Forward Thinking

"Don't believe everything you think"

I took a little road trip this weekend for my daughter's graduation and was struck by how many drivers never turn their heads left or right--just stare straight ahead. That you can drive that way through the Green mountains of Vermont without taking in the scenery is bad enough, but not the point. We all spend too much time just looking straight ahead, like there's no other choice.

I arrived at my daughter's apartment, and after a very pleasant visit, off we went to the ceremonies. It was a beautiful, sunny day, I was the proud dad, and all seemed right with the world. Then the commencement speaker came out, some hippie relic filmmaker with a famous last name but not the famous filmmaker, and starts spouting off that the 'probable presidential candidate' represents a real opportunity for change, and that how today's youth has to pick up the baton that the 60's relay team dropped, and carry us into the new democratic paradise. After my initial urge to strangle him passed, I began to calmly dissect his call to arms. If I were still a youth I would have to ask myself why I would listen to a man who believes that any current political candidate can represent change. I mean, you can change the skin on your cell phone, but it's still a cellphone. To pretend that any candidate is not firmly entrenched in the old guard is ludicrous. To fail to realize that any of the big three presidential hopefuls hasn't been salivating over their ascent to office since the days when they were still fondling their barbie dolls, is almost criminal. Change cannot come from within the establishment. It can only come from a candidate who doesn't want to be president. Therefore, I rescind my candidacy (the really intelligent amongst my readers will realize that by rescinding my candidacy, I am actually declaring that I want to be president, thereby declaring that I am not a candidate for change, even though I actually am, so you better not vote for me anyway).

We drive looking forward because we are afraid of the unpaved path; we are afraid to not know where we are going. It's like getting married a second time. You already know that you suck at it, but you follow the known road anyway. Change cannot be implemented for the whole of society until the individual is willing to glance sideways. It cannot come slowly, it cannot come through revolution, it cannot come through terrorism. It has to emanate from each of us individually. We, each of us, need to explore the possibility that the righteous path may be rife with better lefts and rights, maybe even u-turns.

"It's not hard to grow, when you know that you just don't know".