Description

SOUND WARNING - I get pretty shouty in this episode, if you're wearing headphones and/or driving be mindful of these timestamps:

11:13
16:27-18:13
21:32-22:09
25:27-27:19
and pretty much through to the end lol

I'm passionate about this topic. I mean, this podcast is part inspiration, part passionate rants about systems of oppression :) 

Episode 04 - Progress

Key points discussed in this episode:

• The importance of looking forward instead of living in the past
• The impact of nostalgia on our minds and emotions
• Reverence for the past can be a powerful tool as long as it isn’t holding us back, and we aren’t using it as an excuse to move forward
• There are plenty of applications where tried and true methods have worked and still work, but were abolished because of factors (such as greed)
• Progress 
  • Benefits
  • Where we run into issues
• THE SOLUTION

References:

• Midnight in Paris (film): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1605783/ 
• Bag lady by Erykah Badu: https://youtu.be/OqN0jsSeqPo?si=5YkU9jM5Who914Ep
• Rafiki “it’s in the past” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZfGTL2PY3E 
• PBS Terra and Floodlight News cover the surge in data centers and the harm they cause to communities:https://youtu.be/5p426fSlYH4?si=nzAEzxn0Gw7D5DFW
• Exploiting workers - slave labor used for Cobalt mining in the Republic of Congo for use in cell phones (especially newer devices) and electric vehicles: 
  • https://humantraffickingsearch.org/resource/modern-slavery-the-true-cost-of-cobalt-mining/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=%28ROI%29%20PMax%20-%20DSA%20xCO%20xAC%20xGT&utm_id=22450466552&utm_content=&utm_term=&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=23504083602&gbraid=0AAAAADq-eHw-uNzbdAvJ5VCwLsYOAfbCo&gclid=CjwKCAjwidXQBhAZEiwA4egw6N-OhxtMX7r4aZ8wel32dxcikjyWlUvgNUHl3V--9aM0Yl1WrfHFHBoCezIQAvD_BwE 
  • https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2023/02/01/1152893248/red-cobalt-congo-drc-mining-siddharth-kara 
  • Even the Department of Labor acknowledges this!! This is from 2024! https://www.dol.gov/sites/dolgov/files/ILAB/DRC-FL-Cobalt-Report-508.pdf
• Tuskegee Syphilis Study, a program that caused immense harm to the black community of Tuskegee. Later, President Clinton issued a public apology and The National Center for Bioethics in Research and Health Care at Tuskegee University was created. 
  • https://www.cdc.gov/tuskegee/about/index.html 
  • https://www.thehastingscenter.org/newly-released-documents-from-untreated-syphilis-study-ethical-just-and-respectful-use-of-archival-materials/?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=16567452402&gbraid=0AAAAACdtXhhig6ZOOByZ8Z2zO0PFJRT8j&gclid=CjwKCAjwidXQBhAZEiwA4egw6BRpmSHLPKUTPCS8iXCv3B1SMCx94rXOUJUwKjrvoz6VOXhJfDxEPhoClwQQAvD_BwE 
• European settlers and the catastrophic effect on land that was well-maintained by First Nations’ civilizations - I thought of the Three Sisters planting method and how, over time, it became less of a common practice even though it was viable and sustainable 
  • With the loss of farmland and the introduction of European staples including sugar, flour and butter, this ancient diet was almost completely replaced. The results were catastrophic. (source: https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20220801-the-sacred-sisters-of-ancient-america )
• Agricultural yields quote from PubMed Central® (PMC) - a free full-text archive of biomedical and life sciences journal literature at the U.S. National Institutes of Health's National Library of Medicine (NIH/NLM): https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9288846/ 

THE SOLUTION:

1. BE INVOLVED in groups and communities
2. Have a clearly defined goal
3. Innovate without causing harm
4. Considerations when working on a technology, solution, construction etc - is this project: 
   • Ethical
   • Collaborative
   • Beneficial to many
   • Shared
   • A win all around
   • Beneficial and not destructive
   • Inspiring
5. How to prepare for inevitable change: 
   • Acknowledge that we often push back on change BUT we also ultimately adapt
   • Understand that progress is gonna happen whether we like it or not
   • Recognize the role we play, fight against the things that harm us and embrace the things that benefit us
   • As always, with all things, stick tight to our communities, help where we can, lift each other up, and stay strong, stay together through life’s ups and downs

Support is always appreciated! Likes, comments, and subscriptions are welcome! If you'd like to further support Smashing Success Stories, a one-time and/or monthly Ko-Fi donations are available.

Patrons get exclusive content and credit in videos; Patreon information can be found here.

Music credit to Purple Planet Music: www.purple-planet.com

#SmashingSuccessStories