Imagine for a moment a world where nobody ever questioned the way things are, one where no person ever challenged common thought or believed in thinking beyond the limitations of contemporary knowledge, where no one ever had the guts to propose new ideas for fear of being shunned or killed.
Without protest, there would be no progress. I for one, am thankful that there were plenty of people in history who refused to accept the conventions of their times, people like Galileo, who was punished and confined for suggesting facts that other people couldn't fathom, and Fumilao Ransom Coutie, who stood up for women in Nigeria when their needs were being ignored. When they were alive, their ideas, their actions,
their audacity was despised by so many people. Of course, they had supporters, but their opposition made them targets of hate and state sanctioned denouncement. Even though their descent was based in research and experience and driven by desire for meaningful change, they still need lots of enemies for it.
It's human nature to value stability and patterns. It makes sense for us to be resistant to change and being wrong just sucks, But change is inevitable, and we have to think forward if we're going to move forward, even if it costs us. I'm eve chef Cook. Every week on Unpopular will reach back into the past to tell the story of someone who challenged the status quo, connecting the dots between their history in the history that we're
making today. We can be so quick to dismiss people's ideas when they seem too big, don't align with how we see the world, make us uncomfortable, or shatter our pride or power. It's easy to reject change, it's harder to be open to new ideas, and often it's hard to be the person who's calling for meaningful change in the face of people who can be arrogant, stubborn, and unwilling to accept that change. But somebody has to do it,
and sometimes it pays off. Is it worth it to speak out when it feels like the world is against you? The first episode of Unpopular comes out on May. After that, you can look forward to a new episode every tunesday. Click the subscribe button in the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast to make sure you don't miss a single episode. M HM