Foresight for Change

By Nichole Giles

With all the political discussions and commercials going around, I have no doubt that everyone has had more than enough. I’m tired of listening to the slander and the fights, and seeing the way we treat our neighbors just because they don’t agree with our views. It makes me sad to see people being so hateful.

We live in a great nation. Not only do we have certain freedoms and liberties that many other countries don’t allow, but we also have the ability to choose who will lead us. We then give those leaders a period of four years to make a difference, to show us that they can actually handle running the country, and that they aren’t tyrants. If they do, we are then given the choice to elect those leaders for a second period of four years, or choose new leaders.

Our founding fathers were brilliant in many ways, and that they had the foresight to put a time limit on how long one person is allowed to be in charge amazes me. The time allows for each new leader to make an impact on American society, to do some good things and make changes for the better. (Whether their ideas of what is good or better work out the way we all hoped or not.) And because there is a limit, they have to enact their ideas and policies quickly enough for the people to see some kind of effect to the positive or negative.

It’s all about choice. Choice is a beautiful thing. We—as a nation—have choices. That doesn’t mean we always agree on which choices are best, but in our country—where the majority rules—those who aren’t happy with the results will have the opportunity to push for changes a few years later.

Yes, our forefathers were smart men. They weren’t afraid of change. In fact, they set up the constitution to ensure that we, the people, would be required to make changes every few years. Because change is good, whether we want it or not. It moves us forward and helps us to progress not only as a nation, but as families, and individual people. We progress within our spiritual selves.

Take, for instance, a change in my writing life. Two weeks ago my co-author friend, Cindy Beck, and I received a contract for a project we’ve been working on since last December. Our compilation of humorous, LDS stories has found a publisher. This book has been a great project, lots of fun, and a learning experience. But it probably won’t be the thing that puts either of our names in history books. And we’re okay with that. Instead, it will be the thing that puts a lot of names—our twenty plus contributors—in print.

It’s a change for all of us, and that is a wonderful feeling. My writing career has taken a step forward, and as I take that step, I’m bringing friends. This change is good.

The changes in our economy have given us all cause to re-evaluate our finances, to take a hard look at our plans for the future, and to take steps toward being prepared for disasters and eventualities. It’s important to be prepared. The changes in our leadership and laws will likely cause us to do more thinking, more preparing, and maybe spend more time helping others.

Regardless of where you stand politically, the truth is that change is inevitable. Our leaders of the past have shaped the country we know and love, and the leaders in our future will help us forge ahead to continue being one of the greatest, most powerful nations in the world. In the past, America has been called the place were dreams come true. Lucky for us, it still is.

We are America, and it is us. Ever growing, ever changing, ever lasting. And no matter what changes are made, this is still the best country in the world in which to live.

In short: Can’t we all just get along?