True change comes only from within

Let me first clarify that I do not consider that I am a person who can make claim to being any less flawed than any other human being, and rather would say l am more flawed than most.

And while no disrespect is meant to President-elect Obama, the change which we need is not likely to be brought by any of the people who have been claiming to be agents of change. The change we need can only come through real introspection, through looking inward, and creating change from the inside out.

Neither Mr. Obama nor Mr. McCain spoke to a number of different issues that reflect the state of the nation. Neither Mr. Obama nor Mr. McCain addressed the following: the military-industrial complex that has grown far beyond President Eisenhower's worst nightmares; the prison-industrial complex and our imprisonment binge; the ludicrous, so-called war on drugs; closing the School of the Americas; poverty in this country; the treatment of gays and lesbians (as evidenced by the passage of Prop 8 in California considered one of the "bluest" and "most liberal" states); the ineffectiveness of domestic violence legislation. And, this is far from a complete list, but it is reflective of who we are.

What we cannot expect is that either party, or any group or belief system for that matter, can create the change that is needed not just in this country, but in the world. As long as blame is the main game, as long as vitriolic speech is the modus operandi, as long as we are looking ever outward for the answer to how we can start to treat everyone as human beings and respect Mother Earth and all her inhabitants, we'll have the same problems. If we have the tune to find flaws in the rest of the world, we are missing the point.

And, in case I'm not making myself clear, I'm not stating that the United States is the only population I'm making reference to.

The historic importance of this election cannot be denied, and the potential for superficial change is prominent. We will likely see that the ideas and beliefs of a different group will now be dominant for a certain period of time. Whether or not any real change will occur is another matter. Significant change, change that sees the United States leading the way in a global community that recognizes the rights of every human being and the necessity for being a true steward of the planet and all creatures, will only begin when we all accept our shared humanity.

I think the best question to ask now comes from a leader who was a victim of the kind of hatred that still exists in this country, "the imperative question is, what are you doing for others?"

Edward J. Herdrich

Elgin