{"id":110939,"date":"2020-08-05T15:51:21","date_gmt":"2020-08-05T20:51:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thechicagoschool.edu\/insight\/?p=110939"},"modified":"2020-11-03T14:37:38","modified_gmt":"2020-11-03T20:37:38","slug":"social-change","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thechicagoschool.edu\/insight\/for-our-wellness\/social-change\/","title":{"rendered":"The long dark tunnel"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"As each of us struggles to find our footing in the whirlwind of unprecedented social change that characterizes our lives these days, I can\u2019t help but wonder: \u00a0Are we finally on the cusp of a real and lasting paradigm shift? A swing of the pendulum that will take us not to where we were, pre-2020 or even pre-2016, but to a hard-won new reality with a re-imagined set of values, expectations and aspirations?<\/p>\n

It\u2019s difficult for most of us to contemplate a future beyond Fall 2020, or maybe Spring 2021. We find ourselves entangled in a web of uncertainties surrounding COVID-19<\/a>, a burgeoning mental health pandemic, raised awareness of systemic racism, rampant unemployment and a festering political divide. Threaded throughout these distinct\u2014and yet increasingly intertwined\u2014phenomena is a vitriolic rhetoric from Washington that makes no effort to ease our pain or unite us in a common struggle, but rather to further divide us.<\/p>\n

Enough is Enough<\/h2>\n

Enough is enough. The vast majority of us can only watch the suffering and the hate-mongering so long before becoming, literally, sick to our stomachs. We long for change. And yet the enormity of response that is needed is daunting. \u00a0I can easily understand it when an individual, or a family, or even an organization, feels there\u2019s little they can do to make a difference. But, working together, each and every one of us can be part of the solution.<\/p>\n

I know that most of us are born with empathy\u2014with a genuine capacity to care for one another. But it\u2019s often those few who are not able to feel, or do not value, that human connection who create an environment in which the greater good becomes buried under a barrage of self-serving and self-focused interests. Sometimes that environment takes hold for a while\u2014as it has now\u2014bringing with it a demoralizing sense of what kind of change is even possible.<\/p>\n

True Social Change: The Tide is Turning<\/h2>\n

But there is evidence that the tide is turning. Take the scourge of systemic racism that has tainted our society from its earliest da\"\"ys. Although we have, over the years, taken steps in the right direction, we have never succeeded in routing out the indelible pockets of intrinsic racism that that have prevented millions of African Americans from enjoying the promise of equality that our Constitution guarantees. But that is changing; the public response to the recent murder of George Floyd\u2014along with a raft of other innocent Black men and women\u2014has shattered previous records of enraged protests and demands for change<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Everywhere you look, you can find bits of evidence that we as a society are finally \u201cgetting it.\u201d Black Lives Matter is no longer a battle cry just for people of color; it has been taken up by millions of protesters\u2014from millennials to baby boomers\u2014across the country. The NFL has reversed an earlier ruling and now supports its players as they \u201ctake a knee\u201d as a show of solidarity against racism. Numerous CEOs have stepped down from long-held posts as their companies reflected on workplace cultures tinged with bias. City after city is moving police reform to the tops of their agendas.<\/p>\n

And look even deeper\u2014to the younger generations who will, in the blink of any eye, be the leaders of our country. They don\u2019t see race, or gender, or sexual orientation or gender identity, as reasons for discrimination or special treatment or differentiation of any kind.<\/p>\n

There is light at the end of this long, dark tunnel<\/h2>\n

\"\"Similarly, the lack of national leadership in the face of the most perilous health crisis in recent history has brought its own calls for social change. Across the country, local leaders\u2014governors and mayors\u2014have purposefully disregarded \u201cguidance\u201d from Washington, choosing instead to follow data and science in leading their residents to a safer place. The endless stream of disinformation and misleading predictions, liberally laced with venomous tirades against experts who dare to disagree, is being met\u2014more and more\u2014with skepticism, downright distrust and anger.\u00a0 Our country had the opportunity to get a handle on the novel Coronavirus early in the game\u2014as China and Italy fought to contain situations escalating beyond their control\u2014but we didn\u2019t.\u00a0 Tens of thousands of lives could have been saved, but they weren\u2019t. This has not gone unnoticed.<\/p>\n

Enough is enough.<\/p>\n

I believe that the defining moment in our evolution as a society is within our reach. Bit by bit, we are experiencing a seismic shift in awareness, in attitude, in values.\u00a0 Let\u2019s imagine ourselves in the stratosphere at, say, an altitude of 30,000 feet, and look down on the rocky landscape that lies below.\u00a0 If we look hard, we can see circles of change taking place: the demand for racial equality; the pleas for an economy that takes care of all people; the quest for responsible system of immigration that fuels the diversity that has made us the country we are; a government that operates with transparency and compassion, living the constitution penned by our founding fathers.<\/p>\n

We can only put up with the agonies of today\u2014the inequality, the hate, the injustice and the divisiveness\u2014so long.\u00a0 It\u2019s time to define our new normal. I do think true social change is just around the corner, and that every single one of us has a role to play in getting us there.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s truly the time for enough to be ENOUGH.<\/p>\n

\n

Learn more about The Chicago School<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Chicago School is dedicated to providing you with an exceptional education rooted in innovation, service, and community.\u00a0Enroll in one of our more than 30 academic programs<\/a>\u00a0today or request more information by filling out the form below!<\/p>\n<\/section>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As each of us struggles to find our footing in the whirlwind of unprecedented social change that characterizes our lives these days, I can\u2019t help but wonder: \u00a0Are we finally on the cusp of a real and lasting paradigm shift?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":111636,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[191,704],"tags":[],"coauthors":[1047],"class_list":["post-110939","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community","category-for-our-wellness"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe long dark tunnel - Insight Digital Magazine<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Are we on the cusp of true social change? 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