"I was at Columbia the same time that Barack Obama was there-- he was a
senior when I was a freshman-- and although I never met him, I would
guess that we have a formative experience in common: Saul Mendlovitz's
Approaches To A Just World Order" class.
Some upperclassmen pals whom I sang with clued me into this class, which
had a cult following on campus. It was a huge lecture course out of the
Political Science department, but people from all majors took it-- and
that's how Professor Mendlovitz wanted it. The class was basically about
solving great problems on a global scale, formulating optimal world
governance-- in other words, Saving The World. Mendlovitz openly
described his class as indoctrination, and he often repeated this point:
You young people, sitting in this room, are the leaders of tomorrow. You
will inherit the world some day, and you will be able to change it and
make it better. So aim high-- agree that this is what you want to do,
know that you can, conspire to make it happen, and stay true to your
vision."
[permaculture] Approaches To A Just World Order Boing Boing,
Lawrence F. London, Jr., 12/15/2009