Stop Waiting on the World to Change

Several months ago, John Mayer had a hit with the song “Waiting on the World to Change.” When it first came out, I rather enjoyed it; it reminded me of the political protest songs of the sixties, and if you know me you know how I love the sixties. But as I consider the message of the song, I’m not sure I agree with the point he’s trying to make.

The basic belief is one that, unfortunately, I think many people do hold. We don’t agree with what’s going on, we see that people are suffering, we know that things are screwed up—but what can we do to change it? Nothing, yet. Maybe someday, once the world changes a bit. Let’s see a new president get into power, let’s see our generation get older, let’s see this, let’s see that—and then we can make a difference. Right now, it’s hopeless. “We just feel like we don’t have the means to rise above and beat it."

I absolutely disagree with this. No, I’m not the one in power. Neither are you. Neither is anyone else from our generation. But why on earth should we accept the idea that we have to wait until the rest of the world changes before we try to make a difference ourselves? I don’t buy it.

Another song on the radio right now is “Rise Today” by Alter Bridge. The chorus says, “Won’t you rise today and change this world?” That is a message I can get behind. It seems to me that regardless of the circumstances in our world, we are the ones who must step up and try to change it. All of us. If there is something going on that breaks your heart, if there is something you don’t agree with, if there is something that makes you angry—what are you doing to change it? You don’t have to change the world all by yourself, but if we all did our part to reach out and do what we could, can you imagine the difference it would make? And here’s a related question—when you cast your vote in the election this fall, is that the only thing you’re going to do to try to make a difference in the world? Do you think that pushing a button in a ballot box is going to change that thing that you say you care about? That’s putting an awful lot of responsibility on one person and not very much on yourself. Why do we expect so much from the few who are in power and so little from the many who make up our cities, our countries, our world?

So here is my point; here is what I’m asking you to do. Stop being apathetic, saying you care but doing nothing about it. Do what you can—right now, today, tomorrow, next month, this year—to make a difference. Don’t wait on the world to change. Because I can almost guarantee you that if we are all waiting on the rest of the world to change first, it will likely only change for the worse. It is our responsibility to step up now and, as Gandhi said, be the change we wish to see in the world.

Won't you rise today and change this world?