Communication

[Video from Pharyngula at ScienceBlogs.]

I think this video serves as a reminder that in science, as in politics, it is surprisingly easy to lose ground that was so difficult to gain.

For example in Gaza, years of political progress can be set back by just a few weeks of violence, and in California rights can be taken away by a popular vote.

But it important to remember that progress can be made and preserved, a good example in the Middle East would be Israel's relationship with Egypt. For decades they were constantly on the brink of war, and at war on several occasions, but now they have relatively reasonable diplomatic relations. That is the kind of progress we need.

The title of this post is communication; communication lies at the heart of how we can solidify the beneficial evolution of society. The ability to tolerate and cohabit with one another is at its core based on the ability of people to empathise and understand one another. To understand why we act in the way that we do, and the reasons why the things we cherish are important to us. That holds true most of all for the rights and freedoms that we are so privileged to hold.

[If you don't have time to watch the whole thing go to 4:30. It's at this point that he makes a point that I would like to emphasise.]



His basic point, for those who haven't watched the video, is that because the Scholars of the Great Library did not communicate to their ideas and achievements to the populace there was no-one willing to defend their ideas when the mob rose up.

We, as Labour supporters, need to learn this lesson. No matter how fine our achievements in office, no matter how many benefit from the minimum wage or a swift and strong reaction to recession, if we do not show the electorate what we have done for them when the Tory mob is at our door there will be no-one to stand in their way.

We must protect our ideals and the progress we have made, and we can only do that by making people believe that out ideals and achievements are worth protecting.