The world as we know it has changed … for the better!!!
WooooooooooooooooooooHoooooooooooooooooo!
I can’t begin to tell you how I was moved yesterday as I watched the inauguration ceremony. For the first time in a very long time, I feel like anything is possible. I’ve said it before I’m not an American citizen but in my heart I voted for Barack Obama and I’m already cheering the change he represents for all of us.
Today as I make my rounds on the internet, I’m watching video’s of the balls he attended, and speeches he’s made and I feel transformed by his presence somehow. What an amazing man. There is a lot to be said for how he treats his wife as well. You can just feel the love and respect between the two and I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like it from a public figure before.
There are a few passages from his inauguration speech that really stand out in my mind and I thought I’d share them with you today. While I’m well aware that his words were meant for Americans, they resonate in the hearts of the people of the world.
With this speech, Barack Obama sets the standard for how a democracy should be run and he raises the bar on what we should expect from our elected leaders. (Listen up - Stephen Harper ) :
Via Huffington Post
I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors.
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On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.
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all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.
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what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose, and necessity to courage.
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we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals.
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And so to all other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman, and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and that we are ready to lead once more.
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We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth; and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace.
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To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect.
To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society’s ills on the West - know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy. To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.
To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds. And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to suffering outside our borders; nor can we consume the world’s resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it.
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It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break, the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours. It is the firefighter’s courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent’s willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate. Our challenges may be new. The instruments with which we meet them may be new. But those values upon which our success depends - hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism - these things are old. These things are true.
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What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility - a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task.
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Let it be said by our children’s children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God’s grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations.
I am completely overwhelmed with feelings of peace and joy and hope today. I know now that my neighbor to the north, the one I’ve thought of as a bully, can now become my friend and ally.
I’ll leave you know with Mr. Obama’s electrifying speech at the youth ball. Hearing the young people cheer and feeling their unbridled optimism made me sob like a proud mother. YES WE CAN!!!
From the Rachel Maddow Show on the MSNBC Website :
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I could seriously talk about this all day. I’m going to put up my chat icon. Please feel free to say hello and share your comments.
