I suspect most people look at their world and see things that bother them. They see problems. They see things they want to change.

And they feel that things never change.

The idea that things never change however is an illusion. Our environment is changing constantly. Think back to your childhood and start making a list of things that are different. Then take that list and multiply it by an order of magnitude if not more because we really dont notice most of the changes going on.

You could also argue that things change but not for the good. Things change but they dont improve. Schools get worse every year, roads and bridges do too, etc.

Changing things for the good takes a lot of effort. Nature degrades things over time and it takes a lot of energy, creation-energy, to build new things, fix old things, and generally improve stuff. ("Good" is also subjective.)

To change things for the good on a national level, it takes a catalyst. Something big.

9/11 changed things in a big way as did the Bush administration's efforts to undermine government regulation and oversight. In less than 8 years, they have made a tremendous amount of change in our country and the world. Cheney seems proud of their accomplishments.

Im getting the sense that we may be entering a historic period of constructive change. It may not happen but everywhere I look I see problems that are reaching the point where something must be done.

Case in point: water.

One of the reasons we moved to Seattle and not San Diego five years ago was my concern about water. I didnt want to commit to a 30-year mortgage in a place that might be uninhabitable in 10 years.

In just the past 24 hours, Ive heard two people talking about water problems in California this year.

Yesterday I heard a food policy expert talking about how scarce water is and how our national farming policy completely wastes it in order to continue our fast-food economy. We grow dairy cows in the desert and put tons of water towards growing alfalfa to feed cows. We waste water as if it is unlimited.

For years I have heard that our farming industry is not sustainable because of water. It took millions of years to create the massive aquifer under most of the West but modern farming practices will have drained it within a century. The Colorado river is not a trickle and Mexico gets hardly any water from us anymore. It is not a new issue but it has been ignored by the public, until...

Now California is in a multi-year drought and cities are planning to ration again. A WSJ article on Wednesday raised the issue and the idea that the state has to act this year. Less rain, less snow, more fires, not enough water for food and people.

Something will have to change. Rationing, higher prices, policy changes. Its a big deal unless the Earth goes back to bountiful water in Cali soon. (Dont hold your breath.)

Changing water policy (and food policy) is the right way to go but its huge. Someone will lose money and that creates a lot of resistance in state and national capitols.

But when events like 9/11 happen, things change dramatically and people accept it. Let's hope we are entering a period of dramatic, positive change. Lets hope our leaders can create lasting change that we can all be proud of.