http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_professo_080323_the_legacy_of_barack.htm--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I received an email from my sister-in-law the other day, saying we ought to boycott the Olympics because of China’s outrageous attacks on Tibet…again. I agree with her about the need to boycott the upcoming Olympics that are to be held in China, for no inhumane treatment of another human being should ever be tolerated anywhere by anyone. We should always take a stand that says, “No, you do not get to do this to me, to them, to anyone. You do not get to harm people and benefit from it in any way.” I have cried a great deal in the past years over Tibet, Iraq, Abu Graib, abuse, unnecessary death. And just in this past week, the tears welled over into this amazing epiphanic outrage over the things we do in our world, but particularly, over our American role in this inhumane treatment of others. What struck me so profoundly, as it did others, was the Easter Week so-called “Race Speech” given by Senator Barack Obama.
I like Senator Obama. I think he’s a good man who's caught in a hustler’s world. So I listened with great attention to every word he said, watching him on a screen that showed a tight shot of this good man’s caramel-colored face, his heavily hooded eyes, his lean shoulders, flanked on the left by the American flag, his head tossing back and forth as he spoke. I wanted to hear him, really HEAR his words, understand them. And I did. And I cried. I cried for all of us and our greed and our loss and what really is our true potential. But mostly I cried because this man who wants to be president of the United States spoke from the heart to and about ALL of us. I cried because I wished I could say what he did, that I love our country, the way he says he does; I cried because, these days, I cannot say this. The inhumanity to other humans of the world by the people in our country leads the way these days. And I can’t seem to get back to that love of country, a place I once knew.
But there’s more to it than that.
As Obama spoke about the truth of what our country has done and could do with regard to racial tensions, about the horrific acts of the past, the hard work and the divisiveness of the present, he also spoke of a sort of forgiveness that could lead the way into a better future. Oh, not overtly; that isn’t Obama’s way, but forgiveness was there. I saw it in his face and heard it in his words.
I realized that Barack Obama cannot lose, that even if he does lose the nomination and the election, he will have lost nothing, for all along the way, Obama has worked from the position of that great love and forgiveness; he has addressed the issues without slinging mud at anyone, and has always spoken the truth, honoring himself and others. He can be no other way; he is what America should be and can be. And we all win for having had the privilege to learn from him, regardless of the losses, the pains, the uncertainties.
Authors Website:
http://inyourworld.blogstream.comAuthors Bio:
I am a college professor, journalist, poet who has published many articles and books on fundraising for education and the arts, and more. I have been an op-ed columnist for the Iowa City Press-Citizen newspaper. I am a Jallaludin Rumi scholar who lectures throughout the world on the words, teachings, and life of this 13th-century Sufi mystic poet, who today is among the most popular poets. This year, 2007, celebrates the 800th birthday of Rumi. I have designed and co-authored a book and DVD, "Mystery Box," to be published on September 30, 2007, in honor of Rumi's birth and life.
My goal is to tell the truth about what is happening in our world. I work for very little, other than that, and oftentimes as I write or communicate with young students just learning about the world, I break their hearts with these truths. But in the end, many understand that if they don't act to right the wrongs, to live a life of benefit to all, they will wither and become spiritually impoverished in a world of hatred. Not on my watch!
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