Keep the Change

Nuts. I was hoping to avoid politics altogether, but it's hard to keep it from one's mind completely when in an election year. I don't want no trouble, I just want to think aloud.

Here's the thing: the world is clearly hurting. Yet, at any given time, there is always somebody whose world will be hurting; something will need fixing; someone somewhere will be doing something very bad, sometimes to a lot of people at once. Maybe someday none of this will be the case anymore, but history shows that the human condition has not changed much over the years. I have fear for the present. I have fear for the future. I also have hope, but above all, I have realistic expectations. While I am in no mood to continue down the path on which we find ourselves as a nation and as a planet, I do not necessarily think we have a messiah in our midst. I do not think our messes will be cleaned up easily or quickly. I say this because the changes we need in order to truly make this world a better place will not come about by simply electing someone new into office.

But that's the message we're receiving from both presidential candidates, isn't it? The promise of change. It's a beautiful concept; succinct, universally understood, widely desired. But so vague. A change in leadership is inevitable, so, really, that promise is easy to deliver. Let's try this: you're in the Oval Office, you're now President... you've inherited a national debt so astronomical they had to re-wire the debt counter to accommodate all the zeros; you're Commander-in-Chief during an unpopular war with no easy exit; you're facing an economic downturn; there is a barely functional national healthcare system; diplomacy issues; a laundry list of ongoing international needs, and an entire country (if not the entire world) looking to you for guidance, leadership, hope, money, answers, action. Where in the hell do you start?

It's true that our leaders represent us as a nation. They bring changes to policy, to international relations, and to perception, but they do not bring about real change. Politicians can talk about it, promote it, promise it to secure an election, but real, tangible, actual change has to be brought by everyone who truly wants it. Voting is first and foremost, but not the end-all. Change the way we think and act, our priorities, our habits, our attitudes. We seem to be looking to a single man to bring about our salvation--and while electing leaders is a very important first step--ultimate success depends on us all.