Barack Obama, a leader who is both black and white, doesn't represent change, because change isn’t a phenomena, but the only constant of life that cannot be embodied. Barack Obama represents hope; hope that change can happen; hope that divisions can be transcended; hope that there is more to life than simply taking a position and advocating our own segregate opinions.
Barack Obama, however, cannot fulfill this hope for us without our participation; he cannot carry our burden or help us transcend our own separatist opinions and self-righteous thoughts, because his leadership only reaches as far as our own responsibility goes.
Barack Obama, as he mentioned in his historical speech on race, has attended some of the best schools and lived in one of the poorest countries of our world. This alone does not make one a leader, but to stand strong without taking one side or the other when faced with division, as in the case of such an unacknowledged issue as race, which reaches all the way down to our roots and belonging, speaks to one's leadership abilities more than words can communicate. When 911 happened, Bush took the side of the victim that, in turn, gave him the right to retaliate. Taking the side of the victim entitled Bush to invade Iraq. When 911 happened, Bush didn’t stand strong nor exemplify what being a leader means; instead, he turned into a demagogue. Loosing our temper, expressing our anger or showing our grief isn’t what qualifies us a demagogue, but to instigate war in the name of peace; to create division in the name of unity; to speak about collaborating in the name of national security.
Talking about collaboration and unity is easy, while to actually collaborate and unite isn't, which Obama has been doing not just since running for the leadership of the oval office. Collaborating across boarders, parties, race and gender isn't something that we can learn in a week, a year or have mastered once we have received our PhD from Harvard.
Collaboration is the hope about which Obama speaks. Collaboration is not about being wishy-washy, but to take a stance in-between the Christian right and the political left, which with all their talk about brotherly love and social equality have not only been ripping this country, but also the world apart. Collaboration is to represent the hope, for which we stand, as exemplified by Barack Obama.
It is the hope of this writer that Barack Obama will not only win the democratic nomination, but will also become the next President of the United States, not because he is black or white, male or female, Christian, Muslim, Jew, Atheist or what have you, but because of has proven leadership abilities; for standing strong in the face of division without taking one side or the other, but instead addressing the issue in question.
It is the hope of this writer that Obama's message of hope won't merely be listened to as someone might listen to a sermon in Church, but that instead it inspires us to collaborate with each other across borders, religious beliefs and political opinions. Hope alone does not do nor accomplish anything; hope is simply inspirational. Hope without action is like driving a car without wheels. Hope without action turns into fear, which creates division and separation. Hope that one man alone can solve our worldly problems, creates the problem we are faced with--our worldly circumstances. Hope derives its weight from action, not from believing in it. However, without believing in our hopes, we might not be able to endure the life we live. The end of hope is where change happens. May Barack Obama become the next president of the united people of America!
