talk of "changing the system from within"
> by an "Extropian Party" or something like that. I can almost guarantee you
> that this won't work, because (true) Extropians are such an incredibely
> small
> minority. In fact if Extropy were some suicidal CULT it would have more
> "followers"
> than it has now. Our "enemies" are not just the politicians and business
> conglomerates and their henchmen who rule the present "system", but also
> "the people" themselves. They are the ones who really hold the system up,
> and prevent important social/political/ economical/technological change.
> The reasons for this are of course a childish fear of "the unknown", an
> aversion to personal responsibility, pure laziness, stupidity and related
> negative characteristics. Indeed, most people prefer to huddle up
> under the ubusive wings of Big Brother, pretending to be safe, rather than
> to boldly and independently surge forwards in life, always looking for
> improvement.

Dear fellow Extropians,
It must first be understood that politics is the art of the possible.

Is it possible for any individual or small group to influence a large
political organization for the purpose of bringing about change?

The answer is yes. You cannot expect change to occur overnight in most
instances, however. The object in a political organization is to
influence prevailing opinion by presenting logical, viable alternatives
to existing policy and ideology.
Frequently, this is an evolutionary activity.
It's not that easy to change the minds of the people whose primary
activity is political involvement as an outlet of their daily
frustrations.
We are not dealing with great intellectuals or academiticians, but
rather with people who are simply trying to survive in a world they did
not make.
Most people are willing to accept change if they understand how it will
benefit them.
If all of society re enlightened through continuous education and
knowledge accumulates, change occurs that much faster.
Maybe we can consider the move to Mars next year.

Abraham Moses Genen