Change can come fast. As a matter of fact, I think it usually does!
Look at gay marriage. Not mentioned, not even thought of, an impossible concept until maybe 10 or 15 years ago. And now very nearly the law of the land. With most of the change in public opinion coming in the last 2 years.
It will be interesting to see what the 5 conservatives on the Supreme Court do with the two cases before them – sometime in June, we will know. They may make same-sex marriage the law of the land by their opinion. Or it may have to wait for another case or two. Even if it has to wait for the 2014 elections, it will still have been a fast change in the thinking of almost all Americans.
I’m expecting the same to happen with the gun laws now on the table, and the immigration bills. The big changes have been in the thinking of all of us, propelled by big events, in the case of guns, and closer to home changes in the case of immigrants, since more of us know more about the issue and know more immigrants.
I see change most of the time as a geometric progression, starting small, growing exponentially – a few people on the edges awaken to a new idea, start to talk about it. Then another 5 or 6% of the people, early adopters, take it up – so news stories begin to appear, a new group is formed. Blogs pop up, the idea begins to spread.
Then suddenly the idea goes viral in the culture, we’re on the the bell curve. Pretty soon, only the few people who work hard at staying at the
back of the bell curve are still believing the old idea. And whether or not the laws, churches, governments have changed – the culture has changed.
That’s where we are with same sex marriage, and nearly there with guns and immigration. All of those issues are like to have changed radically by the end of 2013.
Hold that good thought! And, for all of our sakes, start to affirm that change is easy, fun and terrific.