Last night I joined millions across America in listening/watching Barak Obama accept the nomination for the Presidency at the Democratic National Convention. This morning, I am reflecting on his speech, and the implications for the coming months, and the coming four years.
What I heard last night (I listened on www.npr.org from my office at RC Highland Park) was reminiscent of Kennedy's "ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country." As I was not present at Kennedy's speech (for obvious reasons!), I can only
infer what I remember from my High School history classes. Yet I do know that Obama was calling out my generation (and all the generations, really) to take ownership in the direction of our nation.
John Mayer has a song "Waiting on the World to Change." In it, he implies that our generation has been biding its time, waiting for the powers that be to retire or move on, so that we can take charge and make change. It is a song I love, yet I struggle with what he is saying. Are we incapable of creating real change because the powers that be are just too strong? Or are we lazy and unmotivated? Whichever it is, there is no excuse, and Obama called us out on that last night.
I appreciated his renewed vigor- he held no punches on McCain. I loved his soaring oratorical skills (which, let's face it, are amazing!). By the end of the 45 minutes, I had tears in my eyes. For the first time in my adult life, I felt a real sense of pride in my country.
Yes, we can!
Check out these sites. Get informed. Get involved.
www.moveon.org
www.barackobama.com
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2 comments:
don't you mean www.barackobama.com ? spell check, darlin :)
Hey man, no, our generation is not lazy. The problem that older people (Boomers) have had with us, is that they don't see any rebellion. They've been waiting for us to get mad and lash out against society. It's not in our nature. We are very good at staying put, and waiting for the right time and reason to get behind a person/cause/etc. There is finally a candidate that excites us, and it's not surprise that he's drawing huge numbers from people our age. Hope all is well my friend.
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