Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Our Higher Good
I may well be the worst barometer on the planet in terms of getting the sense of what American's are thinking on any particular subject. Every time I think I have a clue as to what is moving in the body politic, I find I have miscalculated.
This may be because I am a white guy. It may be because I am Jewish. It may be that most of my friends are in the upper middle class economic classification. My best friend is a gay black man, but that is hardly getting the pulse of the black community in the nation. My family is Mormon, Baptist, Methodist and Catholic.
This is all to say that I've been really wrong before. So please take that caveat.
I have re-run Barack Obama's speech yesterday in Philly through my head about 20 times now. I have talked it over with friends of mine of all political stripes. I have read article after article. I made myself listen to a few minutes of Hannity and Colmes last night (until I became too sick to continue) and I heard Rush Lame-brain's take on it. And most importantly, I have prayed on it.
After all that, I am now more convinced than ever that Barack Obama is the man meant to lead this nation. His speech was courageous and selfless. It was honest and hopeful. It was frank and self-responsible. It was meant to speak to all people, and I pray it did.
Think about it, yesterday was an opportunity for Obama to go about business as any politician would. Throw the trouble-maker under the bus, babble about how wonderful he is and how he's not like the trouble-maker, and do the double-speak rap which politicians are famous for.
Instead of doing this, he trusted us all as intelligent human beings. He spoke honestly to us, and asks us to think on our own how we react to each other and treat each other. He spoke to the reality of the anger and resentment the vast majority of us feel, no matter our race. He took the high road, when the low road was so easily available.
Now, he did not preach to us. There was no lecturing done. There was no "you should think this or you need to feel that." There was a recognition that issues are there and they are valid, on all sides. The question is are we so wedded to our anger and resentment that we cannot have a constructive conversation and reconciliation to the issues that are inherent in our society. I pray not.
When we come to the bottom line, Barack Obama again asks us to grow. We need to become bigger to confront our future, as opposed to staying the same and continue to watch our society become more fractured and dysfunctional. The question is will we accept the responsibility to grown.
I promise to do so. I will heed his wise words and try to elevate myself and those around me.
Please join me in that quest.
This may be because I am a white guy. It may be because I am Jewish. It may be that most of my friends are in the upper middle class economic classification. My best friend is a gay black man, but that is hardly getting the pulse of the black community in the nation. My family is Mormon, Baptist, Methodist and Catholic.
This is all to say that I've been really wrong before. So please take that caveat.
I have re-run Barack Obama's speech yesterday in Philly through my head about 20 times now. I have talked it over with friends of mine of all political stripes. I have read article after article. I made myself listen to a few minutes of Hannity and Colmes last night (until I became too sick to continue) and I heard Rush Lame-brain's take on it. And most importantly, I have prayed on it.
After all that, I am now more convinced than ever that Barack Obama is the man meant to lead this nation. His speech was courageous and selfless. It was honest and hopeful. It was frank and self-responsible. It was meant to speak to all people, and I pray it did.
Think about it, yesterday was an opportunity for Obama to go about business as any politician would. Throw the trouble-maker under the bus, babble about how wonderful he is and how he's not like the trouble-maker, and do the double-speak rap which politicians are famous for.
Instead of doing this, he trusted us all as intelligent human beings. He spoke honestly to us, and asks us to think on our own how we react to each other and treat each other. He spoke to the reality of the anger and resentment the vast majority of us feel, no matter our race. He took the high road, when the low road was so easily available.
Now, he did not preach to us. There was no lecturing done. There was no "you should think this or you need to feel that." There was a recognition that issues are there and they are valid, on all sides. The question is are we so wedded to our anger and resentment that we cannot have a constructive conversation and reconciliation to the issues that are inherent in our society. I pray not.
When we come to the bottom line, Barack Obama again asks us to grow. We need to become bigger to confront our future, as opposed to staying the same and continue to watch our society become more fractured and dysfunctional. The question is will we accept the responsibility to grown.
I promise to do so. I will heed his wise words and try to elevate myself and those around me.
Please join me in that quest.
# posted by Kevin @ 1:03 PM 
