Human Progress is Neither Automatic Nor Inevitable

The soundtrack of Les Miserables blasted through the house again today. I don't know what it is about that movie, but it has me hooked. The funny thing is I would never have gone to see it if it weren't for Kirsten. I saw the stage rendition years and years ago, and it was fine, but I couldn't really follow the story and only sort of liked the music (although I liked it enough to buy the Broadway soundtrack which I was playing today). The movie though was a whole 'nother story. It brought the music to life, or what it the other way around? Crazy.

We are potentially negotiating for a new car - we think it will be a Subaru Impreza. Our old faithful Suby now has 424,000+ kilometres and is almost 15 years old. It doesn't owe us a thing and has been running reasonably well, but it is getting close to time to replace it. The whole process is a bit stressful for me though.

Speaking of stressful, last night I took the extra meds and slept really well, but woke up groggy and irritable. Oh. That's the other incantation of hypomanic. I prefer the euphoric option! I tried soothing my mood with a DQ smoothie - it worked for a bit. I'm hoping that another good night sleep will set things right. I can hope can't I!

I was watching the news about the factory collapse in Bangladesh - it was like suddenly having a periscope looking back to the working conditions of the 1800s. How would those poor people feel if they could look forward into our lives. Would it seem an impossible dream? I can only hope that our safety standards become adopted by even the most backwards of countries.

Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable... Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals.

Martin Luther King, Jr.