Mark West
Embraced by history
By Mark West
Wiping the tears of disappointment from my eyes, I fix my unwaveringly patriotic gaze upon the soon-to-be 44th President of our great nation, the United States of America. Stunned, I rub the blur from my eyes as I realize that he is different from any President I have seen.
Did we really just elect a black man to the office of President of the United States of America for the first time in our evolving history? Yes we did! Congratulations President-elect Barack Obama.
It is not that I'm not caught up in the charisma of his candidacy, or in the planks of his platform. I am instead captivated by the momentum of the moment. I'm proud to be an American. The American in me drives me to ask, "What does this mean for us now?"
Does this mean that we can finally move past the hateful divisions and repulsive rhetoric that have shaped our discussions about the color of a person's skin in this country? Does this mean that the race baiters are left baitless? Does this not emphatically evidence that this nation has moved away from the bleak shacks of our past into the marvelous mansions of our future?
Personally, I despise hearing it described as a racial divide. Why? There is no white race. There is no black race. There is no tan race. There is only the human race! We are all uniquely and supremely human. And the more, we are uniquely and supremely American!
While I still have my reservations about how this man will govern, I have no such reservations about the ability of the American people to carry this nation forward. Leaving behind the hatred of the past, straining ahead to the homogeneity of our future, our generation is the one privileged with witnessing this awesome feat.
In that vein, I'll sleep tonight...embraced by history.
© Mark West
November 5, 2008
Wiping the tears of disappointment from my eyes, I fix my unwaveringly patriotic gaze upon the soon-to-be 44th President of our great nation, the United States of America. Stunned, I rub the blur from my eyes as I realize that he is different from any President I have seen.
Did we really just elect a black man to the office of President of the United States of America for the first time in our evolving history? Yes we did! Congratulations President-elect Barack Obama.
It is not that I'm not caught up in the charisma of his candidacy, or in the planks of his platform. I am instead captivated by the momentum of the moment. I'm proud to be an American. The American in me drives me to ask, "What does this mean for us now?"
Does this mean that we can finally move past the hateful divisions and repulsive rhetoric that have shaped our discussions about the color of a person's skin in this country? Does this mean that the race baiters are left baitless? Does this not emphatically evidence that this nation has moved away from the bleak shacks of our past into the marvelous mansions of our future?
Personally, I despise hearing it described as a racial divide. Why? There is no white race. There is no black race. There is no tan race. There is only the human race! We are all uniquely and supremely human. And the more, we are uniquely and supremely American!
While I still have my reservations about how this man will govern, I have no such reservations about the ability of the American people to carry this nation forward. Leaving behind the hatred of the past, straining ahead to the homogeneity of our future, our generation is the one privileged with witnessing this awesome feat.
In that vein, I'll sleep tonight...embraced by history.
© Mark West
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