Inauguration Day At Last!!

Finally! A year and a president I can be excited about! Now while I can definitely see that there are going to be some tough times ahead, I feel that this is a really special and significant time that we are living in right now- we are seeing the change in the world that will reconnect us to our humanity and begin to separate us from the selfishness and misguided priorities that have consumed our nation and many across the world. It's unfortunate that historically great nations often reach a point where they have become too large, too quick, and without staying true to the ethical and responsible and caring nature; the nature that at the core of our humanity is necessary to live in harmony with one another and with our planet, and thus they fail and they fall apart.
In my travels away from the USA over the past 5 years, I was becoming more and more disheartened with the progress of my nation and also with the progress of people in general. How did we reach a point where purchasing the 30 room house for a family of four was the sensible thing to do when one could have bought something with a smaller footprint, and then donated the rest to charity and solved so many other problems? Now, I'm not saying I'm a saint in the least- I prefer my creature comforts, and I'm certainly living a comfortable existence. But at the core of it all, we should care about eachother- we should be trying to live greener lives- we should be aware that a decision that we make here and now could affect someone that we may never meet. Many of you have heard about the butterfly effect, but how often do you consider it in your decisions?
We are in a place that we have the opportunity to shift our thinking and our practices, to honestly make a change, and while that has always been a possibility, we somehow lost our motivation, and the downward spiral that followed became harder and harder to find our way out of. But now a shift in thinking has happened, a shift in our energy, a shift in our motivations. I came across an astrology book at a friends house this summer, and while I always take astrology with a grain of salt (because I don't want to turn a prediction in to reality through preconceived notions), I found the predictions for 2008 to be really interesting. It said that 2008 presents a year of change, that their would be a shift both politically and in human nature to begin to work towards approaching everything in a wholistic approach. Countries would unite in our struggles and work together to resolve conflicts and crises. Humanity would again care about one another and work towards the goals of the common good. Now this is a very broad prediction, but still at the core of it is hope. And are we not now with a President, whether it was for political intentions or not, who is sounding the bell of hope and change? Regardless of whether you consider it a political campaign message or his true approach, the message is resounding through the nation and through the world, and people are motivated. The next four years will be a defining time period in the history of our nation and in the history of the world. We are finally with a leader that can motivate and inspire- and truly great leaders must be able to do this or they will fail. People have to be excited to take on a difficult task and to see it through to the end, they have to know that their sweat and tears and frustrations will not be in vain, and more importantly, that their work will make a difference, a noticeable and lasting difference.
We have set the stage for change, for improvement, for resolutions to problems left long unsolved. And I hope that we can keep that in mind, that we can focus on that and hold to the message.

"On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.
On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics.
We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.
In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of shortcuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the faint-hearted — for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things — some celebrated but more often men and women obscure in their labor, who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom."

-Excerpt from President Barack Obama's inauguration speech.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090120/ap_on_go_pr_wh/inauguration_obama_text