Yes He Did...And So Did We

There are rare occasions in history where you can be there as a witness to something so different that you can't help but be moved by the moment. I think last night's sweeping victory by Barack Obama to become our 44th President of the United States certainly qualifies as that one moment in my life so far. Though I've only experienced around three decades of history in the making, many of the 'defining moments' of my life thus far have often been marked by tragedy. I remember the Challenger disaster in 1986, the loss of the Columbia nearly two decades later, the collapse of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and of course, September the 11th 2001. But last night's acceptance speech by Barack Obama was something else completely. It was something positive and bright for the future of our country.

Whether you supported him or not one thing we must all admit to is the fact that the state of our nation and our standing in the world is not where it once was. Our economy has come to depths it has not seen in many decades and the effects are being felt not just here but around the world as well. Our armed forces are deployed around the world and are in the midst of fighting two wars. Old beliefs that have long defined this nation are slowly starting to be torn down and the first major step in that continued forward progress is the election of Barack Obama, a minority who raised himself to the level that he finds himself today. Whether you believe he will be the catalyst for change that he wants to be or not no one can deny that his being elected speaks to the fact that our country is looking for a new course.

In his concession speech to his opponent and to his gather supporters, Senator John McCain spoke quite eloquently about his desire that the country now turn to support Obama and in turn support the progress that needs to occur in order for real change to come to this country. Though the two have been at odds for quite a long time during this campaign, Senator McCain now spoke of support for his opponent and his (and our) new President. There are still a few more weeks remaining before Obama begins his historic journey but it is one that appears to be hopeful in the way it was during Bill Clinton's first run for the White House. Even then, the youth vote was spurred on by Clinton who sought to encourage the youth of this country to get involved in their future and Obama has been no different.

During his speech last night at Grant Park in Chicago, Barack Obama spoke of his hopes for the future. He has set terms of realism so that there are no false expectations of what he can accomplish in his early time in office. His detractors will undoubtedly point to this statement as an indication that he isn't ready to do anything different or better and that he will take us down a path to further ruin but I beg to differ. Our future is not known and had we had that level of foresight into what the future holds I doubt our country would be in the position it is today. Obama's main goal now will be to not only lead the country but reunite it as well. Perhaps it's a stretch to say that it will be like the years after the Civil War but the parallelism isn't too much of a stretch. The country is so divided into an 'us-versus-them' mentality that it will take some time and effort to end the vehemence of that divide and bring the country together again. I for one am looking forward to the journey.