So much has been written and documented about the inauguration of Barack Hussein Obama: news reports, video, commentary, op-eds, a botched swearing-in ceremony, a repeated swearing-in ceremony. What more to add?
Remember when I was born: 1968. I had no political role models. I had no faith in government. I had no belief in military power. I am post-Watergate, post-Viet Nam, post-Nixon.
For me, Reagan was no answer. He was a caricature. A cartoon.
Clinton provided hope, but as swift was his rise was steep as his fall.
Gore had an opportunity handed to him to rise to the highest office of the land and simply could not seal the deal.
Bush had the right moment, the right advisers, the right timing.
And then, everything went to hell. I remember clearly watching in real time an airliner crash into Tower Two of the World Trade Center. Bush was given a chance to unite a divided nation. He was given a chance to benefit from country after country on the world stage rallying to our side. He and his advisers (fill in the blanks) blew it. They used 9-11 as a chance for a power grab. Beware of any leader who claims to speak in the name of God. (Before you call me a hypocrite, I never, ever, claimed that God put me on a path to become a rabbi. I have never told you I sleep well at night and that my conscience is clear because my will is wholly in line with God’s will.)
But where are we now? I have renewed faith. Not in God. Not in religion. Rather, I have renewed faith in the American people. I sleep well at night because we have chosen to continue the amazing experiment begun by our forefathers (and foremothers) more than 200 years ago.
We the people … in order to create a more perfect union.
We are a work in progress. We have faltered. We have misstepped. But we have stood up. We have — in our President’s words — dusted ourselves off, and we have tried again. This is the American experiment. This is the Jewish experiment. We strive for a vision beyond ourselves. We fail. We atone. We try again. We oppose every enemy, whether internal or external.
We set the bar for others to follow. We offer the vision for others to realize. We repent. We move on.
Obama is just a man. We are just a people. But together, we have a vision that transcends ourselves. This is the amazing gift we offer to our children and grandchildren.
After 9-11, I felt like apologizing to every child growing up in a horrific world that they did not choose. After the latest inauguration, I feel like we have been given another chance to atone for our failings. The past is the past. The future is a beautiful vision. The present is where we get to work.
So let’s do it.
January 23, 2009 at 12:19 pm |
I think its pretty amazing that this was posted in the future. ( Time travel works) I hope that every American gets behind our new President because he was left with a huge pile of problems to work on by our last President. I’m certainly tired of compassionate conservatism and trickle down economics, neither of which work. I was truly moved as I watched Barack sworn in as our new President.
January 23, 2009 at 11:55 pm |
This is undoubtedly the best I’ve ever read of your writings.
You are right (in my opinion) — we have been given another opportunity to “get it right” . Let’s hope we ALL, from the White House to the House, to OUR house, do our share.
May President Obama govern with wisdom & compassion & may he (& his family) be safe from any who would cause him harm.
Thank you, Rabbi, for your wonderful words.
March 11, 2009 at 6:47 am |
Excellent words! Thank you for them, Rabbi.
Because I teach, I’m constantly in touch with people much younger than myself. Because they are the future, I listen to them. Because I represent the past, and can sometimes help them understand the past and the present a little better, they are kind enough to listen to me.
My brave young students do not schlep around the heavy baggage of lived history that we older folks do. It is a little easier for them to hope than it is for some of their wounded, slightly cynical elders.
To most of my students–who are low-income, minority, and “at promise”–Obama’s election was the next logical step toward a better future. To a sad few, whose parents’ fears have infected them, this election signaled the beginning of chaos and despair.
History teaches us that reality will be fall somewhere in between. We will neither be kicking back in heaven nor will we be roasting in hell.
Instead, we will remain somewhere in between, on this earth, struggling to make it a better place in which to live, and grow, and raise another generation of dreamers willing to work toward achieving their dreams.
The future will, as always, be driven not by us but by the next generation. What will continue to matter the most is the joy of their journeys and their integrity.
My journey is closer to its end than to its beginning.
I am happy today that, if I should die tomorrow, I have been allowed to witness this election and to see, reflected in the eyes of my students, the hopes and dreams that so many, including myself, have nurtured since the 1960’s.
Hope is powerful and it truly does spring eternal.