I´m not sure what empassioned words I am supposed to exclaim afer seeing the inauguration. This new president of our seems like a good guy, he seems to be saying all of the right things, yet so much of it seems like such common sense. Maybe I haven´t been around long enoughto understand the significance of Obama´s declaration that we can no longer consume the earth´s resources without regard to affect, or that we can no longer turn a blind eye to the suffering of those beyond our borders, or that we must confront the reality of an ever warming planet. Surely these are all imperative things for the President of the United States to be professing, but it´s almost sad that it´s such an event for such basic truths to be accepted by probably the most powerful position in the world.
It´s kind of ironic for me to have been here at the inauguration at this point in my life. I feel like most alll of my academic influences are very critical of the United States, so it is funny to be in the midst of such passionate patriotism. Still, when our leaders bemoan the US no longer holding a position of global dominance, I wonder who gave this country the right to dominate the world in the first place. If we truly have moved beyond the era of imperialism and neo imperialism, and i´m sure we´d like to think that we have, why are we still so intent on global primacy?
This brings me to Inauguration day, where after reading Howard Zinn, Noam Chomsky, Bill Mckibben, and a bundle of Marxists, I found myself being swept along in a sea of patriotism. Swarms of people rejoicing our supposed savior. The celebration is certainly merited, on many different levels, although I am wary of the dangers of over celebrating. We, as a nation, cannot afford to put our hopes on Obama´s shoulders and expect him to take action and make the necessary changes. He sits in office only because of the collective action of millions of Americans, and his election is only the first step of many that we the people of this country need to take. I truly hope that he will be the catalyst for the cultural revolution that this country is so desperately in need of. A shift away from overwhelming consumption and limitless expansion of capital markets, and a reversion towards community centered commerce and relations.
Other thoughts... I was appalled by the minister who spoke at the inauguration saying that everything was created by and god and that everything that we do is for god. I did appreciate Obama speaking of our nation of ¨christians and muslisms, jews and hindus, and non-believers¨ That respectful acknowledgement of those of us who don´t see god as being the most important thing in our lives was very important to me. And I´m sure my father, who turned 58 on that day, appreciated hearing that as well.
So while Jan 20 was surely a great day, there is still so far that we have to go, so much that needs to be radically changed. Still, it is foolish of me to bemoan how long it took to come only this far, instead of embracing the progress that our government and our nation seems to be making. I suppose only time will tell what the real affects of this inauguration will be.
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Okay... it's difficult for me to try to articulate exactly where you lost me, but I know that I cannot whole-heartedly agree with some of your statements.
ReplyDeleteOf course we see now that the United States cannot patrol the globe with the supposed authority that we once thought ourselves to possess. There is no such thing as the "world police", and at this point the closest thing that we have established would be the UN (which is stationed in the US, and the US has a veto, but that's a whole different conversation).
I do, however, believe that it is totally unrealistic to think that the world can start to work together without any supposed leader(s). Now, you know I am about as liberal as they come, but virtually any group finds itself with leaders and followers. Think of any project that you ever worked on... there were surely some who stepped up more than others, probably taking more responsibility in the process. There is nothing wrong with the United States being a leader in the global community. In my opinion, it is not so much an issue that the US is considered to lead to way in many aspects, but it is more an issue of how we are doing it. Out ethics need to come through not only in the domestic policies that we enact, but in the example that we attempt to set for the world. I would argue, however, that the inauguration is a good indicator that priorities have shifted in the United States. It's true that Obama is saying what you and I think should have been said much earlier, but he only has the chance to say those things on such a scale because Americans wanted to give him that chance. We put him there, and not by accident. What does that say about not only the government, but the people who are governed? There is undoubtedly a shift, and I don't think that Obama is the catalyst... I would argue that he is the result.
In addition, I don't think now is the time to be hating on the way our government is set up. Let's not forget, the United States, as corrupt as we may have appeared in recent years, really does have one of the most effective governmental systems on the planet. I mean... look, the American people have been long due for a change of administration, but when the time came, our government allowed for the voices of the young, the poor, and the minorities to be heard... and we have inaugurated Barack Obama as a result. True, the inauguration itself will not fix anything on its own, but the fact that we were able to make our wants a reality through our government is really nothing to cough at. People around the world live under different governmental systems, including different "democracies", and they are still unable to have the kind of influence that we have over the people elected into decision-making positions.
As for the actual inauguration.... let's not rush to dismiss how huge of an event this was. We went from having arguably the worst president in the history of the United States to inaugurating one who is already reminding us of FDR and Lincoln. I'm not ready to sink into my routine of being critical just yet. This is huge, and it gives us legitimate reason to be hopeful for the future. I would encourage you to let go for a minute. Of course we need to always be pushing for change, and you're right... we have so much left to accomplish. But allow yourself to relish in the aftermath of what just happened, and enjoy not only your new found patriotism, but also a brief moment of satisfaction. Life is too short to constantly be questioning the system at times like these. If at least for once, the system has appeared to work to our benefit. Be thankful, and be proud of your president, your peers, and yourself for at least taking the first step toward substantial change.
Sorry to rant... but you did ask for it:) Hope all is well in Costa Rica because things are getting better by the minute here in Washington
For those who want a better sense of the little town of Sierpe here's a link to the gallery I made a while back:
ReplyDeletehttp://picasaweb.google.com/ecoticos
Best,
Azur