I've given a lot of thought the last few weeks as to whether or not I should post this blog. However, the more I listen to the news the more disgusted I become, and so I think the time has come for me to put my thoughts on paper (so to speak).
On November 11, 2008, America made a historic decision. It was the decision of all Americans, but of the majority, and each person that made that decision did so for different reasons. Yet collectively, our was made with the hopeful spirit of a better future. Unfortunately with the passing of time, there are some who have come to regret their decision, as inevitably happens when one makes a decision based on emotion. Many of these people are now experiencing feelings of disappointment, and perhaps in some way, betrayal. I would like to impress upon these people the following: If you voted for Obama because you thought he was going to change this country or the world, you made a grave mistake. You allowed emotion to rule a decision that should have been made objectively, with a full understanding of the reality of the circumstances.
I also voted for change that fateful November day, but the message I understood was the following: Once elected, President Obama would stand by me and fight for change, as long as I was willing to make the sacrifices and tough choices that would bring about that change. If I have learned anything in my thirty-four years on planet earth, i have learned that everything in life comes at a cost. There are no free rides. Even the act of living is undertaken with the recognition that we will all one day pay the ultimate price. Why did some of us think, when we went to the polls to cast our vote, that this historic decision would be any different?
The troubles we are facing in America today are not the fault of one man. they are not the fault of this president, or the last president (yes I know, big shock), or of the presidents who came before. The fault lies with the American people. Throughout the centuries, we have become increasingly preoccupied with our individual wants and desires, and in our quest to fulfill these have not stopped to consider the ramifications of our actions on our neighbors, our communities, and our nation...much less the rest of humanity. The troubles we are facing as a nation are not "now" problems. They have existed to some degree for decades and have been compounding throughout our history. Many past presidents have tried, some successfully and some unsuccessfully, to shift the dynamic and slow our progression of reaching the tipping point...some presidents have only made it worse. however, the bottom line remains the same: No act by one man or woman, one administration, or even of our entire government as a whole, can stop the runaway train we seem to be riding.
So the question becomes: When are we going to stop whining and acting like petulant children whose favorite candy has been taken away, and start taking responsibility for our past, our present, and our future? The answer is simple: We aren't ready. We aren't ready for change. We aren't ready for change because we are afraid of what change means. When we voted for change in 2008, our purpose was not to fundamentally change our politics, or spread peace and goodwill, or really improve the life of every American man, women, and child. The "change we wanted was for someone to wave a magic wand and overnight create an America where we could selfishly and without regard to the consequences live our lives as we feel we are entitled to as members of the greatest nation on earth. Well, sorry to burst the Obamamania bubble, but that's not what Obama meant when he said, "Yes We Can!"Now that a year has passed and we see that the man we chose to wave the wand, in effect, has no wand, the country has erupted into a series of tantrums.
Over the past year I have become gradually disgusted with my party, progressively sickened by the opposition, and increasingly disappointed with the American people as a whole. It is unfortunate that at this point in our history we remain unwilling or unable to mature into a nation that can be worthy of the accolades we seem to bestow upon ourselves with regularity. I can't say i have given up hope because my hope stems from a very real desire to one day see my country live up to the expectations I have of it... one nation (meaning a global nation), under God meaning whichever God you choose or choose not to believe in), indivisible (meaning no matter our political affiliation), with liberty and justice for all (meaning no matter our race, creed, color, religion, nationality, ethnicity, country of origin, citizenship status, age, gender, sexual orientation, physical ability, or any other insignificant difference I may have forgotten). However, for now, I grieve for the loss of the moment on November 11, 2008 when my heart swelled with pride and another kind of hope.
