This week I speak of an email I received, special thanks to Doug Hines, and I speak of a wonderful concept that was given to me by Randy Sandberg.
Please visit the wonderful Quotes on Slavery website: http://quotesonslavery.org/
Here is a quote I think relevant to the theme of this podcast:
"A common criticism is that the time is not yet ripe for our reform. Can time ever be ripe for any reform unless it is ripened by human determination? Did Wilberforce wait for the
~ Donald Watson (November, 1944)"
ripeningof time before he commenced his fight against slavery? Did Edwin Chadwick, Lord Shaftesbury, and Charles Kingsley wait for such a non-existent moment before trying to convince the great dead weight of public opinion that clean water and bathrooms would be an improvement? If they had declared their intention to poison everybody the opposition they met could hardly have been greater. There is an obvious danger in leaving the fulfilment of our ideals to posterity, for posterity may not have our ideal. Evolution can be retrogressive as well as progressive, indeed there seems always to be a strong gravitation the wrong way unless existing standards are guarded and new visions honoured. For this reason we have formed our [Vegan] Group, the first of its kind, we believe, in this or any other country.
~ Donald Watson (November, 1944)"