I am turning 61 at the end of this year.
It has been 40 years and 6 month since I last felt any hope in the American government.
For two thirds of my life I have not felt the joys and pride of being on the team.
Oh there were times, the way we felt the pride and partied for the Bi-centennial.
The Viet Nam was ended and some friends came home alive, but suffering.
A lying president was impeached and resigned and a really nice guy from Georgia was president. But he was as inept as the Ford he defeated.
The cowboy president brought down the wall and ended what I thought was to be the end of the world in nuclear holocaust. That was relief and I felt the need to take a serious look at the future and Raleen and I invested in America with IRA’s & SEP’s.
During the Clinton era I grew to expect long term business boom, conflict resolution, sex scandals, but any hope that may have been growing collapsed with his successor and the dot coms, collapse.
All to be further buried under the rubble of 911.
And it got worse when we attacked a country. We are the aggressor. I don’t know if shame is the opposite of hope, but I am ashamed, and the whole planet suffers from our aggression. We had become the evil empire pointing at others our finger, winning a war, and losing more peace.
BUT today I felt that hope at 3:33 am when I got ready to vote.
It felt like Christmas, a special gift was coming, it was under the tree and all I needed to do was vote and open the package. I felt joy at my polling place, and with all those who wore there I voted stickers. NPR talked about 80+% turn out. Raleen and I both cried.
It’s 4:30 PST, and I want that package, and I feel the fears and doubts of there not being a present under the tree as large as a bike.
BUT just the taste of hope and the civility of waiting, of the candidates having fought the fairest in the last eight years and that maybe 80% of US voted.
I feel the possibility that we, US, have the power and guts to get out, and fairly elect leaders.
I now sit in front of the computer and say, whatever happens in the next few hours, Lets JUST BE NICE
Let US win or lose like we were taught, shake hands and agree to disagree.
Let US lead, as in Let US have no more blame, excuses, spun stories of someone else did it to US.
No matter what happens, it can’t happen to US again if we believe in the hope of change, of responsibility of accountability of the creative power of our imagination to WE THE PEOPLE, in order to form a more perfect union, are taking back the country.
I HOPE We now know FREEDOM is a process that we must work at always.
It has been 40 years and 6 month since I last felt any hope in the American government.
For two thirds of my life I have not felt the joys and pride of being on the team.
Oh there were times, the way we felt the pride and partied for the Bi-centennial.
The Viet Nam was ended and some friends came home alive, but suffering.
A lying president was impeached and resigned and a really nice guy from Georgia was president. But he was as inept as the Ford he defeated.
The cowboy president brought down the wall and ended what I thought was to be the end of the world in nuclear holocaust. That was relief and I felt the need to take a serious look at the future and Raleen and I invested in America with IRA’s & SEP’s.
During the Clinton era I grew to expect long term business boom, conflict resolution, sex scandals, but any hope that may have been growing collapsed with his successor and the dot coms, collapse.
All to be further buried under the rubble of 911.
And it got worse when we attacked a country. We are the aggressor. I don’t know if shame is the opposite of hope, but I am ashamed, and the whole planet suffers from our aggression. We had become the evil empire pointing at others our finger, winning a war, and losing more peace.
BUT today I felt that hope at 3:33 am when I got ready to vote.
It felt like Christmas, a special gift was coming, it was under the tree and all I needed to do was vote and open the package. I felt joy at my polling place, and with all those who wore there I voted stickers. NPR talked about 80+% turn out. Raleen and I both cried.
It’s 4:30 PST, and I want that package, and I feel the fears and doubts of there not being a present under the tree as large as a bike.
BUT just the taste of hope and the civility of waiting, of the candidates having fought the fairest in the last eight years and that maybe 80% of US voted.
I feel the possibility that we, US, have the power and guts to get out, and fairly elect leaders.
I now sit in front of the computer and say, whatever happens in the next few hours, Lets JUST BE NICE
Let US win or lose like we were taught, shake hands and agree to disagree.
Let US lead, as in Let US have no more blame, excuses, spun stories of someone else did it to US.
No matter what happens, it can’t happen to US again if we believe in the hope of change, of responsibility of accountability of the creative power of our imagination to WE THE PEOPLE, in order to form a more perfect union, are taking back the country.
I HOPE We now know FREEDOM is a process that we must work at always.
Namaste 
Gary
1 comment:
Gary,
What a wonderful post. You captured the enthusiasm and hope of many of us. Well done.
Les
Post a Comment