During this presidential election cycle, there was a lot of talk about hope.

Hope for change.

Hope that the nation would turn from an abomination to an example of progress and enlightenment.

An Obama-nation.

That’s all well and good, but Barack Obama is not the change.

Caution – Rant to follow:

At the root of much of our nation’s troubles is this attitude of disconnect. We still want to live our lives however we want, and somebody else will fix it, like the President, or Congress, or the FDA, or the Supreme Court.

It’s not gonna happen. When has bureaucracy and legislation ever really solved anything?

There’s a saying, “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over, yet expecting different results each time.”

As long as we Americans continue to support behemoth corporations, as long as we continue to eat the crap food sold to us by big agri-business, as long as we continue to drive our inefficient vehicles everywhere, as long as we continue to support the war machine, we’re going to get what we’ve always gotten.

Which is an abomination.

Change starts within. When each of us is living in accordance with our own morals and principles, supporting the businesses and programs and ideas that resonate with our highest ideals, then we’ll see change. Not before.

We are the change.

We are the ones.

All of us.

I see lots of bumper stickers proclaiming “Free Tibet” (can’t argue with that), but I feel like that’s the easy thing to do – put a sticker on your car. What’s hard is to make a difference in our own community, our own village. Heck, if we stopped buying so much crap made in China, maybe Tibet would have a chance. Who knows?

Let’s start in our own neighborhoods and communities, and lend a hand to those in need. Let’s start by choosing to support those businesses that support the triple bottom line, that truly serve the needs of the comunity, not some invisible shareholder.

Let’s not wait for President Obama. Let’s start at home.

Let’s be the change that we want to see in the world.

Image: bobster1985 at Flickr under Creative Commons