There are some things in life that are timeless, despite their constant change.
For 55 years, Saturdays have meant something pretty special as far as gatherings inside of Delaware Stadium. Yes, I am talking Blue Hen football (and for those band members out there, I mean marching band as well). But in the ever constant flow of students into and out of the University itself, my father realized on Saturday that some things never really do change and they are indeed timeless.
Yes, it is easy to roam the campus in Newark and see the newly renovated or constructed classrooms and laboratories and note the change. But the “mall” (sorry UD Almu and students, I refuse to call it the “green”) is still in the same spot it has always been. Main Street too has changed, yet you can still find the bustle of students drawn to various stores by day and bars by night. Education within the classrooms still exists, and kids are molded into young men and women set to start their professional lives at the conclusion of their four years. Within those contexts of change, there is no change. Change in a University is double speak by nature. It is a constant, yet it does not truly exist.
Even within our sports teams (professional or amateur) there is constant, timeless change. Players come, players go. Championships are won, or losing seasons pile up. Either way, the only thing that is constant; change. Yet the change is effectively non-changing.
So why point out these so distinct and mundane facts? Considering this is primarily a political blog I intend to tie them into politics, but that in and of itself is not really my intent. The constant in our lives is change. We change from conception until death. As stated above, it is a double speak in that while natural change exists, it does not. We often do not contemplate the change that surrounds us and internalize it. Sure, we notice the new highway construction, but in reality, most of the roads we have traveled for most of our lives, are the same ones.
Robert Frost would probably chide us for not taking the less traveled road, trying to expand our horizons or our minds as we seek out knowledge and understanding, but to what degree would it matter? Humans are creatures of habit. We like to go to bed at roughly the same time and awaken late on the weekends. But the point behind not changing our path and being creatures of habit is this; despite how screwed up the world is and how hard times may become, when you have family and friends to rely upon for nurture and support, nothing really changes.
So, the mere fact that the mass of humanity is often ill-focused and easily manipulated by that of the political spectrum, in reality, we never lose focus on what really matters in our lives; family and friends. Throughout the follies of history that is now repeating itself with a republic in peril; we have not received any true change. Yes, our lives may be a bit harder to live comfortably, but no one guarantees comfort and success (except for a politician trolling for votes). If you are like me, and think that Nov. 2 is the only chance we have to turn our country around, we’re wrong. Yes, I said we are wrong.
The thing is, it might not be my generation, or my children’s generation, or even their children’s generation, but the idea of freedom and individual self worth has a natural spirit that will never and can never be suppressed. So, within the constant political and personal change, there is no change, since we all are free to be whom we wish within our own minds.
Sorry Orwell, I guess it just finally dawned on me the whole intent of your book 1984.
