It is clear in our modern world that there is violence we must struggle again, the violence that Sam spoke of, the violence of the state, the violence of terrorism, the violence of people against their neighbors and families. But there is much more than physical violence. There is a the shocking violence against our planet of global warming and pollution. There is the violence of disease, of lack of water, of famine in a time of food surplus.
The rule of law says that the law shall apply to all equally, but it does not today. We must fix that, but we need more. We need equality of economic opportunity and equality of political opportunity. Only by changing how our governments work, only by redesigning the world, will be able to begin to address what faces us today.
In our world of the Internet, we must also address one more issue, and that is equality of access to knowledge. Despite the great promise of the Internet, we have all too often cordoned off knowledge, hiding it in walled gardens, requiring licenses from private parties before we may educate ourselves. Universal access to knowledge is the great promise of our times, the grand challenge of our generation. It is our opportunity, it can be the legacy we leave the future, the great leveler that can lay a foundation so we all participate in the questions of how we govern ourselves as democratic societies.
My trip with Sam in late 2016 opened my eyes, it was an antidote to 10 years of struggle in the U.S. where I have been sued for posting the law, enjoined by federal judges from speaking public safety codes. The trip opened my eyes to life in India but also gave me faith that, if we struggle, we can change our world.
The visit to Gandhi’s Ashram, speeches in Rajasthan, meeting members of parliament in Delhi, these were experiences I treasured. I knew the trip was going to be special when I first arrived in Delhi. Sam had arrived a few hours prior and I was met at the door of the plane by a protocol officer and rushed through customs. I arrived at Dinesh Trivedi’s government bungalow and met Dinesh face-to-face for the first time. Also present was a fascinating businessman, Manav Singh, the owner of several aviation companies including an air ambulance service and an old friend of Dinesh and Sam. Manav took us out to dinner to the Japanese restaurant at the Taj Hotel. As we drank Matsutake soup and ate sushi, the subject of Mother Theresa came up.
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