In 2006 John Mayer had a hit song called “Waiting on the World to Change.” Much has changed since 2006, but not this approach to making the world a better place. Most people want to...
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In 2006 John Mayer had a hit song called “Waiting on the World to Change.” Much has changed since 2006, but not this approach to making the world a better place. Most people want to change some things about society, but few of us feel we are in a position to do much. And so we wait. We see ourselves as small and living in the shadows of the grand dramas of our age, like bystanders watching superheroes in a Marvel story. We neglect the power and responsibility we actually have.
When we believe that we are not very responsible for change if we are not very powerful, we can find ourselves participants in tragic scenarios. A recent heartbreaking article in The State about executions in South Carolina featured interviews and stories from men who had served as executioners. Many of them found the work distasteful and distressing. The author describes one of the men this way: “He would be consumed by stress for weeks before each execution, and afterwards, it would be at least five days until he felt somewhat back to normal.” Others reported similar experiences, and many of the executioners now oppose the death penalty. But the men also felt unable to quit, because serving in the role made one more eligible for leadership positions and promotions. As conflicted as these men felt about taking life, many could not imagine taking a pay cut or changing jobs to avoid doing it. They hoped the law would be overturned, but they could not imagine losing status to slow the speed of executions in their state.