Post Election Thoughts
I have voted in a few elections. Not many, but enough to have gotten used to the feeling before yesterday. I have never felt a greater connection to our country’s history and my place in it than I did at 11 o’clock last night. I voted for a man who, although he already has, I felt was certain to be historically significant beyond his ethnicity. I am not usually a very serious person, and that is unlikely to change in the future, but there are moments when I find myself so unable to find anything clever to say that I must simply fall back on what I actually think, however humorless it might be.
Today, I think that my sense of patriotism has been vindicated. My belief that that word doesn’t have anything to do with flag pins, or what color my state is, or whether or not I support the war on terror, or in Iraq, or Afghanistan is restored. I have often insisted that my sense of patriotism is what inspired my discomfort with the last eight years. I am not so competitive as to suggest that we are the greatest nation, and I think such titles are unnecessarily confrontational. But I have always wanted the very best for our country, and have wanted it to be great. When I was young, we were a nation that I fel, more often than not had a positive net effect on the world around us. We provided bootstraps to developing countries when we could. We stood between warring opponents and offered them level ground upon which they could mend their differences. We were among the leaders of the world in the race to humanity’s future.
Somewhere in the last eight years we lost our way. But this is not about that, because I truly believe that that chapter of our history is coming to a close.
I have spoken occasionally of my personal beliefs regarding religion and spirituality. Most would immediately understand the term Atheist, though I prefer to think of myself as a skeptic. As such, my guiding stars are logic, understanding, and science. I do not believe that I have a God speaking to me, or guiding my decisions, or providing for my future. There is, for me, no reason to assume that humanity’s survival is guaranteed, and there is no limit to the number of ways the universe could destroy us. It is up to us to try to prevent it. It is up to us to guide our own decisions, and to ensure our future. Not just as Americans, but as Humans.
I’m not suggesting that Barack Obama’s presidency is likely to send us careening down our path any faster, but what I do believe is that it shows that I am not a minority in my belief that despite its slow pace, our world is always changing, and we need to be ready for it. It’s dangerous to ignore any effect that we have on our environment, it’s important to look forward to a future in space, and to make it there we will need to secure some manner of stability on Earth. I think that if conditions are right at any point over the next four years, that our 44th president can set us back on the right course toward achieving those goals.
It is certainly too early to tell, but I am more hopeful for our shared future now than I have been in some time.
Advertisement
Like this:
Be the first to like this post.
November 5, 2008 -
Posted by the3rdpoliceman |
Opinion, Political Commentary | Election 2008, Obama, Patriotism, President
No comments yet.
Post Election Thoughts
I have voted in a few elections. Not many, but enough to have gotten used to the feeling before yesterday. I have never felt a greater connection to our country’s history and my place in it than I did at 11 o’clock last night. I voted for a man who, although he already has, I felt was certain to be historically significant beyond his ethnicity. I am not usually a very serious person, and that is unlikely to change in the future, but there are moments when I find myself so unable to find anything clever to say that I must simply fall back on what I actually think, however humorless it might be.
Today, I think that my sense of patriotism has been vindicated. My belief that that word doesn’t have anything to do with flag pins, or what color my state is, or whether or not I support the war on terror, or in Iraq, or Afghanistan is restored. I have often insisted that my sense of patriotism is what inspired my discomfort with the last eight years. I am not so competitive as to suggest that we are the greatest nation, and I think such titles are unnecessarily confrontational. But I have always wanted the very best for our country, and have wanted it to be great. When I was young, we were a nation that I fel, more often than not had a positive net effect on the world around us. We provided bootstraps to developing countries when we could. We stood between warring opponents and offered them level ground upon which they could mend their differences. We were among the leaders of the world in the race to humanity’s future.
Somewhere in the last eight years we lost our way. But this is not about that, because I truly believe that that chapter of our history is coming to a close.
I have spoken occasionally of my personal beliefs regarding religion and spirituality. Most would immediately understand the term Atheist, though I prefer to think of myself as a skeptic. As such, my guiding stars are logic, understanding, and science. I do not believe that I have a God speaking to me, or guiding my decisions, or providing for my future. There is, for me, no reason to assume that humanity’s survival is guaranteed, and there is no limit to the number of ways the universe could destroy us. It is up to us to try to prevent it. It is up to us to guide our own decisions, and to ensure our future. Not just as Americans, but as Humans.
I’m not suggesting that Barack Obama’s presidency is likely to send us careening down our path any faster, but what I do believe is that it shows that I am not a minority in my belief that despite its slow pace, our world is always changing, and we need to be ready for it. It’s dangerous to ignore any effect that we have on our environment, it’s important to look forward to a future in space, and to make it there we will need to secure some manner of stability on Earth. I think that if conditions are right at any point over the next four years, that our 44th president can set us back on the right course toward achieving those goals.
It is certainly too early to tell, but I am more hopeful for our shared future now than I have been in some time.
Like this:
November 5, 2008 - Posted by the3rdpoliceman | Opinion, Political Commentary | Election 2008, Obama, Patriotism, President