CARLTON FLETCHER: We’re just too lazy to change the world

“We can work it out.”

— The Beatles

The issues we face in this world today are the way they are because we make them that way … or we allow them to stay that way.

Sure, it’s easier to blame someone — anyone — else, and there are way too many of us who’d rather have something to gripe about than have something good happen. But we could change things if we were willing to put in the effort it takes to make that happen.

There lies the rub.

We’re just too damned lazy and too comfortable and too timid to do what it takes to bring about change. We’ve convinced ourselves that the things we think are worthwhile are things we’re entitled to, and therefore we shouldn’t have to work for them. They should be brought to us, silver platters optional.

When African Americans in this country grew tired of being treated as second-class citizens and demanded that the “all men are created equal” clause be applied to them as well as every white person in this country, there was the kind of opposition that cost lives. But enough people were willing to risk everything they had, including their lives, to right the wrongs that were being perpetrated on them and they prevailed in a victory that, while still being opposed in the hearts of some, has brought about dramatic change in this country.

The people who won the civil rights victory did not do so simply by demanding and griping and whining. They took their cause to the streets and won over the hearts of America.

Now, there are no warriors willing to take on the challenges that we as a country are weighed down by. Sure, there are groups willing to demand, and there are others who are willing to bring about destruction. Most of the latter are in it for the opportunity to be destructive, while the former make demands without the will to back up those demands with actions that prove they are worthy of having the demands met.

See, it’s not enough to stand up for a cause if that cause is not just. If your battle is one that benefits only you or a select group and comes at the expense of others equally worthy, your cause is selfish and not worthy of consideration.

But if your cause is just, is beneficial to the greater good, and you’re willing to work for it, then it is the kind of cause that attracts others. Let’s say you’re one of those people who complains about the atrocious amount of litter that plagues this community. You demand that city officials do something about it … and that’s it.

If you really want something done, though, what’s to stop you from doing it yourself? I talked with a gentleman recently, and have met other like-minded individuals, who got tired of waiting for the city, the county, KADB … anyone … to clean up their neighborhoods, so they took it upon themselves to do the work. And when the nasty slobs who toss their trash out with the expectation that someone else will clean it up did just that, instead of whining, these people simply went back and did it all over again. The result, ultimately, was a cleaner neighborhood.

Sure, that’s an easy example … no one likes trash, and there are individuals willing to put in a little work to clean things up. But when it comes to changing laws that are unjust, the old “you can’t fight city hall” adage seems to apply to everyone. We gripe, we complain, we even hold up signs and demand satisfaction. But we don’t go out and collect petition signatures; we don’t hold rallies; we don’t put up and support candidates who are brave enough to help bring about those changes.

We also are too lazy to do any work to find out about politicians’ backgrounds and their voting records. We just look for the appropriate “D” or “R” by their name, and that’s good enough for us. Then we end up electing representatives whose only representation is their own or special interest groups’ interests.

As Graham Nash once sang, “We can change the world.” But we have to be willing to get off our asses and do so.