Waiting on the World to Change

I've often wondered why the current generation seems so complacent when faced with social issues. Why is there no marching in the streets? Why do we not hear more outrage over injustices in today's world? In the 60's so many young people were emboldened and were not afraid to voice their displeasure with the status quo and with the direction that our government was taking the country. College students were vocally opposed the Viet Nam war and they fought against the injustice of segregation. The music of the time even carried the message of outrage and the push for change. Songs like Bob Dylan's Blowing in the Wind, John Lennon's Give Peace a Chance, the Youngblood's Get Together, or Buffalo Springfield's For What It's Worth all mirrored the times and helped to focus the angst of the country in a direction of change.

Today's college student seems more interested in how he will make his fortune after college and he doesn't see the injustice of the world around him. Indeed, young people often have limited knowledge of the world around them. And when they do see injustice, many think there is nothing they can do to make a change. What is different in today's culture when compared to that of the 60's? Perhaps rather than being a mirror of the times, the music of the 60's was actually a conduit for change. People heard the music and took it to heart. They actually listened to the words and believed that they could effect change. And they did. Today, instead of protest songs to push us to change, we have songs that tell us to sit back and wait. . . . wait for the world to change.

Waiting On The World To Change
lyrics by John Mayer

Me and all my friends
We're all misunderstood
They say we stand for nothing and
Theres' 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