The Times Are, and Always Will Be, Changing

Now that all the presidential election rants and chants have quieted down a bit, I want to rescue the word "change" from becoming trapped in the arena of politics.The Obama and McCain teams both used the term relentlessly during the campaign because it's a compelling one-word slogan that resonates with optimism and positive energy.But change is a phenomenon bigger than any candidate. It's happening throughout the universe regardless of who's president. Stars shine and fade. Galaxies hurtle through space. Time moves forward relentlessly. There's no way to stop it.

Nostalgia often affects our attitudes about change. The notion that "life was nicer when I was growing up" has been circulating in this country for generations. Grown-ups said it when I was a kid. Now I'm a grown-up and my peers are saying it, and it's likely today's kids will say it when they're middle-aged.

Some politicians have learned to exploit nostalgia by calling for "a return" to an earlier period on the national timeline. They frequently cite a "decline" in social values, public school quality, patriotism, or other aspect of American life and say we need to get back to the way things were during (insert perceived era-of-better-society here).

World War II is often extolled as a historical role model when everybody was pulling together and other nations appreciated our help and admired our achievements. It was definitely an inspiring era, but the USA of 1940 through 1950 is gone forever. Technology advanced. Soldiers came home and started families. The population grew and became more diverse. The landscape was transformed from coast to coast. We're not those people anymore.

It's tempting to wish for an existence in which every day would be exactly the same, pleasant and predictable, with no uncertainty about what might be different tomorrow. That's a good story idea for a science fiction movie, but not the real world.

I would never hold myself up as an example of someone who knows how to accept change and steer it to personal advantage. As I try to cope with surprises that pop into my daily schedule with annoying frequency I'm often reminded of the phrase, "Life is what happens while you're making plans."

Some of my friends have set long-term goals and, after considerable effort, achieved them. To me that's impressive because in many cases, conditions on the journey toward your goal may change and create obstacles. The goal itself may be different when you reach it. Making plans is a good idea, but the future is a moving target.

Four years from now, it¹ll be interesting to see how life in this country has changed for better or worse. I feel certain the next group of presidential candidates will have plenty of intense arguments about staying the course or setting a new one. It's a habit of political campaigning that will probably never change.

Comments

[melmoid]

Having grown up during WWII there was certainly more common purpose, shared effort and even hardship and much less disparity in wealth. But I don't pine for the good old days. Thermostats are a wonderful thing as are water heaters and indoor plumbing. Cars that start without having to be cranked are also nice as are doctor visits when sick. But with all due respect and as wonderful as material well being is, it would be nice to combine something from both ages to chart the way to the future. A little more community spirit a little less individualism and materialism. Maybe the future is going to impress that on us whether we like it or not. Solutions to things like climate change are going to require it.