Our Actions Are More Powerful Than We Realize
我们的行动比我们意识到的更强大
David Swanson writes:
大卫·斯旺森写道:
Almost every[history of past activism]includes belated discoveries of the extent to which government officials were influenced by activist groups even while pretending to ignore popular pressure.
几乎所有(过去激进主义的历史)都包含了对政府官员在多大程度上受到激进组织影响的迟来发现，即使他们假装忽视了民众的压力。
These revelations can be found in the memoirs of the government officials as well,such as in George W.Bush's recollection of how seriously the Republican Senate Majority Leader was taking public pressure against the war on Iraq in 2006.
政府官员的回忆录中也可以找到这些启示，比如乔治·w·布什(George w.Bush)回忆道，这位共和党参议院多数党领袖在2006年公开对伊拉克战争施加压力时是多么认真。
Of course,activism that appears ineffectual at the time can succeed in a great many ways,including by influencing others,even young children,who go on to become effective activists--or by influencing firm opponents who begin to change their minds and eventually switch sides.
当然，在当时看起来无效的激进主义在很多方面都能成功，包括通过影响其他人，甚至是年幼的孩子，他们后来成为有效的激进主义者----或者通过影响那些开始改变主意并最终转变立场的坚定的反对者。
The beautiful thing about nonviolent activism is that,while risking no harm,it has the potential to do good in ways small and large that ripple out from it in directions we cannot track or measure.
非暴力行动主义的美妙之处在于，尽管不会造成伤害，但它有可能以大大小小的方式做好事，从而在我们无法跟踪或衡量的方向上产生涟漪。
Wittner participated in his first political demonstration in 1961.The USSR was withdrawing from a moratorium on nuclear testing.A protest at the White House urged President Kennedy not to follow suit:
1961年，维特纳第一次参加了政治游行。苏联正在退出暂停核试验。白宫的一场抗议活动敦促肯尼迪总统不要效仿:
"Picking up what I considered a very clever sign('Kennedy,Don't Mimic the Russians!'),I joined the others(supplemented by a second busload of students from a Quaker college in the Midwest)circling around a couple of trees outside the White House.Mike and I--as new and zealous recruits--circled all day without taking a lunch or a dinner break.
"拾起我认为非常聪明的标语('肯尼迪，不要模仿俄罗斯人!')年，我加入了其他人的行列(再加上第二车来自中西部贵格会学院的学生)，绕着白宫外的几棵树转圈。迈克和我——作为新手和热心的新成员——整天围着圈子转，没有午餐或晚餐休息。
"For decades I looked back on this venture as a trifle ridiculous.After all,we and other small bands of protesters couldn't have had any impact on U.S.policy,could we?Then in the mid-1990s,while doing research at the Kennedy Library on the history of the world nuclear disarmament movement,I stumbled onto an oral history interview with Adrian Fisher,deputy director of the U.S.Arms Control and Disarmament Agency.He was explaining why Kennedy delayed resuming atmospheric nuclear tests until April 1962.Kennedy personally wanted to resume such tests,Fisher recalled,'but he also recognized that there were a lot of people that were going to be deeply offended by the United States resuming atmospheric testing.We had people picketing the White House,and there was a lot of excitement about it--just because the Russians do it,why do we have to do it?'"
"几十年来，当我回首这次冒险时，觉得有点可笑。毕竟，我们和其他一小群抗议者不可能对美国的政策产生任何影响，不是吗？然后在20世纪90年代中期，当我在肯尼迪图书馆研究世界核裁军运动的历史时，偶然发现了对美国军备控制和裁军局副局长 Adrian Fisher 的口头历史采访。他正在解释为什么肯尼迪推迟恢复大气层核试验，直到1962年4月。费舍尔回忆说，肯尼迪个人希望恢复此类试验，但他也意识到，美国恢复大气层试验会让很多人深感不快。我们有人在白宫周围示威，人们对此非常兴奋——就因为俄罗斯人这么做，我们为什么要这么做?"
Yes,Kennedy delayed a horrible action.He didn't,at that time,block it permanently.But if the picketers in 1961 had had the slightest notion that Kennedy was being influenced by them,their numbers would have multiplied 10-fold,as would the delay have correspondingly lengthened.
是的，肯尼迪推迟了一次可怕的行动。当时，他并没有永久性地封锁它。但是，如果1961年的纠察员稍微察觉到肯尼迪受到了他们的影响，他们的人数就会增加10倍，延迟时间也会相应延长。
Yes,our government was more responsive to public opinion in the 1960s than now,but part of the reason is that more people were active then.And another reason is that government officials are doing a better job now of hiding any responsiveness to public sentiment,which helps convince the public it has no impact,which reduces activism further.We also focus far too much on the most difficult individuals to move,such as presidents.
是的，我们的政府在20世纪60年代比现在对公众舆论的反应更加积极，但部分原因是那时有更多的人在积极参与。另一个原因是，政府官员现在在隐藏任何对公众情绪的反应方面做得更好，这有助于说服公众它没有影响，这进一步减少了激进主义。我们也过于关注那些最难调动的人，比如总统。
In 1973-1974,Wittner visited GI coffee houses in Japan including in Yokusaka,where the Midway aircraft carrier was in port.The Japanese were protesting the ship's carrying of nuclear weapons,which was illegal in Japan,and which the U.S.military,of course,lied about.But U.S.soldiers with whom Wittner and other activists had talked,brought them onto the ship and showed them the nukes.The following summer,when Wittner read in a newspaper that,
1973年至1974年间，Wittner 参观了日本的 GI 咖啡馆，包括中途岛航空母舰停靠的 Yokusaka。日本人抗议船上携带核武器，这在日本是非法的，当然，美国军方对此也撒了谎。但维特纳和其他活动人士与美国士兵交谈后，把他们带上了船，并向他们展示了核武器。第二年夏天，维特纳在一份报纸上读到:
"a substantial number of American GIs had refused to board the Midway for a mission to South Korea,then swept by popular protest against the U.S.-backed dictatorship,it occurred to me that I might have played some small role in inspiring their mutiny."
"有相当多的美国大兵拒绝登上中途号前往韩国执行任务，当时韩国民众抗议美国支持的独裁统治，我突然想到，我可能在促成他们的叛变方面起了一些小作用。"
Soldiers can still be reached much more easily than presidents,more easily in many cases in fact than the average citizen.War lies are harder to sell to the people who have been fighting the wars.
士兵仍然比总统更容易接触，事实上在许多情况下比普通公民更容易接触。战争谎言很难卖给那些参战的人。
In the late 1990s,Wittner was researching the anti-nuclear movement of decades past.He interviewed Robert"Bud"McFarlane,President Ronald Reagan's former national security advisor:
在20世纪90年代末，Wittner 正在研究几十年前的反核运动。他采访了罗伯特·"巴德"·麦克法兰，罗纳德·里根总统的前国家安全顾问:
"Other administration officials had claimed that they had barely noticed the nuclear freeze movement.But when I asked McFarlane about it,he lit up and began outlining a massive administration campaign to counter and discredit the freeze--one that he had directed....A month later,I interviewed Edwin Meese,a top White House staffer and U.S.attorney general during the Reagan administration.When I asked him about the administration's response to the freeze campaign,he followed the usual line by saying that there was little official notice taken of it.In response,I recounted what McFarlane had revealed.A sheepish grin now spread across this former government official's face,and I knew that I had caught him.'If Bud says that,'he remarked tactfully,'it must be true.'"
"其他政府官员声称，他们几乎没有注意到核冻结运动。但当我向麦克法兰询问此事时，他兴奋起来，开始概述一场大规模的政府运动，以反驳和诋毁冻结政策——这是他指挥的.....。一个月后，我采访了埃德温·米斯，他是里根政府时期的白宫高级职员和美国司法部长。当我问及奥巴马政府对冻结竞选的反应时，他按照惯例说，几乎没有官方注意到这件事。作为回应，我详细叙述了麦克法兰所揭示的内容。现在这位前政府官员脸上露出了羞怯的笑容，我知道我抓住他了。"如果巴德这么说，"他委婉地说，"那一定是真的。"
When someone tells you to stop imagining that you're having an impact,ask them to please redirect their energy into getting 10 friends to join you in doing what needs to be done.If it has no impact,you'll have gone down trying.If it has an impact,nobody will tell you for many years.
当有人告诉你停止想象你正在产生影响时，请他们重新定位他们的精力，让10个朋友和你一起做需要做的事情。如果它没有影响，你就会在尝试中失败。如果它有影响，很多年都不会有人告诉你。
Mr.Swanson is right.I noted in 2009:
Swanson 先生是对的，我在2009年指出:
As MSNBC news correspondent Jonathan Capehart tells Dylan Ratigan,the main problem is that people aren't making enough noise.Capehart says that the people not only have to"burn up the phone lines to Congress",but also to hit the streets and protest in D.C.
正如 MSNBC 新闻记者乔纳森·卡佩哈特告诉迪伦·拉蒂根的那样，主要的问题是人们没有制造足够的噪音。卡佩哈特说，人们不仅要"烧掉国会的电话线"，还要走上街头，在华盛顿特区进行抗议。
Even though most politicians are totally corrupt,if many millions of Americans poured into the streets of D.C.,a critical mass would be reached,and the politicians would start changing things in a hurry.
尽管大多数政客都是腐败分子，但如果数百万美国人涌上华盛顿特区的街头，政客们就会达到临界质量，他们就会立刻开始改变现状。
As[liberal]PhD economist Dean Baker points out:
正如(自由派)博士经济学家迪安•贝克(Dean Baker)所指出的:
The elites hate to acknowledge it,but when large numbers of ordinary people are moved to action,it changes the narrow political world where the elites call the shots.Inside accounts reveal the extent to which Johnson and Nixon's conduct of the Vietnam War was constrained by the huge anti-war movement.It was the civil rights movement,not compelling arguments,that convinced members of Congress to end legal racial discrimination.More recently,the townhall meetings,dominated by people opposed to health care reform,have been a serious roadblock for those pushing reform….
精英阶层不愿承认这一点，但当大量普通民众行动起来时，这改变了精英阶层发号施令的狭隘政治世界。内部报道揭示了约翰逊和尼克松在越南战争中的行为在多大程度上受到了巨大的反战的制约。是民权运动，而不是令人信服的论据，说服国会议员结束合法的种族歧视。最近，由反对医疗改革的人士主导的市政厅会议，已经成为那些推动改革的人士的一个严重障碍.....。
A big turnout…can make a real difference.
大量的投票......可以带来真正的改变。
Baker is right about Vietnam.
贝克关于越南的观点是正确的。
Specifically–according to Daniel Ellsberg and many others–Richard Nixon actually planned on dropping a nuclear bomb on Vietnam.Nixon also said he didn't care what the American people thought.He said that—no matter what the public did or said—he was going to escalate the war in Vietnam.
据丹尼尔·埃尔斯伯格和其他许多人说，理查德·尼克松实际上计划向越南投放核弹。尼克松还说，他不在乎美国人民的想法。他说，不管公众做了什么或说了什么，他都将使越南战争升级。
However,a well-known biographer says that Nixon backed off when hundreds of thousands of people turned out in Washington,D.C.to protest an escalation of the war.
然而，一位著名的传记作家说，当数十万人聚集在华盛顿抗议战争升级时，尼克松退缩了。
And Pulitzer prize winning reporter Chris Hedges pointed out recently:
普利策奖获得者克里斯·赫奇斯最近指出:
I was in Leipzig on November 9,1989 with leaders of East German opposition and they told me that-perhaps within a year–there would be free passes back and forth across the Berlin wall.
1989年11月9日，我在莱比锡与东德反对派领导人一起，他们告诉我，或许在一年之内，柏林墙会有来回的自由通行证。
Within a few hours,the Berlin Wall,at least as far as an impediment to human traffic,did not exist.
在几个小时内，柏林墙，至少作为一个阻碍人类交通的障碍，并不存在。
Week after week,month after month,these clergy in Leipzig held these candlelit vigils.And it was slow at first…people forget.Just like the Egyptian revolution has been percolating for many many months,and even years.
一周又一周，一个月又一个月，莱比锡的牧师们举行烛光守夜。一开始很慢......人们忘记了。就像埃及革命已经渗透了好几个月，甚至好几年。
And suddenly,it began to grow.
突然间，它开始生长。
And Honecker–who had been in ruling East Germany since the time of the dinosaurs–sent down a paratroop division to Leipzig...and they won't attack the demonstrators.
昂纳克从恐龙时代就开始统治东德，他派遣了一个伞兵师前往莱比锡。..他们也不会攻击示威者。
Part of the reason that our actions are more powerful than we think is that courage is contagious.So is the ability to think.
我们的行动比我们想象的更有力量，部分原因是勇气是会传染的。思考能力也是如此。
As we've previously noted:
正如我们之前提到的:
[Studies show]that even one dissenting voice can give people permission to think for themselves.Specifically:
[研究表明]即使是一个反对的声音也可以允许人们独立思考。具体来说:
Solomon Asch,with experiments originally carried out in the 1950s and well-replicated since,highlighted a phenomenon now known as"conformity".In the classic experiment,a subject sees a puzzle like the one in the nearby diagram:Which of the lines A,B,and C is the same size as the line X?Take a moment to determine your own answer…The gotcha is that the subject is seated alongside a number of other people looking at the diagram–seemingly other subjects,actually confederates of the experimenter.The other"subjects"in the experiment,one after the other,say that line C seems to be the same size as X.The real subject is seated next-to-last.How many people,placed in this situation,would say"C"–giving an obviously incorrect answer that agrees with the unanimous answer of the other subjects?What do you think the percentage would be?
所罗门•阿希(Solomon Asch)强调了一种现在被称为"从众"的现象，他的实验最初是在20世纪50年代进行的，之后得到了广泛的重复。在经典的实验中，一个实验对象看到了一个类似于附近图表中的谜题:a、b 和 c 中哪一条线的大小与 x 线相同？花一点时间来决定你自己的答案......这个问题很明显，受试者坐在其他一些人旁边，看着图表——看起来是其他受试者，实际上是实验者的同伙。实验中的其他"实验对象"一个接一个地说，c 行似乎和 x 行大小相同。真正的主题是倒数第二个。在这种情况下，有多少人会说"c"——给出一个明显不正确的答案，而这个答案与其他科目的一致答案是一致的？你认为这个百分比会是多少？
Three-quarters of the subjects in Asch's experiment gave a"conforming"answer at least once.A third of the subjects conformed more than half the time.
在 Asch 的实验中，四分之三的受试者至少给出了一次"符合"的答案。三分之一的受试者在一半以上的时间内表现一致。
Get it so far?People tend to defer to what the herd thinks.
到目前为止，人们倾向于顺从大众的想法。
But here's the good news:
但好消息是:
Adding a single dissenter–just one other person who gives the correct answer,or even an incorrect answer that's different from the group's incorrect answer–reduces conformity very sharply,down to 5-10%.
如果只有一个持不同意见的人——只有一个人给出了正确的答案，或者甚至是一个不正确的答案，而这个答案与该组的不正确答案不同——那么从众性就会大大降低，降低到5-10%。
Why is this important?Well,it means that one person who publicly speaks the truth can sway a group of people away from group-think.
为什么这很重要？这意味着一个公开说出真相的人可以让一群人远离集体思维。
If a group of people is leaning towards believing the government's version of events,a single person who speaks the truth can help snap the group out of its trance.
如果一群人倾向于相信政府对事件的说法，那么只要有一个人说出真相，就能帮助这群人走出恍惚状态。
There is an important point here regarding the web,as well.The above-cited article states that:
这里也有一个关于网络的重要观点。上述文章指出:
When subjects can respond in a way that will not be seen by the group,conformity also drops.What does that mean?Well,on the web,many people post anonymously.The anonymity gives people permission to"respond in a way that will not be seen by the group".But most Americans still don't get their news from the web,or only go to mainstream corporate news sites.
当受试者能够以一种群体看不到的方式做出反应时，从众心理也随之下降。这是什么意思？在网上，很多人匿名发帖。这种匿名性使得人们可以"以一种群体看不到的方式作出回应"。但是大多数美国人仍然不能从网上获得新闻，或者只能去主流的企业新闻网站。
Away from the keyboard,we are not very anonymous.So that is where the conformity dynamic—and the need for courageous dissent—is vital.It is doubly important that we apply the same hard-hitting truthtelling we do on the Internet in our face-to-face interactions;because it is there that dissent is urgently needed.
离开键盘，我们并不是很无名。因此，这就是顺从的动力ーー以及需要勇敢的异议ーー至关重要的地方。我们在面对面的交流中应用互联网上那种强硬的真实表达方式，这一点尤为重要;因为在那里，我们迫切需要不同意见。
Bottom line:Each person's voice has the power to snap entire groups out of their coma of irrational group-think.So go forth and be a light of rationality and truth among the sleeping masses.
一句话:每个人的声音都有能力把整个群体从非理性群体思维的昏迷中唤醒。所以，去吧，在沉睡的群众中做一个理性和真理的光芒。
And a recent study shows that when only 10% of a population have strongly-held beliefs,their belief will often be adopted by the majority of the society.
最近的一项研究表明，当只有10%的人口拥有强烈的信仰时，他们的信仰往往会被社会的大多数人所接受。
True,governments worldwide are cracking down on liberty with the iron fist of repression.
诚然，世界各国政府正在用镇压的铁拳打击自由。
But some argue that this is actually a sign that we are winning.
但有些人认为，这实际上是我们正在取得胜利的信号。
As Truthout's Matt Renner writes:
正如 Truthout 的马特·雷纳所写:
Recently I sat down with two of the young adults who organized and led the Egyptian resistance movement that overthrew Hosni Mubarak.The media narrative said it took 18 days,when in fact,they had been organizing for over five years.
最近我和两个年轻人坐在一起，他们组织并领导了推翻胡斯尼·穆巴拉克的埃及抵抗运动。媒体报道说，他们花了18天时间，而实际上，他们已经组织了5年多。
According to these young men,the moment they knew they had won was the day Mubarak's government shut off the Internet and blocked cellphone communications.When people could no longer get updates about what was happening in Tahrir Square,they had to come out of their homes and see for themselves,tripling the size of the protests in one fell swoop.
根据这些年轻人的说法，当他们知道自己获胜的那一刻，就是穆巴拉克政府关闭互联网和屏蔽手机通讯的那一天。当人们再也无法获得有关解放广场事件的最新消息时，他们不得不走出家门亲眼目睹，一举将抗议规模扩大了三倍。
The global plutocracy is terrified of dissent.In some places,the war on dissent is being fought with bullets.In others,the war on dissent targets social media and mobile communications,while repressing and deceiving communities of struggle.It's already happening.
全球富豪阶层害怕异议。在一些地方，反对异议的战争正在用子弹进行。在另一些国家，反对异见的战争针对社会媒体和移动通信，同时压制和欺骗斗争的社区。已经开始了。
Indeed,the use of heavy-handed tactics–taking the velvet glove off of the iron fist–could backfire,as it will show the"emperor's ruthlessness"for all to see.
事实上，使用高压手段——脱下铁拳上的天鹅绒手套——可能会适得其反，因为这将向所有人展示"皇帝的无情"。
The powers-that-be are terrified of political awakening and dissent.For example,Zbigniew Brzezinski–National Security Adviser to President Carter,creator of America's strategy to lure Russia into Afghanistan,creator of America's plans for Eurasia in general,and Obama's former foreign affairs adviser-said:
当权者害怕政治觉醒和异议。例如，卡特总统的国家安全顾问、美国引诱俄罗斯进入阿富汗战略的制定者、美国欧亚大陆计划的制定者、奥巴马的前外交事务顾问兹比格涅夫·布热津斯基·奥巴马说:
For the first time in human history almost all of humanity is politically activated,politically conscious and politically interactive.There are only a few pockets of humanity left in the remotest corners of the world that are not politically alert and engaged with the political turmoil and stirrings that are so widespread today around the world.
人类历史上第一次，几乎所有的人类都被政治激活，具有政治意识和政治互动。在世界上最偏远的角落，只有少数人没有政治警觉，参与了当今世界各地如此普遍的政治动乱和骚动。
***
America needs to face squarely a centrally important new global reality:that the world's population is experiencing a political awakening unprecedented in scope and intensity,with the result that the politics of populism are transforming the politics of power.
美国需要正视一个重要的全球新现实:世界人民正在经历一场前所未有的范围和强度的政治觉醒，其结果是民粹主义政治正在改变权力政治。
***
[T]he central challenge of our time is posed not by global terrorism,but rather by the intensifying turbulence caused by the phenomenon of global political awakening.That awakening is socially massive and politically radicalizing.
我们这个时代面临的主要挑战不是全球恐怖主义，而是全球政治觉醒现象造成的日益加剧的动荡。这种觉醒在社会上是巨大的，在政治上是激进的。
It is no overstatement to assert that now in the 21st century the population of much of the developing world is politically stirring and in many places seething with unrest.It is a population acutely conscious of social injustice to an unprecedented degree,and often resentful of its perceived lack of political dignity.
在21世纪，许多发展中国家的人民正处于政治动荡之中，在许多地方动荡不安，这样的断言并不过分。这是一个民众对社会不公正的强烈意识达到了前所未有的程度，并且经常对其缺乏政治尊严的感觉感到愤愤不平。
***
These energies transcend sovereign borders and pose a challenge both to existing states as well as to the existing global hierarchy,on top of which America still perches.
这些能量超越了主权边界，对现有的国家和现有的全球等级体系构成了挑战，而美国仍然居于这一体系的顶端。
***
The misdiagnosis[of foreign policy]pertains to a relatively vague,excessively abstract,highly emotional,semi-theological definition of the chief menace that we face today in the world,and the consequent slighting of what I view as the unprecedented global challenge arising out of the unique phenomenon of a truly massive global political awakening of mankind.We live in an age in which mankind writ large is becoming politically conscious and politically activated to an unprecedented degree,and it is this condition which is producing a great deal of international turmoil.
(外交政策的)误诊涉及对我们今天在世界上面临的主要威胁的一个相对模糊、过于抽象、高度情绪化、半神学的定义，以及随之而来的对我所认为的前所未有的全球性挑战的忽视，这种全球性挑战产生于人类真正大规模的全球政治觉醒这一独特现象。我们生活在这样一个时代，人类显著的政治意识和政治活动达到了前所未有的程度，正是这种情况造成了大量的国际动荡。
That turmoil is the product of the political awakening,the fact that today vast masses of the world are not politically neutered,as they have been throughout history.They have political consciousness.
这场动荡是政治觉醒的产物，因为今天世界上广大民众在政治上没有像历史上那样受到阉割。他们有政治意识。
***
The other major change in international affairs is that for the first time,in all of human history,mankind has been politically awakened.That is a total new reality–total new reality.It has not been so for most of human history until the last one hundred years.And in the course of the last one hundred years,the whole world has become politically awakened.And no matter where you go,politics is a matter of social engagement,and most people know what is generally going on–generally going on–in the world,and are consciously aware of global inequities,inequalities,lack of respect,exploitation.Mankind is now politically awakened and stirring.
国际事务的另一个重大变化是，人类历史上第一次在政治上觉醒。这是一个全新的现实——全新的现实。在人类历史的大部分时间里，直到最近的一百年前，情况并非如此。在过去的一百年里，整个世界都变得政治觉醒了。无论你走到哪里，政治都是一个社会参与的问题，大多数人都知道世界上正在发生的事情，并且自觉地意识到全球的不平等，不平等，缺乏尊重，剥削。人类现在政治觉醒和动荡。
And a reader notes:
一位读者写道:
We do not understand our own power.Look around you.Almost everything you see was not only made,but created by people like yourselves.Most of the horrors existing on earth were engendered by the elites,WITH OUR CO-OPERATION.Without our consent,most of the terrifying situations existing in our world will cease to exist.Resist.It certainly may be difficult initially,but it grows easier moment by moment.
我们不了解我们自己的力量。看看你的周围。几乎所有你看到的东西都不仅仅是由你们这样的人创造出来的。地球上存在的大多数恐怖事件都是精英们通过我们的合作制造出来的。如果没有我们的同意，我们世界上存在的大多数可怕情况将不复存在。抵抗。一开始可能会有点困难，但是随着时间的推移，它会变得越来越容易。
Some historical quotes may be helpful in illustrating the importance of struggling to make things better...
一些历史名言可能有助于说明努力使事情变得更好的重要性.....。
It is from numberless diverse acts of courage and belief that human history is shaped.Each time a man stands up for an ideal,or acts to improve the lot of others,or strikes out against injustice,he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope,and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring,those ripples build a current that can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.
-Robert F.Kennedy
人类的历史正是由无数不同的勇气和信念的行为塑造而成的。每当一个人为了一个理想而站起来，或者为了改善他人的命运而行动，或者为了反抗不公正而奋斗时，他就会发出一丝希望的涟漪，从一百万个不同的能量和勇气的中心互相穿越，这些涟漪就会形成一股水流，可以冲破压迫和反抗的巨大围墙。罗伯特·f。肯尼迪
We must never despair;our situation has been compromising before;and it changed for the better;so I trust it will again.If difficulties arise;we must put forth new exertion and proportion our efforts to the exigencies of the times.
-George Washington
我们决不能绝望，我们的处境以前也曾经有过妥协，现在已经变得更好了，所以我相信它还会变好的。如果出现困难，我们必须重新努力，使我们的努力适应时代的需要。-乔治·华盛顿
We must remember that one determined person can make a significant difference,and that a small group of determined people can change the course of history.
-Sonia Johnson
我们必须记住，一个意志坚定的人可以产生重大的影响，一小群意志坚定的人可以改变历史的进程。——索尼娅·约翰逊
Never doubt that a small,group of thoughtful,committed citizens can change the world.Indeed,it is the only thing that ever has.
-Margaret Mead
永远不要怀疑，一小群有思想、有责任心的公民能够改变世界。事实上，它是唯一拥有的东西。玛格丽特・米德
Hope has never trickled down.It has always sprung up.
-Studs Terkel
希望从来没有流下来过。它总是在不断地涌现
At certain points in history,the energy level of people,the indignation level of people rises.And at that point it becomes possible for people to organize and to agitate and to educate one another,and to create an atmosphere in which the government must do something.
-Howard Zinn,historian
在历史的某些时刻，人们的精力水平、愤慨水平上升。在这一点上，人们就有可能组织起来，鼓动起来，相互教育，创造一种政府必须做些什么的氛围。-霍华德·辛，历史学家
There is no act too small,no act too bold.The history of social change is the history of millions of actions,small and large,coming together at points in history and creating a power that governments cannot suppress.
-Howard Zinn
做事不嫌小，做事不嫌大胆。社会变革的历史就是无数行动的历史，无论大小，在历史的某个时刻汇集在一起，创造出一种政府无法压制的力量。-霍华德・辛
Cynicism Is Not Realistic
犬儒主义不现实
Millions of Americans think that hope is for the foolish,and that the smart people are cynics.
数以百万计的美国人认为希望是愚蠢的，聪明的人是愤世嫉俗的人。
But if all of the people who think of themselves as cynics or skeptics made noise,things would instantly change for the better.In other words,the millions of cynics/skeptics/self-described"realists"aren't raising a ruckus against the fraud being committed by the giant banks,the corruption of our political system,or the lawlessness and imperial arrogance of our intelligence-military-industrial complex because they think things can't change.
但是，如果所有认为自己是愤世嫉俗者或怀疑论者的人都发出声音，事情就会立刻变得更好。换句话说，数以百万计的愤世嫉俗者、怀疑论者、自称"现实主义者"的人，并没有因为大银行的欺诈行为、我们政治体系的腐败，或者我们情报-军事-工业联合体的无法无天和帝国主义式的傲慢而引起骚动，因为他们认为事情不会改变。
But by staying silent,they are actually creating the conditions in which nothing can change.As Edmund Burke points out:
但是，保持沉默，实际上是在创造一个无法改变的环境。正如埃德蒙·伯克所指出的:
All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent.
一切暴政都需要有良知的人保持沉默，才能站稳脚跟。
If the millions of cynics woke up to the fact that they are a huge group–especially when combined with the people who are already actively working for the restoration of a liberty,justice and the rule of law–they would suddenly realize that collectively we can change things in a heart beat.
如果数以百万计的愤世嫉俗者意识到他们是一个庞大的群体——特别是当他们与那些已经在积极努力恢复自由、正义和法治的人们结合在一起时——他们就会突然意识到，我们可以通过集体的心跳来改变事情。
Don't Want to Go First?
不想先走？
Most people don't want to go first...
大多数人都不想第一个去。
Most people want to see others succeeding before they give it a shot.
大多数人在尝试之前都希望看到别人成功。
But the truth-as pointed out by Zbigniew Brzezinski above-is that people are waking up worldwide...and things are changing quickly.
但事实是----正如上文兹比格涅夫·布热津斯基所指出的----人们正在全世界范围内觉醒......事情正在迅速改变。
A few short years ago,Americans wouldn't have believed that the White House would lie us into a major war,that our government would choose Wall Street over the little guy,or that the NSA spied on every American citizen.Now,this is all common knowledge.
短短几年前，美国人不会相信白宫会把我们卷入一场大战，我们的政府会选择华尔街而不是小人物，或者美国国家安全局会监视每一个美国公民。这些都是常识。
A few years ago,most Americans trusted government and corporate leaders.Now,polls show that trust has collapsed,as people realize that our core institutions are rotten with corruption.
几年前，大多数美国人信任政府和企业领导人。现在，民意调查显示，信任已经崩溃，因为人们意识到，我们的核心机构腐败堕落。
You will not be taking the first step.More people than you realize are already working to challenge the corrupt people in positions of power.
你不会迈出第一步。比你想象的还要多的人已经在努力挑战那些掌权的腐败分子。
When you act to make things better,you're actually joining a large group of people doing the same thing.
当你为了让事情变得更好而行动时，你实际上是加入了一个做着同样事情的大团体。
And as Hellen Keller pointed out:
正如海伦·凯勒指出的那样:
Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure.Life is either a daring adventure,or nothing.
从长远来看，避免危险并不比直接暴露在危险中更安全。生活要么是一次大胆的冒险，要么什么都不是。
Postscript:In any event,hiding our head in the sand doesn't work.
后记:无论如何，把头埋在沙子里是行不通的。
来源：https://www.zerohedge.com/contributed/2014-01-31/powers-be-are-secretly-terrified-people%E2%80%99s-power-%E2%80%A6-and-only-pretend-they%E2%80%99re-fi
