Try to imagine a world without change. Go ahead, go back 25, 50, or 100 years and imagine living in that era for the rest of your life. Obviously, there will never be a world without change. Change is inevitable and as such, we should embrace it … always! Take a look at some changes in America over the last 100 years and decide for yourself. Has change been good for your lifestyle?

First, I would like to focus on some changes in the way we travel. In the last 100 years, we have gone from riding horses into battle to seeing rockets launched into space. We can now live 30 miles from where we work, or travel 3,000 miles in a day to a business meeting. Earlier this year, I flew to East Africa in about 24 hours. That journey used to take two months by ship. Changes in the way we travel have certainly been good.

Next, let’s take a look at changes in the ways we communicate. When I was growing up, my grandmother had one telephone in her house. It was always a big deal when it actually rang. Today, from my home, I can send an e-mail or fax, answer my cell phone, send a text message, or search the Web for information on just about any subject. I can even send a letter or package to my sister in California and it can arrive the next day. It’s certainly easier to communicate now more than ever.

We used to depend on coal for almost all of our energy needs. Today, while electricity is still provided to our homes and businesses from coal, nuclear power now also plays a vital role. In addition, we get energy from the wind, water, the sun, natural gas, and oil. We must change our dependence on foreign oil for transportation in the near future. In the distant future, changes in energy sources will be better for our economy, environment, and health.

Perhaps the most important changes in the world have been the advancements in medicine. Without medical improvements, we might still be susceptible to small pox, polio, and typhoid. Advances in medication, transplants, cancer treatment, and mental health are difficult to argue. Simply said, they allow us to live longer and live better.

There are numerous other changes that have taken place in the last 100 years. We have experienced changes in architecture, art, music, and photography. We can now watch television, drink clean water, cool our homes with air conditioning, and have machines wash our dishes and clothes. There are thousands of other examples of positive changes that occur each and every year. I believe I can make a strong case that change is always good. Even when mistakes are made, we learn from those mistakes and become a stronger world through change.

So why have I dedicated this page to stating the obvious? Because there is going to be political change in America and some Americans believe that this change is not for the better. I am here to say that all change is good. There have been nine different presidents in my lifetime, which meant nine changes in political power. Each president inspired change in their own way and our lives today are better than they were 40 years ago because of the changes that those leaders inspired.

It is not the president himself; however, that makes America great. It is the process we use to choose our president that makes America great. Even if you did not vote for President-elect Barack Obama, you should still support him as our new president. He will inspire many people to change and the vast majority of those people will change for the better. I have been told that the worst presidents in my lifetime were Nixon and Carter. If the worst presidents go on to inspire peace in the Middle East and open communications with China, then my guess is that they weren’t that bad after all. If we embrace change in America, then America will embrace us.