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dawn
November 2009 
a new dawn, a new day, a new life for me - and I'm feeling good!!
Posted on Nov 5th, 2008
by 
synonym for light
synonym for light
The photograph above is from my coffee table this morning, November 5th, 2008. The video below is the entirety of President-Elect, Barack Obama's victory speech, November 4th, 2008 in Grant Park, Chicago, Illinois, USA, Earth....
What a pleasure it is going to be to listen to this intelligent, thoughtful, kind, decent person speak for the next four, dare I say eight, years. Below is the transcript of the speech from Grant Park last night. I've listened and typed and listened and typed some more and listened again to make sure I'd gotten it right. The bold parts are the parts that spoke most to me. Which parts speak to you?? This person makes me want to be the best person I can be, makes me want to grow and stretch beyond my own self imposed limits, makes me want to work hard and make a difference, helps me believe that the future is a place I want to stick around to see, helps me believe that I CAN make a difference and this election has shown that we all CAN make a difference by working together!! Thank you every single one who helped make this happen!! And to anyone who is disappointed today, by our collective choice of the next President --- since you didn't beat us, why not join us in working together to make this country, this planet, a wonderful place to be? Let's get busy making peace, being peace, creating those new, clean, sustainable energy jobs, giving our young people and not so young people opportunities for higher education and making sure everyone can have access to quality health care and fresh food, and clean air and water!! Let's lift each other up, every one. We CAN do it!!
Transcript of Barack Obama's speech: November 4th, 2008, Grant Park, Chicago, USA, Earth:
"If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible, who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time, who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer.
It's the answer told by lines that stretched around schools and churches in numbers this nation has never seen; by people who waited three hours and four hours, many for the first time in their lives, because they believed that this time must be different; that their voices could be that difference.
It's the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Hispanic, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled - Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been just a collection of individuals or a collection of red states and blue states: we are, and always will be, the United States of America.
It's the answer that led those who have been told for so long by so many to be cynical, and fearful, and doubtful about what we can achieve to put their hands on the arc of history and bend it once more toward the hope of a better day.
It's been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on this day, in this election, at this defining moment, change has come to America.
A little bit earlier this evening, I received an extraordinarily gracious call from Senator McCain. Senator McCain fought long and hard in this campaign, and he's fought even longer and harder for the country that he loves. He has endured sacrifices for America that most of us cannot begin to imagine. We are better off for the service rendered by this brave and selfless leader. I congratulate him. I congratulate Governor Palin for all that they've achieved, and I look forward to working with them to renew this nation's promise in the months ahead.
I want to thank my partner in this journey, a man who campaigned from his heart and spoke for the men and women he grew up with on the streets of Scranton and rode with on the train home to Delaware, the Vice President-elect of the United States, Joe Biden.
and I would not be standing here tonight without the unyielding support of my best friend for the last sixteen years, the rock of our family, the love of my life, the nation's next First Lady, Michelle Obama.
Sasha and Malia, I love you both more than you can imagine and you have earned the new puppy that's coming with us to the White House.
and while she's no longer with us, I know my Grandmother's watching, along with the family that made me who I am. I miss them tonight. I know that my debt to them is beyond measure. To my sister, Mya, my sister, Amma, all my other brothers and sisters, thank you so much for all the support that you've given me. I am grateful to them.
To my campaign manager, David Plouffe, the unsung hero of this campaign, who built the best, the best political campaign, I think, in the history of the United States of America; to my chief strategist, David Alexrod, whose been a partner with me every step of the way; to the best campaign team ever assembled in the history of politics; you made this happen and I am forever grateful for what you've sacrificed to get it done.
But above all, I will never forget who this victory truly belongs to - it belongs to you. It belongs to you. I was never the likeliest candidate for this office. We didn't start with much money or many endorsements. Our campaign was not hatched in the halls of Washington. It began in the backyards of Des Moines, in the living rooms of Condon(?), on the front porches of Charleston. It was built by working men and women who dug into what little savings they had to give five dollars and ten dollars and twenty dollars to the cause. It grew strength from the young people who rejected the myth of their generation's apathy, who left their homes and their families for jobs that offered little pay and less sleep. It grew strength from the not so young people who braved the bitter cold and scorching heat to knock on doors of perfect strangers and from the millions of Americans who volunteered and organized and proved that more than two centuries later a government of the people, by the people and for the people has not perished from the earth. This is your victory.
Now I know you didn't do this just to win an election and I know you didn't do it for me. You did it because you understand the enormity of the task that lies ahead. For even as we celebrate tonight we know the challenges that tomorrow will bring are the greatest of our lifetime: two wars, a planet in peril, the worst financial crisis in a century. Even as we stand here tonight we know there are brave Americans waking up in deserts of Iraq, in the mountains of Afganistan to risk their lives for us. There are mothers and fathers who will lie awake after their children fall asleep and wonder how they'll make the mortgage or pay their doctors bills or save enough for their child's college education. There's new energy to harness, new jobs to be created, new schools to build and threats to meet, alliances to repair.
The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even in one term, but America - I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there. I promise you - we as a people will get there.
There will be setbacks and false starts. There are many who won't agree with every decision or policy I make as President, and we know that government can't solve every problem. But I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face. I will listen to you, especially when we disagree. And above all, I will ask you join in the work of remaking this nation the only way it's been done in America for two-hundred and twenty-one years - block by block, brick by brick, calloused hand by calloused hand.
What began twenty-one months ago in the depths of winter cannot end on this autumn night. This victory alone is not the change we seek - it is only the chance for us to make that change. And that cannot happen if we go back to the way things were. It can't happen without you, without a new spirit of service, a new spirit of sacrifice.
So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism; of responsibility where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves, but each other. Let us remember that if this financial crisis taught us anything, it's that we cannot have a thriving Wall Street while Main Street suffers - in this country, we rise or fall as one nation, as one people.
Let's resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship and pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our politics for so long. Let's remember that it was a man from this state who first carried the banner of the Republican Party to the White House - a party founded on the values of self-reliance and individual liberty and national unity. Those are values that we all share, and while the Democratic Party has won a great victory tonight, we do so with a measure of humility and determination to heal the divides that have held back our progress. As Lincoln said to a nation far more divided than ours, "We are not enemies, but friends...though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection." And to those Americans whose support I have yet to earn - I may not have won your vote tonight, but I hear your voices, I need your help, and I will be your President too.
And all those watching tonight from beyond our shores, from parliaments and palaces, to those who are huddled around radios in the forgotten corners of the world - our stories are singular, but our destiny is shared, and a new dawn of American leadership is at hand. To those who would tear the world down - we will defeat you. To those who seek peace and security - we support you. And to all those who have wondered if America's beacon still burns as bright - tonight we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from our the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals: democracy, liberty, opportunity, and unyielding hope. That's the true genius of America, that America can change. Our union can be perfected and what we've already achieved gives us hope for what we can and must achieve tomorrow.
This election had many firsts and many stories that will be told for generations. But one that's on my mind tonight is about a woman who cast her ballot in Atlanta. She's a lot like the millions of others who stood in line to make their voice heard in this election except for one thing - Ann Nixon Cooper is 106 years old.
She was born just a generation past slavery, a time when there were no cars on the road or planes in the sky, when someone like her couldn't vote for two reasons - because she was a woman and because of the color of her skin.
And tonight, I think about all that she's seen throughout her century in America - the heartache and the hope, the struggle and the progress, the times we were told that we can't, and the people who pressed on with that American creed: Yes we can.
At a time when women's voices were silenced and their hopes dismissed, she lived to see them stand up and speak out and reach for the ballot. Yes we can.
When there was despair in the dust bowl and depression across the land, she saw a nation conquer fear itself with a New Deal, new jobs, a new sense of common purpose. Yes we can.
When the bombs fell on our harbor and tyranny threatened the world, she was there to witness a generation rise to greatness and a democracy was saved. Yes we can.
She was there for the buses in Montgomery, the hoses in Birmingham, a bridge in Selma, and a preacher from Atlanta who told a people that "We Shall Overcome." Yes we can.
A man touched down on the moon, a wall came down in Berlin, a world was connected by our own science and imagination. And this year, in this election, she touched her finger to a screen, and cast her vote, because after 106 years in America, through the best of times and the darkest of hours, she knows how America can change. Yes we can.
America, we have come so far. We have seen so much. But there is so much more to do. So tonight, let us ask ourselves - if our children should live to see the next century; if my daughters should be so lucky to live as long as Ann Nixon Cooper, what change will they see? What progress will we have made?
This is our chance to answer that call. This is our moment. This is our time - to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American Dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth - that out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope, and where we are met with cynicism, and doubt, and those who tell us that we can't, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people:
Yes We Can. Thank you, God bless you, and may God Bless the United States of America."
and the whole world!!
and otter has compiled some wonderful, wonderful quotes here on her blog today. thanks otter!!
President-Elect Barack Obama in Chicago, Nov. 4th, 2008
What a pleasure it is going to be to listen to this intelligent, thoughtful, kind, decent person speak for the next four, dare I say eight, years. Below is the transcript of the speech from Grant Park last night. I've listened and typed and listened and typed some more and listened again to make sure I'd gotten it right. The bold parts are the parts that spoke most to me. Which parts speak to you?? This person makes me want to be the best person I can be, makes me want to grow and stretch beyond my own self imposed limits, makes me want to work hard and make a difference, helps me believe that the future is a place I want to stick around to see, helps me believe that I CAN make a difference and this election has shown that we all CAN make a difference by working together!! Thank you every single one who helped make this happen!! And to anyone who is disappointed today, by our collective choice of the next President --- since you didn't beat us, why not join us in working together to make this country, this planet, a wonderful place to be? Let's get busy making peace, being peace, creating those new, clean, sustainable energy jobs, giving our young people and not so young people opportunities for higher education and making sure everyone can have access to quality health care and fresh food, and clean air and water!! Let's lift each other up, every one. We CAN do it!!
Transcript of Barack Obama's speech: November 4th, 2008, Grant Park, Chicago, USA, Earth:
"If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible, who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time, who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer.
It's the answer told by lines that stretched around schools and churches in numbers this nation has never seen; by people who waited three hours and four hours, many for the first time in their lives, because they believed that this time must be different; that their voices could be that difference.
It's the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Hispanic, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled - Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been just a collection of individuals or a collection of red states and blue states: we are, and always will be, the United States of America.
It's the answer that led those who have been told for so long by so many to be cynical, and fearful, and doubtful about what we can achieve to put their hands on the arc of history and bend it once more toward the hope of a better day.
It's been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on this day, in this election, at this defining moment, change has come to America.
A little bit earlier this evening, I received an extraordinarily gracious call from Senator McCain. Senator McCain fought long and hard in this campaign, and he's fought even longer and harder for the country that he loves. He has endured sacrifices for America that most of us cannot begin to imagine. We are better off for the service rendered by this brave and selfless leader. I congratulate him. I congratulate Governor Palin for all that they've achieved, and I look forward to working with them to renew this nation's promise in the months ahead.
I want to thank my partner in this journey, a man who campaigned from his heart and spoke for the men and women he grew up with on the streets of Scranton and rode with on the train home to Delaware, the Vice President-elect of the United States, Joe Biden.
and I would not be standing here tonight without the unyielding support of my best friend for the last sixteen years, the rock of our family, the love of my life, the nation's next First Lady, Michelle Obama.
Sasha and Malia, I love you both more than you can imagine and you have earned the new puppy that's coming with us to the White House.
and while she's no longer with us, I know my Grandmother's watching, along with the family that made me who I am. I miss them tonight. I know that my debt to them is beyond measure. To my sister, Mya, my sister, Amma, all my other brothers and sisters, thank you so much for all the support that you've given me. I am grateful to them.
To my campaign manager, David Plouffe, the unsung hero of this campaign, who built the best, the best political campaign, I think, in the history of the United States of America; to my chief strategist, David Alexrod, whose been a partner with me every step of the way; to the best campaign team ever assembled in the history of politics; you made this happen and I am forever grateful for what you've sacrificed to get it done.
But above all, I will never forget who this victory truly belongs to - it belongs to you. It belongs to you. I was never the likeliest candidate for this office. We didn't start with much money or many endorsements. Our campaign was not hatched in the halls of Washington. It began in the backyards of Des Moines, in the living rooms of Condon(?), on the front porches of Charleston. It was built by working men and women who dug into what little savings they had to give five dollars and ten dollars and twenty dollars to the cause. It grew strength from the young people who rejected the myth of their generation's apathy, who left their homes and their families for jobs that offered little pay and less sleep. It grew strength from the not so young people who braved the bitter cold and scorching heat to knock on doors of perfect strangers and from the millions of Americans who volunteered and organized and proved that more than two centuries later a government of the people, by the people and for the people has not perished from the earth. This is your victory.
Now I know you didn't do this just to win an election and I know you didn't do it for me. You did it because you understand the enormity of the task that lies ahead. For even as we celebrate tonight we know the challenges that tomorrow will bring are the greatest of our lifetime: two wars, a planet in peril, the worst financial crisis in a century. Even as we stand here tonight we know there are brave Americans waking up in deserts of Iraq, in the mountains of Afganistan to risk their lives for us. There are mothers and fathers who will lie awake after their children fall asleep and wonder how they'll make the mortgage or pay their doctors bills or save enough for their child's college education. There's new energy to harness, new jobs to be created, new schools to build and threats to meet, alliances to repair.
The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even in one term, but America - I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there. I promise you - we as a people will get there.
There will be setbacks and false starts. There are many who won't agree with every decision or policy I make as President, and we know that government can't solve every problem. But I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face. I will listen to you, especially when we disagree. And above all, I will ask you join in the work of remaking this nation the only way it's been done in America for two-hundred and twenty-one years - block by block, brick by brick, calloused hand by calloused hand.
What began twenty-one months ago in the depths of winter cannot end on this autumn night. This victory alone is not the change we seek - it is only the chance for us to make that change. And that cannot happen if we go back to the way things were. It can't happen without you, without a new spirit of service, a new spirit of sacrifice.
So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism; of responsibility where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves, but each other. Let us remember that if this financial crisis taught us anything, it's that we cannot have a thriving Wall Street while Main Street suffers - in this country, we rise or fall as one nation, as one people.
Let's resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship and pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our politics for so long. Let's remember that it was a man from this state who first carried the banner of the Republican Party to the White House - a party founded on the values of self-reliance and individual liberty and national unity. Those are values that we all share, and while the Democratic Party has won a great victory tonight, we do so with a measure of humility and determination to heal the divides that have held back our progress. As Lincoln said to a nation far more divided than ours, "We are not enemies, but friends...though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection." And to those Americans whose support I have yet to earn - I may not have won your vote tonight, but I hear your voices, I need your help, and I will be your President too.
And all those watching tonight from beyond our shores, from parliaments and palaces, to those who are huddled around radios in the forgotten corners of the world - our stories are singular, but our destiny is shared, and a new dawn of American leadership is at hand. To those who would tear the world down - we will defeat you. To those who seek peace and security - we support you. And to all those who have wondered if America's beacon still burns as bright - tonight we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from our the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals: democracy, liberty, opportunity, and unyielding hope. That's the true genius of America, that America can change. Our union can be perfected and what we've already achieved gives us hope for what we can and must achieve tomorrow.
This election had many firsts and many stories that will be told for generations. But one that's on my mind tonight is about a woman who cast her ballot in Atlanta. She's a lot like the millions of others who stood in line to make their voice heard in this election except for one thing - Ann Nixon Cooper is 106 years old.
She was born just a generation past slavery, a time when there were no cars on the road or planes in the sky, when someone like her couldn't vote for two reasons - because she was a woman and because of the color of her skin.
And tonight, I think about all that she's seen throughout her century in America - the heartache and the hope, the struggle and the progress, the times we were told that we can't, and the people who pressed on with that American creed: Yes we can.
At a time when women's voices were silenced and their hopes dismissed, she lived to see them stand up and speak out and reach for the ballot. Yes we can.
When there was despair in the dust bowl and depression across the land, she saw a nation conquer fear itself with a New Deal, new jobs, a new sense of common purpose. Yes we can.
When the bombs fell on our harbor and tyranny threatened the world, she was there to witness a generation rise to greatness and a democracy was saved. Yes we can.
She was there for the buses in Montgomery, the hoses in Birmingham, a bridge in Selma, and a preacher from Atlanta who told a people that "We Shall Overcome." Yes we can.
A man touched down on the moon, a wall came down in Berlin, a world was connected by our own science and imagination. And this year, in this election, she touched her finger to a screen, and cast her vote, because after 106 years in America, through the best of times and the darkest of hours, she knows how America can change. Yes we can.
America, we have come so far. We have seen so much. But there is so much more to do. So tonight, let us ask ourselves - if our children should live to see the next century; if my daughters should be so lucky to live as long as Ann Nixon Cooper, what change will they see? What progress will we have made?
This is our chance to answer that call. This is our moment. This is our time - to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American Dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth - that out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope, and where we are met with cynicism, and doubt, and those who tell us that we can't, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people:
Yes We Can. Thank you, God bless you, and may God Bless the United States of America."
and the whole world!!
Nina Simone - Feeling good
and otter has compiled some wonderful, wonderful quotes here on her blog today. thanks otter!!
Access: Public
Otter has compiled some wonderful quotes here on her blog today.
Such a brilliant speaker! He moved me beyond belief… Mccain secession speech was almost as good. Obama quoted some of the greats in this speech. He had me choked up when he reminded us that a nation of the people by the people and for the people has not perished from this earth. That's the postive thought we need in this government!
yes!! yes!! yes!!
McCain's speech was very moving as well. I wonder why he didn't speak that way throughout his campaign? It's like he was more sincere last night than we've seen him be in ages. I was so grateful for his graciousness. I hope some of that graciousness rubs off on some of the people that were in his audience.
thank you so much for taking the time to transcribe and post here!
Awesome. It was a great speech and I loved the authenticity, that he was grounded and knows it will take time to change things and improve. That there will be false-starts. No doubt. I liked McCain's speech too.
And I LOVE this Nina Simone song.
Listening to Obama's words here, and reading them too, brought back the immense sense of relief, the sense of overwhelming hope and joy, that hearing them the first time did. Whenever the hour is dark, whenever hope is flitted away on a dust devil of fear, I think I'll come back here and just listen and read again, and again, and again…. Thank you Dawn for this post, this wellspring. A new life indeed.
I loved and savored every word, every inflection, the way the speech rippled outward to the world in inclusion and sense of purpose, not scared to threaten enemies while seeking a more enlightened role in the world; and then focused inward to something as personal as his love for his family and the new puppy the kids will get.
I guess my favorite line is This is Your Victory--because I feel it speaks to each.
Hi, SFL - *thank you* for transcribing this speech. I treasure that I heard him speaking it live through a cell phone connection with one of my closest friends - because I only have a dail-up connection and no cable tv at my house. Hearing it that way was such a metaphor for the whole campaign - and reading the transcript after more time to celebrate and absorb continues to fill me with even more gratitude and hope. I look forward so much to more of his practical, kind visionary inspiration and challenges.
loving blessings -
Sylvia
Thanks for this Dawn. I'm having a very hard time staying away from the computer in the last few days, and have spent lots of time reading blogs like this, watching videos like the Nina Simone one you posted or the great Maya Angelou declamation of “And Still I Rise”. I know the tough work is ahead of us but I'm a feel-good junky right now and this blog definitely made me feel good!
Thank you, Dawn. I feel galvanized and yet somehow calmed. That moment where the election results were announced was one of those I'll carry with me in my heart always. I think I'm feeling hopeful in a way I possibly never really have before, in terms of what may be possible for our country. and I noticed that I've stopped referring to 'this country' when I talk and have begun to say 'our country.' Peace!
ps oh, and the Offerings book is great, yes? I also have Revelations and Awakenings. great sources of beauty and wisdom.
funny – I'm having such a hard time posting words of my own right now. I'm tongue tied (typewriter tied?).
some people at my workplace have been barely tolerating my enthusiasm since the election. It's hard for me to understand how they can say they voted for Obama, but they aren't so enthusiastic. I guess everyone is reacting to this news in different ways. my “real” world seems so different, at work and on this night shift anyway, than gaia and my personal life. the past two nights, having conversations at work have been surreal for me. two different people have predicted with strange, detached, absolute certainty that our next President will be assassinated. This to me is unthinkable and frightening and heartbreaking. why are they so casual and cynical about such things? how can they say it just as if they were stating that it's raining or the sun is out? don't they know that change is afoot and it's not just about the color of the skin of the person that will soon represent our country?? don't they know it's really, really not just about democrats vs republicans in the halls of washington?? don't they know it's about how we as a people are changing? yes, of course I know that not everyone in this country agrees with me. yes, of course I know that there are still people who hate. but I also know that there are more people who will stand up to hate and fear with love. there are more people willing to say, no, we don't hate, yes, we are one people, one nation, one world, one planet, one. one. one.
my practical response to both of those people has been to remind them of the times that we have worked in concert with the secret service when dignitaries and past presidents have visited here and to remind them of the calliber of professionals who protect our presidents.
I can't seem to articulate for my less optimistic co-workers exactly what it is that makes me feel so bouyant and my lack of ability to express my hope and my joy and reasons for it have me feeling disappointed in myself.
laura – oh yes, I love Offerings, but I haven't seen Revelations or Awakenings. I'll keep my eyes open for those. I need all the sources of beauty and wisdom I can get for this month of graveyard shifts and freezing weather. it's full winter here already – snow on the ground and car doors frozen shut and all the mayhem on the roads that comes along with it. :-)
Lil – thank you for the link. I'll follow it. “I'm a feel good junky right now.” I am too and I could definitely use another fix. :-)
Sylvia – I found another video of the speech and replaced the others that I had posted here. It loads much faster and it doesn't have all that CNN stuff on it. It's just the speech. Maybe it would load better on dial up too??
Meenakshi – “I loved and savored every word, every inflection, the way the speech rippled outward to the world in inclusion and sense of purpose” – yes. yes. yes. :-)
Albert – “Whenever the hour is dark, whenever hope is flitted away on a dust devil of fear, I think I'll come back here and just listen and read again, and again, and again…. ” that is exactly what I am doing tonight. exactly. :-)
Jessica – “I loved the authenticity, that he was grounded and knows it will take time to change things and improve.” me too!! me too!!
and ohmsmom – thank you for sharing your enthusiasm with me. today I needed that boost.
thank you all for sharing your joy and love and hope and beauty and wisdom day after day – it's so wonderful to have a place to share it.
thank you each.
-dawn
SFL, indeed, you live up to your alias. You are light. I've been experiencing some similar things among some of the folks I know, who voted for Obama but don't seem to be stuck in permanent gush mode, as I am. But I think that's partially about me, not them. I wear my heart on my sleeve. People always know how I'm feeling because I don't keep it a secret, even when I probably should. Other folks are better at keeping a more even keel. There are pros and cons to both ways of walking through life. Perhaps your work colleagues are gushing on the inside but don't have the light you have burning a hole in your chest and letting it all out!
Dawn; people may be un-enthusiastic because they're scared that they may become too attached to an outcome. I know that many are worried for Barrack and have sent out healing requests. I received one from the Distant Healng Network today.
the people that I was speaking to were unenthusiastic because they voted for Obama as the least bad of two not so great candidates, rather than as the best candidate they could even imagine as was the case for me. It was hard for me to listen to that, but good exercise I suppose. and I'm glad he got their votes for whatever reason he got them. and I do think that in both cases fear was ruling the day for them. another co-worker said he couldn't even bear to listen to people in his family talk politics. his dad was for mccain and his mom for obama and apparently it wasn't civil discourse and he just didn't want to talk about it at all. he didn't vote at all. that made me kind of sad and so surprised. it's good to ask questions and hear answers, even answers that to me are sort of shocking. it's too easy for me to start to believe that everyone is so open and hopeful and trusting that everything is going to be just fine no matter what. I don't know how to share that feeling with others, but I guess I'll just keep being me and trying to be a better listener. I've learned that I can listen to opposing views and the fears of others without fearing that I am compromising my values somehow. I've learned that I am better at it if I meditate and / or do yoga and / or go hiking in beautiful places regularly.
He is Kenya and Hawaii. He is Chicago and Kansas, and through his gifts, his timing and his good fortune, we have risen to a great occasion. This campaign was a fire that forged a president and a people, and we have emerged stronger for the trial. It is not simply that we chose an African American or a Democrat for our first post-baby boom leader, although those are all significant milestones.It is not simply that we chose a communicator and scholar and a man who so clearly demonstrates family values through the love and respect he shows his wife and daughters, although those too are significant milestones. It is not simply that we chose, but also that we rejected.We rejected smears and race-baiting and Muslim-baiting and desperation. We rejected so much history and so many rules that have bound us to the way things have been and are supposed to be. We rejected fear. Most importantly, we rejected fear.Our better angels prevailed for one critical moment which can and will change forever the moments to follow. We said resoundingly that we are not afraid. We are not afraid of the world out there. We are not afraid of ourselves.I feel almost normal again – ie– not overstimulated with post election elation. it was hard for me to settle down and get back to the regular day to day life of work and play and love and life. It wouldn't shock me quite so much to have a conversation with someone who totally didn't understand my perspective – that's actually fairly normal and I usually take it in stride and am able to briefly share some tidbit without attachment to changing someone else's perspective and also to see if I can learn something from the other.
for me there is a longing to be surrounded by like minded persons, (thank goodness for those close friends and for gaia) but it needs to be balanced with the ability to hear other perspectives and share my own in a respectful way. and when the world seems too much, to be able to retreat again to a quiet, comfortable place – home, gaia, yoga room, mountain top – :-)
I loved this….. from Alternet. Farland shared it with me today.
In rejecting that fear, we have shed something awful, at least for a time, and in so doing we have liberated ourselves. I am still crying, but they are tears of possibility for all that we are free to do and free to be.Yes, we did.
I was looking back through my older blog posts and found this post about Obama from March 2007. What an amazing journey it's been, this past year and a half.
http://synonymforlight.gaia.com/blog/2007/3/barack_hussein_obama_-_presidential_candidate_insighful_person