WORTHY DREAMS by Granny D

[IrateCitizen]

Granny D has to be one of the most amazing people on the face of the earth. It is totally beyond me how a little 93-year old woman has the ability to almost move me to tears, just by the sheer strength of her spirit!

Worthy Dreams

By Doris 'Granny D' Haddock, GrannyD.com
September 23, 2003

Editor's note: The following is a speech delivered at a Rolling Thunder Tour event in Manchester, NH.

Well here we all are again, some of us together for the first time but many of us now getting to know each other rather well. This has been a special time in the history of our nation. Through our anger and our pain we have also found great joy. It is the joy of making our lives mean something – it is the joy of connecting with deep values and worthy dreams.

And in the past few months I have come to understand that human values and truth are winning, as they sometimes do. They are lighting up the dark and challenging the politics of fear and lies with the politics of love and truth.

We don't know how many times we will be able to meet together – life is short – so we should savor these moments. We should take a moment to recognize what has been done by a small group of these friends here present and so many others around our nation.

READ THE REST HERE

[Terwilliger]

1. that commie!

Can we see forward to a time when the American government represents, all over the world, the best and happiest instincts of the American people? Can we see a time when we, each of us, can live in responsible balance with nature and all other people? Can we evolve to our better selves as a nation, whose people are at the reins of our own government and whose harsh past, harsh from its very beginning, can move into the light? What better thing have we got to do?

How dare she evoke idealism in our centrist little world!?!?!

</sarcasm>

[IrateCitizen]

3. If Granny D is a commie, then I want to be one too!

Much of what she talks about -- like the quote you pulled out -- ties in well with a book I read recently; The Politics of Meaning by Michael Lerner (of Tikkun fame).

Essentially, it's the belief that we need to radically change the basic values of our society -- to elevate cooperation, compassion and empathy to the same level as self-interest. As things are now, self-interest has devolved into selfishness, to the point that other values are almost entirely shut out.

Much of what I see from Granny D hits on this same frame -- that we should embrace cooperation, compassion and empathy; and come to realize that our self-interest is often better served by living these basic values.

[realFedUp]

2. go granny, go granny, go granny go!

:-)

[Karenina]

4. Were we not taught

RESPECT for our elders?

[Swede]

5. Now that was a speech to remember

[shirlden]

6. Granny D never fails

to bring a tear to my eye and hope to my heart.

:loveya:

[wabeewoman]

7. Thanks IrateCitizen

for posting this! Granny D is inspiring. That is the one thing about bad times is that it brings out the great people.