Things Change

I watched the movie "Man of the Year" over the weekend. I was excited to see this movie because Robin Williams is an amazing actor and Barry Levinson had done fantastic things with Good Morning Vietnam and Wag the Dog. What I got out of it was a pretty good movie about politics and society and Williams once again showed his comic gifts. It was not the political message or the warnings against apathy that struck me the most about this movie, instead a line which to most probably would have been lost against the overall themes of the movie. Not to give away too much but Williams, as a independent presidential candidate while speaking on Saturday Night Live tells the audience, "Don't look for change just for the sake of change."
From my own individual perspective as a Canadian male, whose life and family has been blessed with many gifts this quote weighed heavily upon my mind. Of course change is tough, humans are creatures of habit who often seek to make life easier on themselves. "Don't fix what ain't broke" and thats an important idea to keep in mind, especially within the Canadian perspective.
Canadians have it pretty well, thats not to say we do not have a long way to go with obesity, consumption, poverty and wealth distribution but we do have a society which does a lot of things well and for that we must be eternally grateful.
That does not mean we should not embrace and seek change, instead it requires a critical approach and a open mind which is willing to weigh options and seek to strive for the best possible outcomes for a greater good. Change is important and ultimately effective with an end goal, a vision or creed in which to temper and guide decisions.
Change is good, it allows us all to progress and to evolve. It allows us to reach our potential as humans and to connect with the world around us. In the end though if it is at all possible, let us change for the better because sometimes the status quo is not all that bad when compared to a step backwards for the sake of change.