Is Time on our Side?

I have this professor who talks to me all the time about social welfare policy. One day she says to me that our democracy was designed to always be on the verge of revolution. Never to actually inspire revolution, but to stand there on the edge, constantly contemplating the big leap. That made me feel better about life, because recently i have felt like revolting and have been wondering why everyone else seems so calm. Well, if we are always on the verge of revolution, it get tiring to think about it all the time, and I could see why most would lose interest.

My point is this: What we can do is stay interested. Move along, planting the seeds and telling people about our mission of societal change, and inspire that change from the grass roots. The rest will follow. I once heard someone say with dripping sarcasm that "we weren't some kid of grass roots organization!" As if "grass roots" were an insult. And i laughed, because i thought it was. But now that i am older and wiser (snort), i see that a bottom up operation is the only reasonable thing to attempt. And if we act in a way that is unreasonable what legs do we have to stand on?

I'm staying interested and am watching as both presumptive candidates move toward the center. Obama's message was one of change and, in my opinion, he needs to stick to his message if he's going keep his grassroots movement.

If change can only happen from the bottom up, what does a vote for him mean? We can't expect him to change Washington. We'll have to do that. We can't expect him to really do anything but be a cheerleader and ask him to support change when it pops it's little head in his direction. From the primaries, I can see that cheerleading is his forte. He seems to inspire hope in crowds that are willing to put their money where his mouth is.

The problem is that change is never comfortable and people really don't like change. No politician is asking Americans to step up and create change through energy conservation because it requires changing our behavior. Do you think Americans have what it takes to fundamentally change our government? Will your generation rally enough and go the distance in sacrificing for a different kind of government? I'm not making a statement here; I'm truly asking as it will be your generation that makes the difference if it's going to happen. If Obama gets elected, it will be the test for young people. If McCain gets elected, well, we already know what we'll get.

Will it be my generation? My generation seems to be the last hope, doesn't it. Who can say? What we are facing is messed up situation with a messed up political system. But now more then ever, thanks to those that have gone before us, we have the tools to do what needs to be done. Will it be my generation? I have money on the fact that it will be, and my chances are looking better and better every day.