Pride
I watched the Inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States today, and it was incredible. The best moment of the whole event came toward the end during his speech. It was at that moment that I felt something that I hadn't in a long time. Pride. Pride for my nation, pride for the ideals on which it was founded, pride for the lives that were lost for it, and the struggles it endured. I look back on the past 8 years of my life and I realize that for some time now I've been missing that and haven't realized it. That through the last few years I had come to be ashamed of my country and look at its actions and say "How can we be allowing something like this to happen". And worst of all I had begun to accept it. But today watching that speech and hearing the words that came from Barack Obama today, I felt that feeling vanish. I felt the greatness of America again. The dream, the pride, all of the things that our history teachers and our past leaders had told us were great about this nation came back to me. And I realized how sad life can be without that, how different it is to feel good about living in the nation you were born in, and how I hadn't even realized how much I missed it until I had it again.
Today listening to our new president talk about George Washington crossing the Delaware, the battles at Gettysburg and Normandy, and of course the Civil Rights Movement I felt honor fill up within me. I felt once again united with the rest of this nation, united in a dream. I felt once again like I could speak the words "This is the United States of America, and I'm glad to be here." That feeling was indescribable. Like Obama said the road ahead is going to be a tough one. But that's been true for a long time. The difference now is that I finally feel ready, even eager to face those challenges together with this country. Some people may say that I'm being too easily influenced by a speech. However, great words have been said in history before and great deeds have been built on their foundation. And now I can finally feel the hope that I can stand and watch those great deeds be built myself. And that Hope is what I thank Barack Obama for today.
Today listening to our new president talk about George Washington crossing the Delaware, the battles at Gettysburg and Normandy, and of course the Civil Rights Movement I felt honor fill up within me. I felt once again united with the rest of this nation, united in a dream. I felt once again like I could speak the words "This is the United States of America, and I'm glad to be here." That feeling was indescribable. Like Obama said the road ahead is going to be a tough one. But that's been true for a long time. The difference now is that I finally feel ready, even eager to face those challenges together with this country. Some people may say that I'm being too easily influenced by a speech. However, great words have been said in history before and great deeds have been built on their foundation. And now I can finally feel the hope that I can stand and watch those great deeds be built myself. And that Hope is what I thank Barack Obama for today.