“Violence — spiritual and physical violence — sweeps through the main arteries and into every recess of our being like a plague [...] Governments have never been more remote from the people: opaque, resistant, self-glorifying. Churches have never been more irrelevant. Education has never been more impersonal. [...B]ureaucrats like me — we’ve never been more pompous. Business, profits and making money — it’s never been so uninspiring, so boring, so lifeless. [...] Yet even in these times — our times — unprecedented bursts — explosions of empathy — have occurred.”
Our Quote of the Week recognizes that even in the bleakest of times, we can find it in ourselves to identify with one another, providing understanding, comfort and support.
In his electric and free-wheeling 1967 Address at the University of California, Sargent Shriver quotes sources as diverse as Tolstoy, Ghandi, and Sonny and Cher. He recounts stories from his time leading the Peace Corps and building the programs of the War on Poverty. He also makes specific recruiting appeals for some of the programs of the War on Poverty, including Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA, now known as Americorps VISTA) and Head Start.
Drawing from his personal experiences and from world events, Sargent Shriver admits that there are many examples of poverty, injustice, inequality, and violence occurring at home and abroad. His descriptions, while rooted in the reality of his time, feel painfully familiar today.
In addition to having the transcript, we are fortunate to have the audio recording of Sargent Shriver delivering this address live in Berkeley in 1967. We encourage you to take some time to listen to him saying these powerful words yourself.
As we head towards 2025, may we envision a world in which we show love for humanity through empathy --and may we commit to creating that world, together.
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