Life is an interesting thing sometimes. I call it a “thing” because often it can be quite intangible — hard to grasp the meaning of and what you’re supposed to be learning during this precarious journey that we all must take. Other times, life can be crystal clear. You are here to give voice to others; to be a great parent; a humble servant; a thinker; a doer; a lover; a hater; a teacher; a learner.
It is often said that the only thing certain in life is change. I hear that saying at least once a month from someone in some capacity. What is interesting is that so many of us are resistant to change. We say that we want it, but do very little to make it happen. Some of us sit by waiting for change to happen to us. We rely on others, judge, uplift and condemn simultaneously because we’re waiting for someone else to change our circumstances. God forbid if it takes a minute — because many of us want instant change and if it doesn’t happen fast enough, then we return to our old ways.
For example, many of us said: “I’m going to vote for then U.S. Sen. Barack Obama for United States President because he stands for change.” Meanwhile, many of us got comfortable, sat back and waited for him to create change. As poll after poll shows America’s increasing frustration with our current president because the change is not coming fast enough, I find myself wondering how many of these folks are working on creating change in their lives and the lives of others? Why are we waiting with baited breath on President Obama when the change that many of us want is in our hearts and minds and at our fingerprints?
I understand that President Obama made many campaign promises that he is clearly learning that he does not have the time, party support or, ironically, public support to put into place in the time frame that he anticipated. Regardless of what you might feel about President Obama, you can say that in many ways (health care, gay rights, Gitmo Bay) he is trying to create change, but he is getting blocked at every angle, even from his own party. What do we do when the change doesn’t happen fast enough? Go back to the same old, same old.
Massachusetts State Sen. Scott Brown won perhaps the most coveted seat in the U.S. Senate — a seat that had been occupied by the “Lion of the Senate,” Sen. Edward Kennedy, before his death last year. In an article published by the Huffington Post, many people who had voted for President Obama and then Sen. Edward Kennedy stated that they voted Republican this time because “Democrats were not being ‘hard enough’ in challenging Republican policies.” Instead of demanding change from the Democrats who represent them, they would rather put the party with whom they claim to be disappointed back in power? Sounds rational to me. NOT!
This is what happens when there is not a real commitment to change. Change can be uncomfortable; change is not always easy; those who promise change don’t always know the best way to enact it; change can be slow. It took this country 12 years to get into the mess that it is currently in (Democrats and Republicans share the blame), but we want change to happen under a president who’s been in office since Jan. 20, 2009. Yeah, that’s reasonable.
Change is hard. It is not easy and it takes time, which is why we go back to what we know. This is why people stay in bad relationships; stay at jobs that they hate and where they’re not respected; live in cities/towns that bore the heck out of them; and attend churches/temples with which they have no spiritual connection.
Others profess change and go about it, making decision after decision that yields the same result, such as the voters in Massachusetts. “The Republicans know who they are and at least ‘I’ know what ‘I’ll’ be getting so I’ll vote for Brown.” I hear that because the Democrats clearly haven’t got a clue as to who they are and who they want to be, which is why they can’t come together on anything even when they have the majority in the House and the Senate. But, what did these traditionally Democratic voters do to help the party redefine itself outside of Edward Kennedy’s legacy before this election? If the voters haven’t changed, then why do they expect the political system to change?
At any rate, change is fleeting and it’s not just in politics. Someone once said doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different outcome is insanity. If we keep going back to the same old, same old, how can we expect real, meaningful or sustainable change from anyone including ourselves?
Nsenga K. Burton, Ph.D. is an assistant professor of Communication and Media Studies at Goucher College and writes the blog Tune N (http://nsengaburton.wordpress.com), which examines popular culture through the lens of race, class, gender and sexuality.
This article appears in Jan 26 – Feb 1, 2010.
