The Current (Events): Fighting change does not work

Another shooting, another day in America. The direction our country is going in does not give room for a lot of hope. However, there are ups and downs in the history of any nation. The problem, for me, is the difficulty in finding that perspective.

It’s hard to put current events in the context of history when you have only been alive for incredibly brief time. But even over the course of two presidencies, the country has undergone intense change.

Even throughout a single year, change can seem brutally fast, overtaking our lives in the span of minutes. One headline can shake the nation in a new direction.

When I spoke to Rabbi Marcia Zimmerman, we talked about the rising climate of fear. She told me that Trump was just a symptom of a deeper rooted fear.

“Some people want to turn the clock back. We know that that does not work,” Zimmerman said. “We know that it might work for one little aspect or for a few years or perhaps for a presidency, but it doesn’t really work for the long run. You have to go for the change, and know how to bring everyone along.”

Looking at campaign slogans highlights that. Although each slogan can be seen like a meaningless platitude.

The direction Barack Obama valued was reflected first in 2008 with “Hope” and, especially, “change.” After four years, the slogan acknowledged the change was happening and that our country needed to push “Forward.”

Trump’s slogan, on the other hand, reflects a fear of change. “Make America Great Again” A more diverse, progressive country was something to be feared and avoided. Trump and his slogan represent the idea that the economic and social change our country skyrocketed through is a terrifying change. He wants to turn the clock back. It will not work.

History proves that those on the side of change triumph in the end.