"We shall require a substantially new manner of thinking if mankind is to survive."
by:
Albert Einstein
(1879-1955) Physicist and Professor, Nobel Prize 1921
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I believe we shall require a substantially OLD manner of thinking if mankind is to survive.
 -- Howard, Bangkok     
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    One would be that we, individually, or as a nation, are not the center of the universe and that everyone should not be measured against oneself, ourselves, or in accordance with our wants and needs. The manner of thinking will most certainly be related to our values which must also be adjusted. We don't have a lot of time to do this.
     -- Judith, New Mexico     
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    Howard, said well. Judith, I understand where you're going with that and don't necessarily disagree but, I think we need to return to each and any, every and all individuals being the center of the universe, royal sovereigns and equal before the law, where our values (should be adjusted) are our own business not infringing upon other's rights. And you're right, very little time to do it. We do require a substantially new manner of thinking to survive because man's inhumanity to man has never had the heinous tools as the demonic despots have today. Never before in our known history has man been able to kill the entire oceans, pollute the land and air so completely, spy on and track individuals (through credit cards, computers, from space, electronically, chips in the skin, etc.), wreak such individual and mass destruction, control economies with such immediate and noxious consequences, etc., etc., etc.
     -- Mike, Norwalk     
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    As Bertrand Russell said in the quote the other day science is the answer. Science and group or united action based on good science. Mikes narcissistic individual, royal soverign approach says nothing to me about how united action will come together to solve the problems he has listed. Mike how do royal sovereigns united to combat the ignorance of the polluters etcetera.
     -- Waffler, Smith     
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    The material sum of Einstein's life consists of an inefficient refrigerator that was never brought to market. His new way of thinking would have us all living in mud huts.
     -- Justin, Elkland     
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    We need to once again enshrine and respect the individuals right to exist as an individual. The right to personal "private" property. The dignity that comes with respect for these rights and a live and let live approach. As opposed to manipulating the planet to meet the needs of "American Interests or the machinations of the NWO. The only thing we need to be united in is a universal defense of our individual rights.
     -- J Carlton, Calgary     
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    Well said, Carlton.
     -- jim k, Austin,Tx     
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    For those giving five stars, please take a few minutes to digest Einstein's new way of thinking: http://monthlyreview.org/598einstein.php J Carlton, Jim, and Mike: you may find his ideas about individualism, private property, and a planned enconomy to be quite tangential to your own. Waffler, don't worry about reading the above-referenced article if you are feeling too much tension, it is, I believe consistent with your viewpoint insofar as you hvae presented it on this forum. Judith, above all others I hope you read it, as it may push you to one side of t he fence or the other.
     -- Justin     
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    Thanks Justin, I know Einstein was a socialist...I'm looking at the quote as a "stand alone" quote, and putting it into what I see as today's perspective.
     -- J Carlton, Calgary     
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    And that aint happening! as you can see from the above comments. Howard, get your head out of the sand and look around; what was old is even worse today. We do not learn mentally from the past just physically as you can tell from the amount of weekend sofa indentations and empty beer bottles. We may be able to send men to the moon but gosh we can't even feed the 50 million starving kids in our own nation. Justin, just take the quote on its own merits - if we start analyzing every biography of those quoting we would be here all day - I know, I have fallen into that trap too. I agree with Carlton inasmuch as individual sovereignty and individual rights should be paramount in any society. Judith don't be pushed, stand your ground. This essay is brilliant and shows the terrible downside of capitalism. At the end he said this "...how is it possible, in view of the far-reaching centralization of political and economic power, to prevent bureaucracy from becoming all-powerful and overweening? How can the rights of the individual be protected and therewith a democratic counterweight to the power of bureaucracy be assured?" Considering this was written back in the late 40s I would love to hear what he would say in today's political and social decline. Mike, fantastic, I agree with you.
     -- RBESRQ     
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    RBESRQ, How are we to judge a man's thought while ignoring his actions. This arguement seems illogical. As to your advice to Judith, thank you for perfectly illustrating my point. You may notice that I asked her to read Einstein's own words regarding socialism and then to make up her own mind. You suggested that she not listen to me and to trust you based on a tiny snippet of the article I reccomended. How very socialist of you; how very libertarian of me. At least we are consistent.
     -- Justin, Elkland     
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    RBESRQ, As to your use of the snippet from the end of the essay, I'm glad you brought it up. Einstein spends the overwhelming majority of his essay persuading the reader that a socialist economy is both necessary and inevitable, only to disprove his entire arguement by presenting the most gaping holes in his hypothesis, and then casting them aside by saying that he is sure they will be resolved somehow and by someone. Would Einstein's theory of general relativity have withstood much scrutiny if he had presented un-resolved evidence contrary to his theory at the end of his paper?
     -- Justin, Elkland     
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    Maybe I should have expanded on what I was thinking, more in a collective view, that we cannot continue forcing our values (falsely so) and "democracy" down the throats of the rest of the world, all in the name of oil. We have murdered over a million Iraqis. Assault on the planet cannot continue for the benefit of a few at the expense of the many. Our country, and fellow citizens cannot expect the rest of the world to tolerate our contemptuous behavior and threats to the rest. Enough nuclear weapons to blow the planet to smithereens and tell the rest of the world we are the few that can be trusted with them when we are the only ones to have used them. Over 50% of our budget spent on so-called defense (wars of aggression,), over 800 military bases on foreign land and 40% to mercenary armies. A society that supports this horrific behavior which does not demand it stop, while their own families are becoming more and more homeless and hungry. We are in the funnel going down quickly. When will we become a nation that values life is willing to stop bullying and controlling countries whose resources our corporations covet. Most think we are the "evil empire" and we need to consider whether they might have something we don't realize. We need a reality check.
     -- Judith, New Mexico     
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    "Hope and change" anyone? ;-) The quote is too general. "Change" is the mantra of those who don't like the way things are -- which is the basic human condition. Of course, when we acquire that 'change' then the other guys don't like it and then they want 'change.' Vicious cycle. I will say that the search for truth and the willingness to accept it once discovered (or rediscovered as the case may be) is the best way to free one's mind from the condtioning and programming that has enslaved so many for SO long. Even in science, which is a process of observation, theory, and experimentation, we must review and retest 'theories' long accepted as fact. Once again, when it comes to seeking truth, eventually great POWER is discovered -- power that threatens the 'old' reign and the battle begins for the power -- the first step is of course to hide the truth (again) to keep that power for oneself and to profit from its secrecy. We are not free because 'they' do not want to let us go, and you do not want to know the truth really... if you did, you would have the power. ;-) Consider how Einstein paid his bills -- he was an academic, fed via institutions, his life spent at a desk and at conferences -- socialism fits well with people who spend their lifetimes at a desk, in a collective. In fact socialism is perfect for these types -- and they can have it, just don't force it upon everyone else. Communes are great, too, if you are up for that sort of thing, but not once they are required for everyone. Join your clubs and associations, but remember that the rules are for YOU not everyone else, too.
     -- E Archer, NYC     
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    Until I am the center of the world, I am no help to anyone, not myself, not my spouse, not my children, not my neighbor. When I am a strong individual, I have much to share. The blue print is available to us and we are failing with out it....we must look back...
     -- Abigail, Newport     
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    Why is it that America can spend it's money on military bases, mercenary armies and other pointless spending, but not on things that make humanity great? Like more space exploration, more alternative energies, better education for the less fortunate, more jobs and above all else: ZERO TOLERANCE FOR ZERO ACCOUNTABILITY!!!!!!!! We have been a morally bankrupt nation for far too long. No more reckless spending, no slaps on the wrist for war criminals like Bush and Co. and no more foreign occupations.
     -- Anonymous     
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    Judith, you breathe some fresh, bright air in this otherwise foggy bottom.
     -- Dick, Fort Worth     
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    You need to punch out more than Bush and Co...you could start with todays administration and go backwards to about 1913...and the point is...we have NO HONORABLE MEMBERS OF CONGRESS (well,yes ~10%). They all take an Oath...This is the Oath of Office for Congress: I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter: So help me God. Our representatives take this Oath and then they take a leak on the Constitution like they had never uttered the above words. We elected them, it is our responsibility to vote them out and to have a voice on all bills before congress...we can't pass the buck...THAT is how we ended up here. So SPEAK UP! There are liberty candidates that run, but they don't have the money for ads and media and the people vote like sheep going to slaughter for the name they hear the most. They don't want to 'throw away a vote'...where is the morality of that kind of thinking? KNOW THE CANDIDATES and vote for the one who will HONOR YOU by supporting the LAW. The dude is wrong. People don't need to think in a different way...they need to THINK period.
     -- Anonymous     
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    "People don't need to think in a different way...they need to THINK period." I'm jealous I didn't think of that. Well played.
     -- Justin, Elkland     
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    Gifts to man kind, the minds of influenced thinkers. Telling of a change to come, it's great that this quote brings such clarity of conversation.To the point of time being short. We look back to the text, weather in the dirt or on the page to come to the same place of event. Its not only that unity of action will come but unity of mind in a new way of understanding. With length of days, is understanding. Which Mr. Einstein saw very well. The unity of a social order with the independance of free honest service by it's leaders. With every new birth a little blood is shed. I'm not trying to be a ham or a crowd pleaser. As science and understanding have expanded so has the spirit of man and ( other things). things unseen, as science has proved, those are the things that hold the key. This is much more than the politics of our country, but an event waited upon by our planet and its inhabitense for thousands of years. Rape you head around that.Two bodies of knowledge coming together, they have been separated and brought together many times to enfluenced trends of economy and society, secrets bore out by countless years of secular science. Coming to a point of understanding. We are not alone and things not seen, control that which is temporal and seen. If you want peace, be at peace with your neighbor. If you wish to keep that that is yours then do so. You have a free will. Once free, you will be a good servant. Where does your guilt lie, having exsersized your senses discerning good and evil. Knowing right from wrong. Meat belongs to those that are of full age. Keep your eyes on the stars and your feet on the ground. Another great mind once said. The ancient land mark still stands. If you don't know what that is you need to look in a different part of the library while there is still time. In God we trust was written for a reason, they were fully presueded . A watchman once said in the night that these are the fullness of times we live in. It comes with a message of hope and warning ! Not my personal opinion, I'm just a messenger. I've herd a roomer.
     -- Ron, s     
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