I sat and watched the inauguration of Barack Obama this morning. It was a thrilling experience, one I will never forget. From the prayer by Pastory Rick Warren, to the transcendant version of "My Country 'Tis of Thee" by Aretha Franklin (which gave me chills) to the swearing in, to Obama's inaugural address, it was hard to feel anything but hope this morning.
That may be President Obama's greatest gift to this nation, his ability to inspire hope in others. With his calm, self-assured demeanor, it's hard to feel anything but confident in him. He gives off the air of someone who is never unsure of himself, and he makes you believe in him too. He may not have all the answers to our problems, but he has the power to inspire hope in others. That's a rare gift, and a good start.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
A historic day
Today is a historic day in the history of our country. For the first time 233-year existence of America, we are about to inaugurate a black man as president. To tell you the truth, I never thought I would live to see this day. It's not that I thought it was impossible. It's that I figured there were still enough racist people in this country who would never vote for a black man to make it impossible.
I don't know how to describe the atmosphere of today, although I think something needs to be said. I can only say that it's electric. Watching coverage on TV, it's amazing. There are millions of people on the Mall in Washington. I can't remember ever seeing anything like it in my life. Many of these people have been there since yesterday. Many have been there since before sunrise. There's a sense of excitement and hope that I can't ever remember feeling.
I feel the same sense of hope and excitement. This is a day that people will be talking about for generations. This is a day that my children will remember. And while I believe that Obama will ultimately get our country back on the right track, I hope that people will give him a chance before they judge. I hope that they will realize that he is only human, that he is unlikely to fix every one of our problems, although I think he will ultimately be a powerful president and make a difference.
I don't know how to describe the atmosphere of today, although I think something needs to be said. I can only say that it's electric. Watching coverage on TV, it's amazing. There are millions of people on the Mall in Washington. I can't remember ever seeing anything like it in my life. Many of these people have been there since yesterday. Many have been there since before sunrise. There's a sense of excitement and hope that I can't ever remember feeling.
I feel the same sense of hope and excitement. This is a day that people will be talking about for generations. This is a day that my children will remember. And while I believe that Obama will ultimately get our country back on the right track, I hope that people will give him a chance before they judge. I hope that they will realize that he is only human, that he is unlikely to fix every one of our problems, although I think he will ultimately be a powerful president and make a difference.
Thursday, January 1, 2009
A new era dawning
Hooray! Barack Obama will be our 44th president in a little under three weeks. I'm really excited about his victory. Not only was it historic in terms of race, but it feels like the torch has finally been passed to my generation. Technically he's a baby boomer, of course, but he's much closer to a Gen X-er than anyone we've ever had in the White House.
If I'm worried about anything, it's that people expect too much out of him. People think he's going to come in and fix all of our problems. Maybe he helped contribute to that impression. I don't know. What I do know is that he's just one man, and a fallible human at that. I'm excited about the possibilities presented by an Obama presidency, but I'm realistic enough to know that he won't be able to solve all our problems right away. He probably won't be able to solve them in one term, maybe not even two. What I do think is that he can get us pointed in the right direction as a country and restore confidence, much like Ronald Reagan did almost 30 years ago. And that's a good enough start for me.
If I'm worried about anything, it's that people expect too much out of him. People think he's going to come in and fix all of our problems. Maybe he helped contribute to that impression. I don't know. What I do know is that he's just one man, and a fallible human at that. I'm excited about the possibilities presented by an Obama presidency, but I'm realistic enough to know that he won't be able to solve all our problems right away. He probably won't be able to solve them in one term, maybe not even two. What I do think is that he can get us pointed in the right direction as a country and restore confidence, much like Ronald Reagan did almost 30 years ago. And that's a good enough start for me.
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