Did America’s founders know they’d win in 1774, say, at the time of the Intolerable Acts? Did the other colonists? Did people think independence was possible?

Nobody knew. Probably most would bet against their fighting the greatest empire in history.

We who work on changing culture to sustainability are like America’s founders in 1774. Obviously I’m not saying exactly. There are many differences, but in that we are taking on big challenges others don’t try, yet they succeeded and we expect to also. Likewise these others:

We are like Abraham Lincoln when he ran for president in 1859. Did anyone think he’d help pass an amendment ending (mostly) slavery?

We are like Martin Luther King when meeting Rosa Parks before she said “no” to moving to the back of the bus.

We are like Mandela at the Rivonia trial.

We are like Gandhi when thrown off the train in South Africa.

We are like Ela Bhatt when she imagined the women treated as if they were disposable could organize into the Self-Employed Women’s Association.

• ← We study Lincoln to see who we could be, but should also study Calhoun to see who we are
• Who are we in the Star Wars universe? →