“You never change things by fighting the existing reality.
To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.”
R. Buckminster Fuller
Taken from the book Critical Path, which is full of many radical and innovative ideas, I like that Fuller doesn't compromise in what he sees as the way forward. He recognizes that entrenched systems make radical change very difficult to enact, but that doesn't mean it is not worth trying.
I think about this with respect to the systems of energy and education. Both are very entrenched systems and are resistant to change. Many people, myself included, want to change these systems, not in a malicious way, but because we can see a brighter future. This quotation reminds me that it is important to be proactive rather than reactive, to build instead of break. Worrying about the current system and trying to destroy it puts focus on the system in place and does not do much for implementing change. Building an improved system is a more productive way to cause change. Of course, that does not come with out the difficulties of navigating around the entrenched system, dealing with resistance to change and in general being the underdog, the upstart.
But if it wasn't challenging, it wouldn't be as interesting.