What Is Our Real Potential?

By Steve Halpern

Are we destined to attend

schools that we yearn to escape from?

Is it inevitable that we must

hold down jobs that we hate?

Is it necessary for us to tell children

to go through this same cycle over and over again?

Or, 

Is there a better way?

Why not teach young people that history

consists of people who struggled to make this a better world?

Why not teach young people

that we can do the same?

We can build a descent place for everyone to live.

with botanical gardens, aviaries, theaters, museums

and places where we can all relax in comfort.

And there are millions who want to do the job.

We can make sure everyone has an excellent diet

because there is enough land to feed the world,

so that no one will live in hunger.

And there are millions who want to do the job.

We can produce commodities in harmony 

with the plants, animals, and minerals of this planet

so natural resources will be here for future generations.

And there are millions who want to do the job.

We can provide an education for all

where children learn how to think for themselves,

and to provide for the needs of everyone.

And there are millions who want to do the job.

We can guarantee that human beings

have the right to top quality health care,

where health is a fundamental priority.

And there are millions who want to do the job.

We can begin to communicate

with working people throughout the world

to gain the perspective of who we are and where we need to go.

And there are millions who want to do the job.

We can create jobs for all

where we elect our leaders

and the work begins to fulfill our potential

And there are millions who want to do these jobs.

But to the millions who want to do these jobs,

today we can only work to insure that the wealthy live in opulence.

Today, they are the ones who have power

and to realize our potential, we must take power. 

They say that this isn’t realistic.

They say that this will never happen.

But we are human beings who can improve our lives,

and we also can develop the will to do the job.