Jacque Fresco on Status quo

“Any number of volumes could be written on the hardships endured by those who sought change that threatened the status quo.”

“Better values, ideals, and behavior cannot be fully realized while there is still hunger, unemployment, deprivation, war, and poverty.”

“Yet at every turn, vested interests (those who have the most to gain in keeping things the way they are) oppose even technological changes.”

“This is not human nature but a byproduct of the culture. What is considered appropriate behavior today may be considered un-sane in the future.”

“Many forward-thinking people have been locked up and even executed for saying such things as the earth wasn’t the center of the universe. Those who fought for social justice and change had even greater difficulties.”

“Although we accept the inevitability of change, humans meet it with a lot of resistance. In most cases, change threatens those in positions of advantage and for the most part they are there in the first place to keep things the way they are.”

“This is true for any society, whether the power structure is religious, military, socialist, capitalist, communist, fascist, or tribal. The leaders will attempt to hold back change. Sometimes, even when conditions are terrible for the majority of people, the people themselves may resist change because there is comfort in the familiar.”

“Remember that almost every new concept was ridiculed, rejected, and laughed at when first presented, especially by the experts of the time. That’s what happened to the first scientists who said the earth was round, the first who said it went around the sun, and the first who thought people could learn to fly. You could write a whole book, and many have, just on things that people thought were impossible up until the time they happened.”

“People raised in a monetary system where the bottom line is profit are likely to outsource portions of their business rather than be concerned with the well-being of their country and employees. The nature of our social institutions perpetuates this behavior. For example, if a moderate sized company were concerned with the well-being of employees and provided medical care, playgrounds for children, and a higher wage scale, it would not attract as many investors.”