My Inauguration Reaction
I watched the inauguration this morning, while simultaneously following along with my friends on Twitter and Facebook. It's funny how the online social media makes you feel connected to the rest of the world when you're sitting on your couch watching a historic event in your pajamas.
Yet, on a historic day such as this.... I feel somewhat alone.
Most of my friends are on the liberal side of the spectrum, so they're understandably very excited and optimistic today. I have a few on the conservative side who are more on the upset side.
And me? I fall somewhere in the middle. I'd like to be excited and optimistic today, but instead I feel pensive and cautious. I worry that his supporters are being too optimistic about what he can do, I'm afraid they're going to be disappointed that he's not Superman. And on the other side of the coin, I think my more conservative brethren are being too critical, too soon.
The reality of the matter is we don't know what's going to happen in the next 4 years.
My own reaction is based not
My own reaction is based not so much on my political allegiance as on the fact that I feel -- as much of America is said to have felt about Bush -- that Barack Obama is a lot like me. With that in mind, I know he has flaws and will make mistakes, but I also feel like I can anticipate the nature of his mistakes, and even more importantly, I anticipate that he will be able to deal with them mostly responsibly and intelligently, just as he deals with his successes ... especially now that he no longer has to worry about whether he'll lose the opportunity to lead America if he says something just the wrong way. Although I'm pretty liberal and I'm pretty enthused, my hope for Obama is not that he'll be perfect. My hope is that he'll show everyone what it is to be a dignified, intelligent problem-solver, but also a human being. One with a sense of humor, and a sense of humility, and a sense that he *is* a human being. I don't think *he* thinks he's Superman, and I think -- I hope -- he'll try to share that idea with America: that you *don't* have to be infallible, or pretend to be infallible, or believe you're infallible, to be a great person, a great leader, and a predominantly positive force in the world. And as long as he does his respectable, admirable best, that will satisfy me. That's all any person, priest, pauper or president, can do.
:D
I didn't watch the
I didn't watch the inauguration, and I fall somewhere in the middle myself. I caught the actual swearing-in on YT, but overall I'm meh on the whole inauguration deal. Peeps get so hung up on one leader or another, based on where they fall on the political spectrum, but even presidents will be a mere drop in the ocean of history.
I relate SO MUCH to what
I relate SO MUCH to what you're feeling.
Post new comment