Are we really 'progressive'?
Personally, the word 'progressive' to me just means that, whether it be personally or politically, some kind of change is occurring. It means that something is not static; rather, some kind of advancement, difference, evolution, adjustment, modification, transition or transformation is occurring. Now that I've given you just about every other word for progress, let me give my own metaphor for how I think of and define a 'progressive world.'
A progressive world is like a butterfly. Stay with me on this. First, the butterfly, which represents the world, starts off as a simple egg waiting to hatch. The egg represents our world in it's simplest form, in it's simplest mind-set. For example, on the issue of racism, you could think the egg stage as the stage where the world is completely egotistical and ignorant, believing that their own race or "kind" is the center of the world, because that egg is oblivious to anyone or anything but itself. Next, the butterfly hatches into a caterpillar. The caterpillar stage is the stage where the butterfly constantly feeds in order to gain energy and strength. Staying with racism, the caterpillar stage is the stage when the world begins to realize that there are different types of people in the world and begins to take it all in, as the caterpillar eats and eats. It's eyes are opened, as the world's eyes are opened. The third stage is the pupa stage, otherwise known as the transition stage or the stage where the butterfly goes into it's cocoon. During this stage, the butterfly is changing rapidly while it stays protected by its' silk cocoon. This stage in the butterfly's life is like the stage in our world where human kind would have rather stayed protected by its' "cocoon" and sucked into its own ways, customs, and thinking, thus lashing out at anyone that is different. However, it is also the stage where the world begins to realize that it can't just lash out at everyone that is different, that it must begin to embrace uniqueness instead of crushing it. Thus it is the transition stage for human kind and the issue of racism as well. Finally, the last stage is the butterfly stage, when the butterfly emerges from the cocoon with wings and a gorgeous new coat, ready to reproduce and live out its' adult life. When human kind comes out of its' cocoon, it is ready to embrace and welcome differences instead of crush them. Human kind is generally a beautiful thing at this point- with its new set of wings and beautiful coat, it is ready to take off to begin to live out a more enlightened lifestyle.
Take the butterfly example with anything in the world today. Racism, pollution, poverty, endangered animals, war, hunger, etc. Are we stuck in this 4th stage of the butterfly, where we are convinced there is no where else to go? Or can we go a 5th stage, a 6th, a 7th?
Sure, human kind is "ready" to live out a new lifestyle when we get to the 4th stage of the butterfly, but does that mean that they are going to execute it? Just because we are aware of pollution and poverty, does that mean its the end of the road and we are going to eliminate it forever? No. Look at us. We still use up energy like it's nothing and jump into our 5-miles-to-the-gallon cars. We even sit here on ProgressiveU and rant about it to a blank screen, without doing hardly anything to change our lifestyle. So when are we going to become truly PROGRESSIVE? When is a transition going to HAPPEN? Will it happen, ever?
We can't just settle for what we think is the best. We have to keep going, progressively, keep thinking of better ways to improve our human lifestyles and the world we live in. I'm not perfect and I'm not claiming to be. All I'm saying is that one person can make a difference, as corny as that sounds. How do you know you can't, unless you try? Heres one of my feeble attempts- what's yours? Make us progressive!
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