It is a dangerous error to confound truth with matter-of-fact. Our life is governed not only by facts, but by hopes ; the kind of truthfulness which sees nothing but facts is a prison for the human spirit. Dreams are only to be condemned when they are a lazy substitute for an effort to change reality.
Source: On Education, especially in early childhood, 1926, by Bertrand Russell
More info.: https://russell-j.com/beginner/OE05-060.HTM
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Human beings cannot change facts or truths. However, "reality" -- especially the current state of institutions and systems -- can be changed through human will and action.
Many people feel overwhelmed by the status quo and fall into a sense of helplessness, but those who possess a strong will to change it take action in pursuit of a better society.
For those who suffer under the current conditions, the collapse of existing institutions and systems, and the emergence of a somewhat improved situation, brings hope. In contrast, people who benefit from the status quo tend to fear change and try to preserve it.
In order for human society to progress, it is essential that as many people as possible enjoy social freedom and equality. A free society is not one in which power is concentrated in the hands of a few individuals, but one in which all citizens possess equal rights under the law.
However, President Trump of the United States appears to misunderstand freedom as a society in which he, as an individual, can exercise the greatest possible power. But a society that restricts or sacrifices the freedom of others in order to expand one person's "freedom" can never be called a truly free society.
Many people around the world seem to recognize this, but politicians -- who often harbor a certain admiration for strong power -- appear unable to speak out against President Trump, perhaps out of fear of retaliation.
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