Let the Healing Begin
Nov 5, 2008
Some people are happy today - me!
Some people are not. Some people who put their heart and soul into supporting Sen. McCain may find difficulty putting away their bitterness for a while. I know I would if it were the other way 'round. But I encourage them to follow the advice of their champion, a man we saw emerge again as though from behind a dark cloud in Sen. McCain's concession speech last night as he encouraged his supporters to work towards the common good again. Now that the mudslinging is over let’s try to remember that elections sling around a lot of mud, but it's just dirt and water; in the light of the sun it dries up, becomes dust and drifts away if we all blow really hard.
For those not convinced that President-elect Obama is the best thing for our nation, that his policy platform is flawed, I counsel you to remember that under the tasks of leadership, campaign promises morph into statements of principal from which responsible governance begins. I know from living too close to politics that successful governance does not result from policy positions - it comes about by reacting to reality with the strength of world view, heart and judgment. I think that Sen. McCain's heart is good - as his concession speech demonstrated; but I also think his judgment under pressure proved reactionary and his paradigm of black and white outdated. By contrast, Obama has demonstrated calm under pressure, decisiveness in managing an amazing campaign I was proud to be a cog within and a world view that embraces tolerance of the gray choices given to us by our complex world. I think the latter point is critical; by virtue of the fact that he sees the problems more clearly, I believe Obama will more competently guide the search for solutions. I believe the majority of voters yesterday showed their confidence in him for exactly this reason.
I am pleased that a multiracial man will sit in the White House, not because he is multiracial but because his ethnicity was superseded by his character and message; it was a strength for a growing majority of Americans and irrelevant to many who saw past his skin and listened to his words. In the latter case I find the most encouragement, because people were willing to believe in his message of hope - hope that even though we don't know HOW it can come about, we CAN turn this mess around because of who we are, because we are Americans. In electing Barack Obama our populace resisted the urge to gravitate to fear; we placed a bet on change and hope for the future in the midst of crisis when retreat to the old ways might have felt the "safer choice." This fills me with more confidence than anything else.
And so we find ourselves in a unique situation in history - crises of immeasurable proportion and a decisive choice by the American people to look beyond what might divide us at the most personal level and to put our faith in ourselves as a nation to rise above them. This is the message that Candidate Obama has made his own from the beginning; it is not HE who will save us it is WE who will save us, lead by him. He said it again last night in a truly inspiring acceptance speech . No matter what happens now, the country will not look at itself the same again - ever. We have taken upon ourselves the challenge of recreating the American Dream in a more exciting and frightening world than we were brought up in and we have chosen someone who understands and embodies both the difficulties and opportunities of our new task to lead us.
Let us take on the responsibilities we have given ourselves, starting with putting the bitterness aside - and get to the tasks at hand. We need to keep President Obama true to this task, and I pray he keeps us true to ours as well.
End of inspirational remarks, here is my most immediate advice:
• Use this election as an excuse to talk to someone of a different ethnic group and find out what you have in common with them that you didn’t know before;
• Turn off at least 3 more light bulbs per day, take fewer car trips per week and recycle more diligently;
• Find one more thing you can do for your family, your community and your country - and do them all;
• Live leaner in the wallet and fuller in the heart; and
• Do not lose the glow of hope in your life, feed it, believe in it and pass it on to others.