I have always thought long and hard about putting anything political on my blog. I realize that the blogging world reflects the same differences in politics as the country. I respect that. But, after thinking about it all this morning, I realized that to not post about this historic election would be a lie. I wouldn’t be true to myself. This election has consumed me – I have thought about it almost constantly since the first primaries. I believe strongly that the results of this election show the best in the American people: our willingness to embrace change, to reject fear, to hope and work for a better future for ourselves and our children. That is what I believe in the very fiber of my being. Hope. Change. Peace. Prosperity. Compassion. Equality. Service. I believe we are capable of greatness, but we had lost our way. Now, everything seems possible.
A New Beginning – Barack Obama
I have lived through the assassinations of John F. Kennedy, Bobby Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, the Vietnam War. This election, the election of an African-American who can achieve so much for us, so much for the world, is my proudest moment.
So, I hope you’ll pardon the political statement, but I would be hiding so much of what is me that it would feel wrong. To those of you who visit this blog and feel differently about the results: I want you to know that I respect who you are and your views. I hope we can find common ground in our shared love for all things creative and beautiful.
I believe this is your most compelling and powerful blog entry to date.I applaud you for sharing your inner dialog on the current state of the nation. Bravo!
You have expressed so well, something that I’ve given a lot of thought to lately. I feel badly that I haven’t expressed myself well when it comes to political things. I so believe in tolerance, and like you, I lived through those very same times. They have influenced my political beliefs since I was a very young child. I cried election night. I felt proud,and my thoughts went back to those times when people were dying in the streets for the basic civil rights. It is a time that is hard to make real to those people who didn’t live through it, who didn’t watch a whole generation of men die in a war that seemed hopeless at times. I feel so strongly about the founding priciples of our country. When I become upset about seeing what I perceive as disrespect for them, I become angry, and instead of expressing myself with love, I myself sometimes become intolerant. I hope we as a country have taken the first steps towards being more respectful of each other’s differences.
God Bless you. And may God Bless America and President Elect Obama!!! I too cried election night…tears of happiness for hope for these United States to be united again.