Inauguration Day
Its a bitter sweet feeling to watch Obama get sworn in as President because as beautiful of an event that is was, I really wanted to be there to experience the anticipation of standing outside the U.S. Capitol waiting for hours to hear him speak. To hear his voice echo sound of victories of the past, and victories come through the crisp air. To feel the numbness in my legs from standing longer and walking so much further than i am used to, but somehow still remain standing strong from the sense of self empowerment that is instilled in me with the slogan “Change has come to America.” I just wanted to be amongst the people who felt that change was not coming from just one man, but by a collective effort from everyone who wants to better the situations we are all suffering in.
However, I must say I am very grateful for technology. I was able to watch, probably thee most historic event in my lifetime, the inauguration of the first black president, while at sitting at work.
Obama has a lot of weight on his shoulders, and many doubters that are now turned into believers are holding him to a high standard that seems pretty unrealistic. There is no way that in 4 years or even 8 years he can turn around the mess we have been gradually digging deeper into exponentially over the past 8+ years. I was talking to Soulé about it today and he pointed out that the Great Depression lasted 13 years…and people are still hesitant about calling the state of our economy a recession! Obama was pretty up front in his speech today that there are no guarantee’s that change will happen immediately, but he intends to lay down the foundation for change and an even better tomorrow.
Through out his whole campaign Obama has been about getting everyone involved in the movement, everyone is accountable for success, everyone is contributing to achieving success, so when victory came it was that much sweeter to the people who felt that they genuinely had their voice heard for the first time. Now as president the same momentum is pushing on, and Obama has asked that people go into the trenches with him. He asked that we believe in ourselves and our ability to initiate change as individuals and collectively as a whole.
To me this is what Obama represents, and inspires…motivation to be the change you want to see, a drive to succeed even in the darkest conditions, and the desire to take the path less chosen.
Its a beautiful day ya’ll…its a beautiful day!