Overworked Words

I like the word "change". It has so many meanings -- spare change; change of clothes; change your mind; change directions. Most of the different meanings of change are quite subtle. I'm not sure where the term "change" meaning coins or the money given back when making a purchase came from. I suspect it is a shortening of exchange, but I'm not sure. At any rate, change is one of those words that has movement, that implies motion in various directions, and alteration of our environment.

President Obama has made change nearly synonymous with his administration. And I am afraid the media are endangering a perfectly wonderful word. I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm getting more than a bit bored with the variations of CHANGE that I am seeing everywhere. Of course, flagging businesses are picking up on it, as are boring tv shows, sports announcers, and every other idiot who gets five minutes of air time. And then we get "real" change versus what? What is the opposite of "real" change? If something is altered but doesn't suit our particular paradigm do we render it false or unreal, or "not change"?

There hasn't been much change yet, at least nothing hugely apparent, though the resumption of stem cell research and the removal of that idiotic no aid for abortion providers ban. Those were huge, but overall things seem to be going along the same as usual. Big change is slow, and builds momentum. GOOD big change takes time and careful choices, and equally careful implementation.

I was stunned to read yesterday that Limbaugh has stated "I hope he fails." I shouldn't be surprised at anything that blowhard says, but even my most staunchly conservative friends should be up in arms at that one. Because wishing the President fails is wishing that the country fails. Like it or not, the President leads not just the armed forces, he leads the country. If Mr. Obama fails, then the likes of Limbaugh will be wagging their fingers and yelling I told you so while standing on the rubble of our country and perhaps our very democracy.

I believe we are at that big a crisis point. The economy looms large over everything, but the big challenge is not whether we fix the economy. It is how we weather this as a people. We survived the Great Depression because we held together as a country. We survived all the calamaties that have faced us as a nation because we held together. Wishing that the President will fail is wishing that all that we have sweat and bled for should fall to naught.

We need to embrace one another, roll up our sleeves, and work to make the nation work. Creating something viable in your own neighborhood is how we do that. If everyone would work together even to save just one business in their neighborhood by shopping there, eating there, or whatever it takes to save it, that will enhance your neighborhood. It will mean several more people keep their jobs, keep feeding their families.

For every one of us who has enough to eat out these days, there are three others who don't have enough to eat in. That's a daunting number, but it is one that our food banks and the food stamp providers tell us is real. This financial crisis started years ago, but like a snowball rolling down a hill it has gained momentum and size and suddenly loomed out of the mists and fog and whapped us all, hard. It is time for those of us who have to turn and help those who don't have. It is time to resist buying that extra "thing" you don't need and instead buy some cans of food for the food bank.

It is time to change. Change is many things. It is time to stop acquiring fabric we don't need or use, clothing when our closets are full, more makeup when we still have enough, toys for children who already have more than they can or will play with, and cars that are huge and inefficient and destructive to the environment and the national pocket book.

Time to change our ways.