Status Quo is Not an Option

by Robinson V

They say the age of dreamers is long gone and what remains are just remnant of a time long forgotten. A time where we as a nation dared to push the boundaries because we truly believed “this” was not enough. New way of doing things, new ways of thinking, and all of these gave birth to what we have today. The question then becomes, when did we lose our vision and became complacent? We sit atop the accomplishments of our parents and their parents expecting the world to bow down and serve us. We all have been getting plump from the spoils of the past, our senses have dulled, and we have lost connection with what made this nation great. When did status quo become an option?

In classroom, subject areas are being pruned to such an extreme that some don’t even offer Fine Arts anymore. The areas which spark creativity in the mind of adolescents are slowly being removed…why? We tell our children to reach for the star, dream big, all while programming them into mindless drone all for one purpose, to pass a bloody state exam. Where does that leave us against the students of other nations such as China, Germany, and France?

Questions leading to more questions with no solution in sight have become the norm. We as American have stopped asking “why” and are now asking “what” because we choose not to know, to remain ignorant. We choose to live within this false bubble where we tell ourselves that we are “protected” from the quarrels of the world “outside”.  So we detached ourselves, only to poke our heads out when something threatens the integrity of our bubble.  A good example is the current Ebola epidemic that started in Guinea December 2013; so far a little over 4,900 people have been claimed by this virus. The first case in the USA was reported on September 30, 2014 and it was at that moment “we” decided to make this epidemic news worthy. Since then, hospitals have been taking extra measure to prepare for a virus that has already claimed the lives of thousand. This bubble of ours is not impenetrable.

Aside from this current event, there are other topics that just seem to fade when brought up in conversation. Our once great space program (NASA) is almost none existent. Today’s media is saturated with half-truths and to make matter worse, we are willing to be spoon fed it. Our “elected” official all seem to have their own agenda, and no matter how much air time it get, “Race” always seems to be an issue.

We have become a nation of the misguided leading the blind. With our chest puffed up, we wear our arrogance as a coat of armor smiling at the world as we try to mask our shortcomings but there are few of us who are not fooled. We have seen the coming darkness and if things continue as they are now, I’m afraid this hole we are digging for ourselves will be too deep to climb out of.

So what must we do to change course? First thing we need stop ignoring our past as if it is some kind of disease. We relish the glories of the past but we have forgotten about all of the failures that lead to those great triumphs.  Watergate, Vietnam, Black Tuesday, the Great Recession, the list goes on and on. What have we learned from these that could point us in the direction to solving today’s issues such as gun control, the poverty gap, government corruption, and so forth.  Next we must equip ourselves with the tools necessary to make these changes. Whether it be increasing funding for science or re-instating courses that’ll allow kids to tap into their creative sides, if we hope to make any progress tomorrow we cannot wait another minute to take action.

True, you are one but we are many. Change starts first with the individual and then becomes a movement; let us be the change we want to see. Spend more time reading/researching, encourage others to do the same. Share news and finding to spark up conversations. On social media ask a question about life or a topic to get others to share their ideas/thoughts. If there is something you have wanted to learn, go for it. Why wait! Do the same for your child. After school activities, music, sports, clubs, the options are limitless. We can’t wait for others to show us the way, it is time for the Dreamers of the 21st Century to wake up and get moving. As a nation we have been blind for too long, our hands have been idle, let us get up and do. Status quo is not an option!

Vision without action is merely a dream. Action without vision just passes the time. Vision with action can change the world.  – Joel A. Barker

 

~The Elimist~