What change in the U.S.?

I spent some time reading and thinking this morning. It is so very nice to have that “luxury”, although as I write this I am struck by how odd that sounds. Apparently my life reached a point that these activities were not given their due time in my schedule and were only for those special moments, when I could indulge myself for the love of reading and steal a moment to contemplate those issues larger than myself.

Anyway, an Ecuador morning is a nice time to spend reading and thinking…and now a little writing. The weather in the Andes is constantly changing, and each dawn brings a new landscape to our front window. So it is a morning of reading, and thinking, and writing, and staring out the window at another Ecuadorian morning.

obama for change

It is inauguration day in the U.S., and as I watch live coverage from CNN and read various stories and comments on the web I am actually saddened by the events. The images, stories, and comments are all of joy and hope that this one man will change the direction of the country and the lives of its citizens, and the pride at having elected the first black president of this country.

I think it is wonderful that the U.S. elected a black president, and I understand the desire to celebrate this event. I also understand the historic importance of this occasion, and realize that the nations of the world are as interested in these events as we are…both because of the color of his skin, but also because of the possibility for new leadership to repair the relationships that the previous administration damaged.

But isn’t electing a black president simply putting “our money where our mouth is”? We talk about equality, we demand it from trading partners, and so are we not simply walking the talk? In some ways it is a shame that it has to be an event at all…

I think the comments are most striking to me. Not the comments of pride for electing a black president, or the hope that the direction of the country will change in a positive direction, it is the comments that this one man is responsible for our lives. For the past 8 years we have witnessed the impact one man can have on our nation, and my sense is that the majority of us are not happy with the results. So, to want change and begin a new direction seems prudent, but this one man is not responsible for our lives!

I think there is a general lack of personal responsibility in our country. We will find all sorts of ways of taking this burden off or our shoulders and put it on anyone else’s. I do not believe Bush was responsible for what happened to the housing market for example. But I have read plenty of stories and watched video of many “homeowners” that declared that it was not their fault they lost their house, but the mortgage companies, the credit card companies, and our government.

B.S.. We all need to look in the mirror, start being honest with ourselves, and start taking responsibility for our lives…and with it the state of our country. So when I read the comments from these CNN viewers that seem to indicate that Obama will make all things right in my life…they make me sad for this is the same attitude that prevents our country from moving forward.

I am sure that Obama is a heck of a nice guy. I hope he does a great job, I can’t imagine myself in that position, what an unbelievably tough, thankless job, but I am of the mind that his actions will indicate his character and leadership…not his words. Politics is a game of words. It would be interesting to see how much money is spent each year writing, and spinning, and crafting the speeches and laws and language of our nation. Staggering amounts of money!

But all of the words mean nothing, for it is the actions of men that show their true self. Integrity, courage, honesty, and character are only words unless they are lived by the leaders and their words are supported by their deeds. In a world where “you scratch my back I’ll scratch yours”, and “big money” wins the day…I wonder whether it matters if the U.S. president is young or old, black or white, rich or poor, or male or female…is the character needed to bring real change to this country an impossibility? We are living an illusion that we have a choice, because U.S. politics is not a 2 party system…but a 1 party system with 2 heads. Change…I think not!

My biggest question however is this…why do we think that change will come when we are using the same tools?

I have spent the past 6 months thinking about my life, my previous career, and the state of affairs in the U.S., and while I do not proclaim to have the answers…I have developed a list of questions or thoughts that will have an impact on my life in the coming years. They will have an impact both on my belief systems and in the decisions I make for myself and my family. I will not share them all here, but at the core of these questions is the idea the tools we use to manage our lives, our careers, and our country need to change. We can’t continue down the current path…degradation of family and marriages, 2 incomes needed to support a family, increasing work hours, work without a purpose other than making a buck, destruction of our environment, and a government that is growing everyday and is completely out of control.

Maybe I am a cynic, but the language and the stories sound very familiar. They are the same rhetoric told over and over again, they just happen to be coming from the “new guy” right now. Hope is sweeping the country, followed by business as usual next week, and returning to our lives without a thought about change the next.

It seems to me that this would be a good time to start changing the tools we use, start changing the measurements we use, and change our language and stories. Are we serious about the health of our environment? Are we happy and proud with the state of our families and communities? Is the system and structure of our public school system feeding the minds and souls of our children? Is it a good thing that corporations have taken over our country, cities, and towns?

So while I get the hoopla that is the inauguration events taking place in Washington, I seriously question what impact Obama or any politician is going to have on our country. It is the people of this country that will affect change…or not.

Let’s see, the stock market lost 45% of its value. The housing market completely imploded. The banking and financial institutions are still operating on a string. The government (read each of us) just spent Trillions saving the corporations that mismanaged their organizations. Hundreds of thousands have lost their jobs, and more news everyday about additional cuts. The respect of our nation is at an all time low. And what does this administration do about it, what changes are they going to make to improve the system…well apparently all of this will start after today because a record

$160 million is being spent for this party.

Excessive waste…nope just business as usual !!