If I have learned anything while reading the books I have been reading this year, it is that the decisions that a few people make can greatly affect the rest of human society. When a Chinese student dared to glue his poem to the Democracy Wall in Beijing after it had been outlawed, his words helped change a nation; when a group of Germans invaded the British Isles and chose to stay there and settle, our fascinatingly complex English language was born; when a rambunctious researcher discovered the opiate receptor, her research helped unlock the secrets of how emotion works; and when a single person writes about an imaginary press conference held in a tree-house by a fictional girl, he touches the minds of persons living around the world. It is impossible to know how far one's ripples will reach, whether they will be accepted with curiosity or hostility, or – especially in our digital age – for how long their potency will continue. Unlike in centuries past, however, when in order to be heard or read or seen a person had to scrape before and beg at the feet of a wealthy benefactor, today even the lowliest among us can start a blog, speak out, and make waves. What a fascinating modern age we live in. Huzzah.
© americanifesto / 場黑麥
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