Waiting on the World to Change
Me and all my friends
We’re all misunderstood
They say we stand for nothing and
There’s no way we ever could
Now we see everything that’s going wrong
With the world and those who lead it
We just feel like we don’t have the means
To rise above and beat it
So we keep waiting
Waiting on the world to change
We keep on waiting
Waiting on the world to change
It’s hard to beat the system
When we’re standing at a distance
So we keep waiting
Waiting on the world to change
Now if we had the power
To bring our neighbors home from war
They would have never missed a Christmas
No more ribbons on their door
And when you trust your television
What you get is what you got
Cause when they own the information, oh
They can bend it all they want
That’s why we’re waiting
Waiting on the world to change
We keep on waiting
Waiting on the world to change
It’s not that we don’t care,
We just know that the fight ain’t fair
So we keep on waiting
Waiting on the world to change
And we’re still waiting
Waiting on the world to change
We keep on waiting waiting on the world to change
One day our generation
Is gonna rule the population
So we keep on waiting
Waiting on the world to change
We keep on waiting
Waiting on the world to change
– John Mayer
Before I get into this, I should let you know that I really like John Mayer. I own three of his records (“Continuum”, “Heavier Things” and “Room for Squares”). I think he’s a really talented guitarist, and I enjoy his lyrics.
But this song, as catchy as it is, reveals something about his thought process that’s really disturbing to me. Perhaps it really is the thought process for many of his contemporaries (though I am only seven years older, and it sure doesn’t reflect my thoughts).
Maybe I should give some background first. I was an activist when I was in high school and college — a card-carrying member of Greenpeace, a financial supporter of Amnesty International. I had to be talked out of going to Tiananmen Square to protest the human rights violations going on over there in 1989. I was part of a group of students who got recycling bins on our college campus in the fall of 1988. My friends and I were young and idealistic, and we really believed we could change the world.
I still believe this.
It’s why I’m so passionate about helping parents become better parents. It’s why I travel so often and so far to help churches become better churches. It’s why I write so much to try and help Christians become better Christians. I believe we can change the world. We’ve done it before, and we can do it again.
But John Mayer and his cronies have given up. They would like things to be different, but they feel powerless to do anything about it. So, they’ve resigned themselves to wait. They’ll continue to complain about things, but they won’t try to change anything. Instead, they’re waiting on the world to change. Then they’ll step in and do something. Or it won’t change, but they’ll find themselves in charge by default — with no experience at working for change, just wishing for it.
Anyone else see a problem with that?
October 29th, 2009 at 4:53 pm
So, change the “world” huh?
Is it a wise man or the cynic that encourages the serenity prayer?
I believe I change the world, by first changing me.
Changing my perspective.
Paradigms power perceptions.
Once we help the world change how they think, they will find freedom from their feelings.
Believe that life is good. And your world changes.
November 3rd, 2009 at 2:33 pm
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