“Change,” the word of the year and the idea that was scoffed at when Senator Obama first took to the stump with his message. The cynics have cried “change what” and Obama’s political opponents (in both parties) have attempted to characterize his talk of change as “fluff” and “empty rhetoric.” Ironically however, the same presidential primary that began with 12 candidates and only one speaking of “change” has undergone some significant changes of its own. It has now become a race of only 4 candidates and ALL of them speaking about “change.” What happened?
The answer is this, Senator Barack Obama has planted the seeds of his presidency in the minds of millions of Americans and his effectiveness as a leader is beginning to show. However for many, the big question is still, “change what?” Here are a few things that should be on our nation’s short list.
Fear & Apathy - Here in America we are mired in a climate of fear and apathy; fear of an international boogie man called terrorism and public apathy rooted in a history of deceptive, divisive and incompetent leadership. Public fear and apathy are erosive forces to a democratic society. These forces, once taken hold can be very difficult to reverse and overcome.
Apathy is the source of our nation’s embarrassingly low participation in the democratic election process. As a result, non-representative leaders routinely acquire power and position that they neither deserve or qualify for. Fear is the source of our nation’s willingness to exacerbate this trend by handing over our freedoms, choices and power to such leaders. Understanding these dynamics is essential for any democratic nation that looks to chart a future for itself that is brighter than its past. Senator Barack Obama understands these concepts and the consequences of ignoring them. He also has the courage and ability to begin moving this nation away from such a self destructive socio-political mindset; not only through sound decision making combined with wisdom but through leading by example and inspiring the hopes, dreams and actions of our nation’s people.
Perspective - The economy, healthcare and the Iraq War are all front and center right now. However, the reality is that no matter what actions or policy decisions we put into place to address these issues, we will not be able to escape the influence of our self destructive socio-political mindset. As long as we maintain such an unhealthy mindset moving forward, we will not produce the solutions that are best for our country or our future. This presidential election is not about the next 4 or 8 years. It is about much more than that. It is about the long term future of the United States and the direction that our citizens want to see us go in, not what our politicians may or may not want.
The United States presidency should represent a cross section of the best that America has to offer; our greatest leadership, hopes, dreams, accomplishments, legacies and opportunities for the future. Like it or not, people look to their leaders for cues. When people are inspired and made to believe that they can do better for themselves and better by one another, they become more engaged. Once engaged, our willingness to settle for less subsides and we instead look to make changes for ourselves; changes in our leadership, changes in our approach to dealing with our fellow Americans and changes in our perspective.