World watches a dream fulfilled
Television commentators become self-congratulatory as they speak
of the seamless transition of power that takes place when a new
president of the United States is sworn in.
”
The world is watching,
”
they say with pride, as our country peacefully celebrates the
inauguration as the outgoing president essentially hands over the
keys to the White House.
”
Transition in American is marked by the casting of a ballot, not
the firing of a gun,
”
they remind us.
World watches a dream fulfilled
Television commentators become self-congratulatory as they speak of the seamless transition of power that takes place when a new president of the United States is sworn in.
“The world is watching,” they say with pride, as our country peacefully celebrates the inauguration as the outgoing president essentially hands over the keys to the White House. “Transition in American is marked by the casting of a ballot, not the firing of a gun,” they remind us.
Much of what we hear from pundits is blather, but in this instance they were right. Americans love pomp and circumstance and tradition, all of which are elements of the presidential inauguration process.
This week’s swearing in of Barack Obama featured all of the requisite elements: American flags, music, the appearance of ex-presidents, and a stirring speech in the shadow of the Capitol building. We sure know how to throw a party.
Beyond all that is the real impact of the inauguration. Whether or not we voted for Obama, most people acknowledge the historical importance of our country selecting its first African-American president.
When I was born, the presidency was reserved for white men; not by law but because that’s just the way it was. I could aspire to reach that post, if I so chose. Others, by default and because of the color of their skin, could not.
Nearly 40 years later, my children and later – much later! – their children, will live in a country where those invisible barriers had been removed. Not by entitlement or by amendment, but by the will, the choice, of the people.
At my children’s school, the students gathered in the gymnasium to watch the inauguration streamed through the Internet onto a projection screen. Some may not have understood or cared about the historical impact of what they were watching and listening to, but some day they will.
As my oldest went to bed on Monday night, he pointed out that he will be 18 and eligible to vote during the next presidential election cycle. And it is something to which he looks forward.
As a sixth-grader, he stood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in the exact spot where Martin Luther King delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech. As a seventh-grader, he memorized those words for his school’s speech contest. As an eighth-grader, he sat in a folding chair in Hollister watching Obama take the oath of office on Abraham Lincoln’s Bible.
I still recall my dad getting choked up watching the 1977 inauguration of Jimmy Carter on television – not because my dad predicted the high inflation and soaring gas prices that lied ahead, but because it was a flag-waving, all-American, majestic moment that is worth getting choked up about. I was 7 at the time and it stuck with me.
Thirty-two years later I was alone at home getting ready for work as Obama prepared to take office. I watched dignitaries take their seat on the podium on my satellite TV as I ate my waffles. I listened on my son’s boom box to Diane Feinstein greet guests and set the historic context of the day as I showered. I heard John Williams’ musical tribute to the day on my truck radio as I drove to work. I later watched Obama’s speech on the Internet as I sat at my desk
I hope our new president lives up to the high expectations placed upon him, as that will benefit our country. I hope that he inspires the generations of young people that look up to him and fulfills the dreams of the generations that came before him. The world is watching.
