Democracy - Springs and Jasmines
Labels:
Anne Driscoll,
Mashable,
Social Good
·
The Arab spring will remain firmly etched in my mind as the most defining moment of my life. In the 24 years or so of my existence, 15 of which were steeped in deep cynicism, I have always yearned for an idea that would capture the imagination of the masses. Something that would help me be relevant, and not in the make a fool out of yourself reality TV type of a way. All the clever witticisms, comments, videos and photos that seem to find their way to twitter and facebook are just attempts at scratching the surface of meaning and to an extent - an approval junkie. All this while I was thinking of how exactly it would make sense for this latent need to translate into something positive. That was when i found Gene Sharp
Gene Sharp is the author of "From dictatorship to Democracy". I had no idea about it till I found a lightweight PDF courtesy of a question I missed on a quiz. His work, backed by over 60 years of research in non violent movements was a watershed moment for me. It helped me understand the machinations of the jasmine revolution, and soon after all of the Arab spring. With the youth on the streets egging on a 74 year old man to do what countless regimes have failed to stamp out, I was hooked onto the idea of a peaceful revolution.
After understanding this (or most of it), I wanted to know if there was a greater good that could come out of all of it. My english teacher once asked me - "why cant people be addicted to apples, and fruits instead of alcohol and cigarettes?" Almost as if on cue, I found out some of the most amazing material on social good online. Credits to Mashable, the Social Good summit and Anne Driscoll for a message of living good. Read more about it here
Gene Sharp is the author of "From dictatorship to Democracy". I had no idea about it till I found a lightweight PDF courtesy of a question I missed on a quiz. His work, backed by over 60 years of research in non violent movements was a watershed moment for me. It helped me understand the machinations of the jasmine revolution, and soon after all of the Arab spring. With the youth on the streets egging on a 74 year old man to do what countless regimes have failed to stamp out, I was hooked onto the idea of a peaceful revolution.
After understanding this (or most of it), I wanted to know if there was a greater good that could come out of all of it. My english teacher once asked me - "why cant people be addicted to apples, and fruits instead of alcohol and cigarettes?" Almost as if on cue, I found out some of the most amazing material on social good online. Credits to Mashable, the Social Good summit and Anne Driscoll for a message of living good. Read more about it here
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