Please click on the following link, read the story that appeared in the August 9, 2010 edition of Time Magazine, and respond to the question, "Is progress possible?"
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2007238,00.html
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Progress is usually defined as the movement or development towards a goal or growth. With that said, I believe that progress is possible and is happening all around us. However, we must consider the fact that "progress" for one man has a completely different meaning than for another man. According to the article, "Afgan woman and the return of the Taliban", the Taliban is making, what they think, is progress. For outsiders like us, we do not view the Taliban's actions as progress but as the opposite. I believe it works both ways. According to the definition of 'progress' it certainly is being made all around us, but not necessarily benefiting the world as a whole.
ReplyDeleteHenry Ford once said, "Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success." I completey agree with this, as long as we are working together anything is possible. Which is why, more often than not, the Islamic culture seems to be going backwards. They are divided into different factions who are constantly fighting. This sort of sepertion will never bring progress or eventually success.
ReplyDeleteTherefore, I do believe that progress is possible, just look at all the organizations who have made a difference in the world. The Global Fund alone has saved 5 million lives from fighting AIDS, Malaria, and Tuberculosis. They have made this progress because they are united against these diseases. As long as we work together, progress is possible, and will always be possible.
Progress is only acheivable when it is first realized that it needs to be done in different ways in different places with different people. In the Middle East the people of those countries need to take control for themselves. Before U.S. involvement Al Qaeda was part of a group of freedom fighters who drove the Soviets from the area. Corruption grew after the Soviets left and the group split. Al Qaeda became the group it is now while the other half fought against them to keep the country in good hands. In 2001, Ahmed Shah Massoud died after 40 plus years of service for the freedom fighters against the Soviets and the corruption. After his death his 2,000 soldiers were lost and killed off. A group like his is the proper way to progress and give the countries back to the people.
ReplyDeleteIn the U.S. this constant irresponsibility and ignorance of our career politicians has driven us to a large pile of debt and an infrastructure that is ready to collape. Both of these are solved with the revival of a new age of American industrialization, infrastucture projects, tax cuts to the people who can't pay taxes rather than those who can, and keeping money out of a begging private sector. The U.S. needs to recognize that history doesn't just repeat the bad, it also repeats the good, and with good logistics America can become the self-sufficient powerhouse it once was.
I agree completely with Anne.
ReplyDeleteAlso, in my opinion progress is always possible. Women in the US were only given the right to vote 90 years ago and have made great strides since then. In fact, the Speaker of the House is now a woman. I understand that there is not much progress in some areas of the world, some areas have actually gone backwards, however that does not mean progress is not possible at all.
In my opinion progress is always possible. I agree with what Anne said about how progress to some people is not progress to others. While some people in the world have made progress that seems wrong to us, we as a nation have made great strides. Just think of racism for example. Even though racism still exists it's not nearly as bad as it used to be.There are no longer seperate water fountains or bathrooms according to race and different races can always be seen interacting all over America. There are countless articles, movies, shows ecetera that can reference more of the progress we have made so far. In a nut shell progress can be acheived if you put your mind to it. "There are no constraints on the human mind, no walls around the human spirit, no barriers to our progress except those we ourselves erect." ~Ronald Reagan~
ReplyDeleteI believe that progress is only possible when the majority of the people believe in the progress. This majority must also want this change. There is a a big difference between someone believing in something and helping that "something" move along in it's progress. The reason that Barack Obama's campaign was so successful was because every one of his followers believed in Barack and the message he was putting out to the American people. We believed that he could make the change that he was talking about. That is the backing that every type of progress needs to have to be anywhere near effective. With that said, when a group of people decide that progress is possible and it is what they want, they can make as much progress as they want. In our country, that can be accomplished through electing our officials in our democratic/republic government. In other countries, it can be much more difficult, but still possible. In the countries that it is not as easy to accomplish, that is where we, or other developed countries, should intervene and make the progress as possible as it is in our government.
ReplyDeleteLike many who have posted before me, I also agree that progress can acheived, however, I believe that it would take some time. The abuse of womens rights will continue for some time in the country, especially cases such as Aisha who will continue to face these cruel punishments as a result of the return of the Taliban. However, the US itself has immensily changed not only their womens rights, but rights for all its citizens. If the people of Afganistan learn to simply forget their differences and become more accepeting, then change is surely possible-even if it means the continuation of some American soldiers and their aid. Yes, progress may appear to be unsuccessful, they can go from calamitous disaster to a prosperous nation. All they need is cooperation and time.
ReplyDelete"The great thing in the world is not so much where we stand, as in what direction we are moving."
ReplyDeleteThis quote by Oliver Wendell Holmes is a perfect example of what needs to be done in order to make progress. People may get into bad situations, very much like Aisha, the girl in the article. But this does not mean it can't get better. She was tortured at one time, but is now in a safer place. Instead of staying in the situation she was in, she went in a different direction for her own benefit. If there's a problem and nothing is done about it, progress will not be made. But if people step up and demand a change, great changes will occur. Lauren made a really good point with the progress of racism. Lots of people took a stand in that situation and therefore, we don't see a lot of racial discrimination today. That is one of many examples. Anything is possible when you go in the "right direction". If we keep on pushing toward the improvement we want to see, progess can definately be achieved.
I do feel that progress is always possible, however not always reached. Like Joe said, realizing something must be changed is some progress. However, it is difficult for "complete" progress to be reached. I think it was today when we were talking in class about how women's rights in America has grown immensely in the last hundred years, but we still aren't completely equally, and, as we all know, women are not even as close to equality in other nations. And another example is the troops being pulled out of Iraq just recently... We do still have people there, not combating, but "guiding" the Iraqi people. The United States has worked hard in that country, but we they still haven't made a full circle. Molly is so right in saying that if pushed, progress can definitely be achieved, we've made it this far in many things, women's rights, civil rights, Iraq, and if the American government and other nations work together and push harder, progress will be possible in many different fields.
ReplyDeleteCertainly progress is possible. Look at how far we’ve come just in the past 100 years. While I believe the United States of America has accomplished so much, you have to look at our faults. We’re 13 trillion dollars in debt and the unemployment rate is 9.5%. Our countries problems are going to take more than a few years to sort out, and every country has problems. Progress in the terms of all countries having equal rights and diplomatic say at this point is far from likely. The US has tried repeatedly to assist countries progression but we have had no real breakthrough in recent years. I believe real progress, unlike the invention of the new Mac, would be equal rights and diplomatic opportunities for everyone, everywhere. But a great deal of work, resources, and money would be needed. The “third world” countries would have to be built up to be “developed” countries and all disputes and war would need to be abolished. With the state our world is in now I believe this isn’t possible for at least a thousand years. I wish I could say it is but there are too many problems to deal with to put such an idea in a goal of our life time. I agree with Anne when she said progress is different for every country, but then can it really be put in a category of progress? If one country disagrees with another’s advancements or initiatives, problems erupt making such advancement not much of a good thing.
ReplyDeleteOn another note; is it really progress if in one country most citizens easy access to electricity, water, and natural resources when another doesn't? For example, most homes in America have more televisions than people, but in different countries of Africa many people have no electricity at all? Is it really progress if only certain people can obtain the advancements?
‘When man comes up with a better mousetrap, nature immediately comes up with a better mouse.’
ReplyDelete— James Carswell
The quote above describes how I feel about progress being possible. What it is saying is that progress is always happening because it needs to happen, yet something always gets in the way of success. Like everyone else has been posting progress is constantly being made but there is still so far to go. Like in the case of Aisha, the fact that she ran away in the first place is progress, if it had been years ago she would not have even had the thoughts of protecting herself. Womens rights have come so far over the years like Kelsey said but even though people say men and women are equal why is it that men seem to be the ones in control? In my sociology class today we were discussing this same thing, men are still dominate to women. As my teacher Ms. Stedman said, "I went to the store with my mother who is 88 and she was amazed to see men out with their children actually enjoying themselves, my mother told me that when she was a child you never would have seen that" So yes, I agree with what everyone is saying, progress is possible but with progress there will always be road blocks, so reaching full success seems highly unlikely.
To go along with Danielle's last note, I agree with what she is saying, how can we say there is progress when there are still countries with so little? Progress can only be made by those willing to change and most people like to stay in their comfort zone and stick with what they know. Maybe progress can be achieved for America but really what is that compared to the rest of the world?
"Nature knows no pause in progress and development, and attaches her curse on all inaction." --- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
ReplyDeleteYes, progress is possible. Why? It's our nature. It's in our blood. It's a continuous process in which we undergo. It's called evolution.
The debate is, however, how much progress? Was there enough? Was there too much? Can we make progress? I agree with the point that humans and other animals alike have to CHOOSE to make progress. Some of it is out of our hands, like how people adapt to climates over thousands of years. Yet we have to make the inclination that change and progress must be made. We, as humans, always have that inclination. Again, it's part of our nature. We always think that something is wrong the way things are, so we strive to make it better. Hence, evolution.
I also agree that progress takes time. A large amount of progress takes longer to achieve than a small amount of progress. It all depends on what the goal is. Is there a chance that things might not work out and instead the situation will retrogress? Of course. But it is a risk that must be taken. Would we have the life we have today, if it weren't for the caveman who risked himself to bring the burning branch back to his cave? Fire is a risk. Progress is a risk. A risk that must be taken for the sake of... progress.
The way I see it progress is absolutely possible whether it is in the category of humans rights or if it's in government throughout the world. I know this quote has been used a lot but Ghandi said it best "you must be the change you wish to see in the world." That quote really does mean a lot to this question especially pertaining to the article and the mistreatment of the citizens of Afghanistan. The woman and the article was able to find safety and refuge during the Taliban rule there were no places like that. The progress that I see as being really possible is all of the NGOs that have been created to help with human rights violations and other issues that the people could not otherwise solve themselves. If you look back to the Holocaust and then you look at today you now know that something like that would not go unnoticed for as long as it did. These are the reasons that I believe progress is possible, because people, young people especially are becoming more conscience of the surround world.
ReplyDeleteI believe progress is possible, but nothing is perfect. The world is never going to be perfect, but we are always going to strive for perfection. When we work towards this perfection, we make progress but we also have many set backs. Just because other nations may not be as far ahead as we are in many areas of society etc, that does not mean they are not making progress. Many years ago, we were in the position as many of these "under privileged" countries - without electricity, order, and safety. You cannot study America's history without agreeing that we have made progress, starting back to when America was not even "America" yet. Nothing happens without a little time and effort. The world's best athletes did not just practice for a year and magically become talented, they worked for years and years with many set backs. You can apply this same idea to countries and their progress - it is going to take time and effort. With teamwork and understanding progress can happen, but nothing is perfect.
ReplyDeleteI think progress is always possible. The difficult part is that people need to want to progress and move forward if they do not put forth the effort to make progress then I feel they are essentially regressing.
ReplyDeleteAs a whole we in the united states have made great progress since becoming our own country. We have overcome segregation, made great changes in women rights, and industry just to name a few. This was all possible because the people were driven to obtain progress and wouldn't stop until they did. Progress is a constant cycle your never done you can always strive for more. Going off of what Kelsey said, The question is progress possible, made me think back to our discussion is class today about women in the united states making great progress when it comes to rights and equality and yet in Afghanistan the women still have nothing no progress at all. Obama said in a speech “ Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.” Evidence of progress can be seen everywhere, there is always more to be made but overall progress is definitely possible.
Progress is 100% possible, it just depends on what you are working towards and who is viewing this progress. What may be viewed as progress in one mans eyes may be viewed as just the opposite of that. But as far as progress in your own eyes, it happens every day. You make progress in little things everyday, wether it is becoming a better public speaker or becoming more knowledgeable. Progress can also be seen very clearly over a longer period of time. We could say that human as a species have progressed tremendously; from being uneducated cavemen to studying our own ancient ancestors life through complex scientific processes. But in a more current view, of our country and other countries of the world, it sometimes seems that progress is hopeless. Especially when you hear things of how little rights women have over sees, or how bad the living conditions are in impoverished countries. but when you think about things like that it is truly a statement to how far we have progressed ourselves. And we should feel lucky to be so privileged, and help other nations progress as well.
ReplyDelete..btw anonymous is austin
ReplyDeleteIn order to have progress you need to have a standard to compare it to. Pretend you are in history class and its the day after the first test of the semester. You receive your grade; a 58. Your other friends scored 49 and 51. You may think that you are doing a great job in the class since your score is higher than your friends, but in big picture you are failing the class. That is the problem with comparing ourselves with other people. Therefore we need to have a higher standard to which we ascribe. In the history class scenario the higher standard would be a 100. But in real life finding that higher standard is not as easy. For me as a Christian my higher standards,or what I deem as morally correct, are set by God in the Bible. For others it may be Allah, or Buddha, or family values, or it may be based in emotion and feeling in the present. These differences in higher standards are what make progress so difficult. All said and done I do believe that progress is possible but I don't believe it is an easy task when we are talking about human rights. We can truly make progress when we work together and share the same standards.
ReplyDeleteIn the view of many people in their everyday lives, progress is possible. Everyday we see the progress we make and how the decisions can affect the progress of others. Take this theory and multiply it into a much larger concept that is the possibility of progress for everyone. I believe that progress is possible for those who believe that it is. For example, Martin Luther King Jr. never gave up for his rights and fought for his rights until he made progress. This influenced many other individuals to make progress in their lives as well. As time goes on we cannot say that progress has not happened. My teacher Mr. Garceau once said that when he was younger, he would have never thought at his age there would be a black or woman president, and we now have President Obama, the first black president. This is extreme progress from even twenty years ago. So yes, progress is possible. History is a perfect example of progress because our history never ends. We all keep making decisions that could someday change the way we live. This is progress in its true definition.
ReplyDeleteI do believe progress is possible. Without progress, no one would be here and neither would this country. You can only reach a certain point by getting better and also learning from your mistakes.Progress is something you must work for and many people have made progress. Hariet tubman made a progress by helping a few people, by the end she helped more than a dozen people.Progress is possible because America itself has made a lot of progress in the past 100 years. We went throught the depretion and we obtained women rights. Also, blacks and whites an now sit together on a bus and go to school. Progress is possible because there is no way of getting something without it progressing first. Progress means to get better at a certain activity. Progress does exist and America has overcome some big situations with progress.
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