good words

Here's a quote from Donald Miller's book, Blue Like Jazz. Although Miller refers to a different president and time, this passage comes as a seeming response to the commencement speech given by Bill Clinton at my graduation ceremony yesterday:

"The president gave his speech inside the hotel and left through a side door, and they whisked him away before we could shake hands and explain our concerns. When we were done, I started wondering if we had accomplished anything. I started wondering whether we could actually change the world. I mean, of course we could--we could change our buying habits, elect socially conscious representatives and that sort of thing, but I honestly don't believe we will be solving the greater human conflict with our efforts. The problem is not a certain type of legislation or even a certain politician; the problem is the same that it has always been.

I am the problem.

I think every conscious person, every person who is awake to the functioning principles within his reality, has a moment where he stops blaming the problems in the world on group think, on humanity and authority, and starts to face himself. I hate this more than anything. This is the hardest principle within Christian spirituality for me to deal with. The problem is not out there; the problem is the needy beast of the thing that lives in my chest" (20).

And how can we solve ourselves, our own problem, alone?

Has anyone out there read this book? I've only just started, but it's really great so far.