Wednesday 21 January 2009

greatness is never a given. it must be earned...

my mother said to me: 2 things you must never do. the first, never speak of your wages and second don't speak about politics.

i never was one to listen much.

i can not help but be inspired and touched by the rhetoric of hope that president obama spoke about at his inauguration. it was defining, powerful and meaningful.

i can not help but feel a huge sense of relief that there's a change around the corner.

i can not help but sigh with relief that a change has come and breath with hope that we can start to pick up and start again.

angie, however, brought me back down by saying: "remember, ben... he's just a man. don't pin your hopes on him".

she was right. i remember how, being a child of the 80s, i loathed the government and its campaign of "me" that was pushed and the values of community that were lost. i loathed its dismantling of this country. i loathed the type of people that we were breeding and becoming.

i had great hope when tony blair came in.... i recall sitting with my philosophy lecturers in the hyde park pub drinking and celebrating the "change". one said: "you don't know what this day means to me... it is a triumph" as he downed his peculiar pint of obscure beer.

i also recall the sheer feeling of betrayal when our government chose to go into iraq and cheapen its decision through its attempts at justifying it.

i know president obama isn't the man that i pin my hopes on. he is just a man.

so i wonder am i happy for the change of person in charge or am i happy for the hope that there will be a change in the hearts and minds of the people. it's the latter that excites me.

the jury is out and so it should be. the wheels are turning, the expectation is growing and the burden of hope sits with president obama right now.

still.... what a speech

2 comments:

Maynard Tait said...

It is funny how we can get so wound up by the words of men, and yet, so often, ignore the words of God. You're right though about the hope we now have because of the hope that has been instilled into the hearts of many - that is what will change this world, not Barack Obama, but we can pray that his words will continue to push that hope and that his faith will be strengthened to deliver it.
At the same time as you were rejoicing over Tony Blair coming to office - I was doing the opposite. I remember feeling very low and almost depressed at the thought of him and his staff coming to power. Eleven years on and I'm still shocked at the mess of our country and the state it has become due to greed, individualism and thoughtlessness.
Our prayer now is that we can find a leader who can give us a hope in the way that Obama has America.

Solon said...

wise words bro.

i'm not particularly a party loyal person... more a swing voter.

so i don't have strong labour/tory loyalty within me... i do, however, have a great respect for some of the previous parties PMs and politicians. so at the time, i was quite young and pretty anti most things, but deep down i was relieved at the thought, perhaps even hopeful, that change is happening.

so like with many other i feel a little disenchanted with the government...

it is really easy to think about the bad ways of the country... and portion blame.

i like the obama tactic of calling everyone to action and rising to the challenges rather than taking a blame game route... it's my kind of rhetoric... but then i keep telling myself: he's just a man!

:)