How To Change History

The Chicago Bears lost the Super Bowl. They'd love a "do-over." Peyton Manning's Colts don't need one. They like the history they created. The Bears can't do anything about altering the outcome of that game. It's in the books. Some history can't be changed.

There is history that can be changed though. Maybe reputation or perception is a better term than history. A person can alter the historic perception others have of them.

I've noticed a number of instances where people develop a perception based on age - and that perception or history is hard to change, even as the person grows older. A young man is hired to work for a company. He's a high school student. He has the typical flunky jobs that most high-schoolers get. He graduates and enters college. He keeps working in the company. The jobs are slightly improved, but he's not in the executive suite. He's a freshman, a sophomore and a junior. In his senior year he's now working in the office, but he's still quite a distance from the corner office. He has risen to better jobs, but many people still perceive him as the high-schooler he once was. They view him as the kid who arrived at work with the stereo blaring. Now that he's approaching college graduation they may find it almost impossible to view him differently. Can he do anything to alter that perception - that history?

We've all got history. We've all got reputations. We're all perceived in various ways. Are we forever stuck with the perception people have of us - even if they've got it all wrong?

George Bush is not the most popular guy around these days. Wars do that to perception. Will the American public always view him in the current light? Maybe. Maybe not. President Nixon left the office in a most disgraceful way. Nobody would have predicted that he'd become an influential best selling author. Nixon become a bit of a statesman. Go figure. He may be among the best examples of changing one's history. Kudos to him for finding a way out of the maze of shame. George Bush might find a similar highway. He might not.

As usual I have more questions than answers, but I know this much. We can change history if we work at it - and have patience. Nixon wasn't viewed differently over night. Slowly, he began to alter how people viewed him. Slowly, people began to listen to him. Slowly, people began to respect his opinions and views. He kept on writing. He kept on speaking. He didn't try to force it. He wasn't full of self-promotion. The public was in complete control of their perception. Had he attempted to thrust himself forward - history wouldn't have changed for him (to the extent that it did).

No, Nixon will never be remembered as favorably as he may have liked. He messed up. He was wrong. But, he certainly seemed to make the most of it after the fact. Personally, I think he was a wretched man with poor ethical standards. But I tip my hat to his efforts to recover what was left of his legacy - and name.

That high -schooler in the workplace isn't relegated to always being the 16-year-old everybody remembers. By his work he can change history. Should he continue to behave as the 16-year-old he once was - he's stuck. In the minds of his co-workers he'll remain the high school kid - even though he's now approaching college graduation.

More public figures have a tougher go of it. Nixon. Bush. Pro athletes like Terrell Owens. Living in Dallas T.O. is almost always in the news. I wonder if he'd like to alter his history. It would appear to be a very low, or non-existent priority. I conclude that because his behavior remains the same. He's still driving to work with the stereo blaring, but he wants us to think of him as something other than the high-schooler he seems to be. He can change history, but only when he changes how he acts. Sure, it would take time. But if Nixon could do it, anybody can!