Hurry Up and Wait

Knowing how to bring about change in the beliefs of a society a little quicker would certainly come in handy in today's world. But if I've learned anything in life it is that this process is a slow one. It seems a natural tendency in people, even after admittedly convinced of something new, to revert to a previous position without explanation, even to themselves. For most of my life I thought of this as an impediment to progress but then I'd run into an incessant mind changer or two and realize that there is value to this kind of friction. These are hard pills to swallow when your young. I surely would not have accepted this when I was twenty. But under normal circumstances this resistance probably takes much of the volatility out of the course of change. It can give good change a second chance and bad change further examination.
These thoughts all started on a walk while observing the architecture of the homes in the neighborhood. The trend has notably changed toward a modern style of late. In fact it's rare to see new homes being built in the Spanish/Mediterranean style that had been predominant for so many years. This hasn't happened overnight, in fact some of the earliest examples were so bad that it nearly brought the whole movement to a halt. Unlike the previous styles, there was not much possibility of hybridizing to make these homes less distinct. So to make this step was a gamble on many levels. More time passed as people got used to even the possibility of change. A lot of work and slow and steady improvement over time helped make these homes more appealing. Finally, only after younger customers began to be able to afford to build, the change began in earnest. These homes are now popping up everywhere and most of the people I speak with and virtually all young people prefer this style.
What in a hundred years, will look like one day everybody just up and changed their mind, actually took a long drawn out process that finally took hold, albeit more for generational reasons than anything else.
This is the reality of change in society and it tends to look easier than it really is. In fact it's much more like the-steering the oil tanker with the tugboat-analogy.
On a larger scale, in the vast mix of people around the world, there are countless beliefs that at any given time are in dire need of change, but none comes. Much of the time the desire to keep things the same is a powerful force wielded by more senior members of a society for a variety of selfish and unselfish reasons. In democracies the selfish reasons may be isolated and examined for suitability for junior members, by junior members. Without a democracy this gets more complicated depending upon the extent of force the senior members are willing to exert to limit change. An aversion to reason often makes accepting the notion of selfish motivation an impossibility, making matters worse. I think we all know how far societies may be willing to go to not relinquish power. Until ways of getting around these obstacles are discovered, societies usually struggle to advance.
Now I think I've made it clear that I was never for the Iraq war but I do hope for the best possible outcome and I look for any signs of meaningful progress on that front. No doubt good news is sparse but I was heartened by Iraq's soccer championship victory over the weekend. This seemingly insignificant event was encouraging. The AP story I read said Iraqi men flooded into the streets removing their shirts to reveal the Iraqi flag painted on their chests, chanting long live Iraq. The reports gave the impression of some sense of unity among sects which if even temporary is a good sign. But what I found the most inspiring was a 24 year old Shiite who said, "The politicians have divided us and these athletes united us." Now I'm not naive enough to call this the beginning of anything but I like two things about it. One, he was a young man and two, he was highlighting the fact that this event was more meaningful than a mere athletic victory. Every movement starts somewhere. Let's hope something has gotten underway in Iraq.