Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Watching the news recently and observing the state of the nation around me, there has been one word that I continuously go back to when trying to describe what is happening: Transition.
There seems to be a transition or a shift in every facet of life right now. It is not just on the small scale, but the big scale as well. I am transitioning. You are transitioning. We are transitioning. Some may see this transition as a scary time. To them the future is bleak, it is unknown, but let’s take a look at it all and see how bad this transition really is.
Take for example the small things. Me, personally I am seeing gas transition again back to “normal prices” that is something I am seeing, and you are seeing. These prices are moving downwards because on a large scale we are witnessing a shift away from oil as our key source of energy (It may be slow, but it really is changing). Because of the high prices at the pump, we have seen Americans actually drive less. No matter what the reasons are to drive less, we are doing it and therefore, we have become better human beings. Do I think we have reached the pinnacle of our greatness? No, but as I said, right now we are in a transition. We are getting there.
The economy is hurting. I see it, you see it, we see it. I know I know, “Thanks captain obvious.” But it is time for all of us to realize that America is transitioning. We are crashing to the bottom and when we climb out we may not be on top again. Sure we will always be the greatest country in the world because we are made up of the best of every other nation, but when (and that when will not be soon) we stabilize our economy do not be surprised if there is another nation that has gained more economic might than we had. China and India are both able to do this. Perhaps it has something to do with the amount of goods we import from China, and the amount of jobs we export to India. Either way we look at it we are transitioning away from the top of the economic food chain and it will happen sooner than most people are willing to admit.
The war is going through an interesting transition. That is, while one war transitions to less violence, the other war is shifting towards more. The Iraq war is moving towards an end. I know some people do not understand that, and some people do not want to believe that, but the fact is that whoever the next leader of our nation is, will have to bring the troops home, not necessarily because we want our troops home (which we do), but more importantly because the Iraqis want us to leave.
The War in Afghanistan is shifting towards disaster. While it was transitioning to be the “model for democracy” in the Middle-East we took our eyes off the ball, and shifted our attention towards Iraq for reasons that no matter what anyone in the Bush Administration tells me I (and you, and we) will never truly understand.
The third war, the overall battle against terrorism will forever be shifting up and down. That is, in the international war on terror, we are winning everyday, until we are losing. Until they hit someone, somewhere. That is how this war has been framed. It is the whole world against a select few, and if that’s the way we choose to fight this war, we will never win. We have to shift away from that mindset. We have to transition ourselves to be open to seeing the bigger picture. We have to be willing to talk with our enemies in order to understand our enemies. We can not defeat evil without knowing why evil exists. What is it we are doing that creates so much hate? And most importantly how can we transition towards a more peaceful world?
This political season is transitioning. The race for President is no longer a close one. It is no longer about the inexperienced vs. the experienced. It is no longer about “PUMA” and “Lipstick.” It is no longer even about hope and change. This Presidential campaign has transitioned into one about action. It has become about how we can move forward the right way. How we can finally take a step in the right direction with a leader who will look at this very transitional time and think carefully. A leader who will not be afraid to look into a bleak future and do what is best for this great nation.
There seems to be a transition or a shift in every facet of life right now. It is not just on the small scale, but the big scale as well. I am transitioning. You are transitioning. We are transitioning. Some may see this transition as a scary time. To them the future is bleak, it is unknown, but let’s take a look at it all and see how bad this transition really is.
Take for example the small things. Me, personally I am seeing gas transition again back to “normal prices” that is something I am seeing, and you are seeing. These prices are moving downwards because on a large scale we are witnessing a shift away from oil as our key source of energy (It may be slow, but it really is changing). Because of the high prices at the pump, we have seen Americans actually drive less. No matter what the reasons are to drive less, we are doing it and therefore, we have become better human beings. Do I think we have reached the pinnacle of our greatness? No, but as I said, right now we are in a transition. We are getting there.
The economy is hurting. I see it, you see it, we see it. I know I know, “Thanks captain obvious.” But it is time for all of us to realize that America is transitioning. We are crashing to the bottom and when we climb out we may not be on top again. Sure we will always be the greatest country in the world because we are made up of the best of every other nation, but when (and that when will not be soon) we stabilize our economy do not be surprised if there is another nation that has gained more economic might than we had. China and India are both able to do this. Perhaps it has something to do with the amount of goods we import from China, and the amount of jobs we export to India. Either way we look at it we are transitioning away from the top of the economic food chain and it will happen sooner than most people are willing to admit.
The war is going through an interesting transition. That is, while one war transitions to less violence, the other war is shifting towards more. The Iraq war is moving towards an end. I know some people do not understand that, and some people do not want to believe that, but the fact is that whoever the next leader of our nation is, will have to bring the troops home, not necessarily because we want our troops home (which we do), but more importantly because the Iraqis want us to leave.
The War in Afghanistan is shifting towards disaster. While it was transitioning to be the “model for democracy” in the Middle-East we took our eyes off the ball, and shifted our attention towards Iraq for reasons that no matter what anyone in the Bush Administration tells me I (and you, and we) will never truly understand.
The third war, the overall battle against terrorism will forever be shifting up and down. That is, in the international war on terror, we are winning everyday, until we are losing. Until they hit someone, somewhere. That is how this war has been framed. It is the whole world against a select few, and if that’s the way we choose to fight this war, we will never win. We have to shift away from that mindset. We have to transition ourselves to be open to seeing the bigger picture. We have to be willing to talk with our enemies in order to understand our enemies. We can not defeat evil without knowing why evil exists. What is it we are doing that creates so much hate? And most importantly how can we transition towards a more peaceful world?
This political season is transitioning. The race for President is no longer a close one. It is no longer about the inexperienced vs. the experienced. It is no longer about “PUMA” and “Lipstick.” It is no longer even about hope and change. This Presidential campaign has transitioned into one about action. It has become about how we can move forward the right way. How we can finally take a step in the right direction with a leader who will look at this very transitional time and think carefully. A leader who will not be afraid to look into a bleak future and do what is best for this great nation.
In a previous post I asked if we can believe in change. We had a poll question to go with it, and 93% of you said, “Yes we can change.” The results actually surprised me, not because I don’t think we can change but because I think we can do it sooner than we actually believe we can. This transition does not have to be bleak. It does not have to be scary. We do not have to let ourselves fall from atop the economic pyramid. We can invest in green technology and create jobs at a time of huge unemployment. We can bring our troops home from Iraq, we can refocus on Afghanistan. We can change for the better.I would never blame people for feeling afraid in times such as these. The future is unknown. Times are tough. But we can make it through this because we are strong, because we are smart, and because we will have a leader we can believe in to make the right judgments for a better tomorrow. We are almost there.
Embracing transitions,
LoOK
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