The Audacity of Hope

 Imagine this:  You go to visit your friend and they ask "Do you want anything?"  You don't really even think about it, you just answer "No, thanks, I just ate," right?  Ok, so they say, "Are you sure?"  and you're pretty certain.  Then they bring out a box of the most beautiful chocolate you've ever seen.  We're talking extra dark.  From Belgium.  With gooey, awesome insides, guaranteed no nougat, or that weird pink stuff.  Heaven in a little ball.  Of course, at first you refuse.  Didn't you just say you were full?  No, no, you couldn't.  You really shouldn't.  No, well...ok, maybe just one....

This is what Robert did to me.  He offered me the heaven in a ball that is an open mind.  And, naturally, I refused.  Didn't I just tell him one thing?  Why change my story now?  No, no...well...ok....

I decided that for this election I was going to be a good, upstanding, awesome-face citizen, and educate myself on the issues, and decide where I stood, research the candidates and make a well thought out choice.  But I have to admit I was too scared to try.  I was too scared of the noise of politics.  The stupid "if you're not with us you're against us" mentality that seems to permeate the whole scene, the negative ad campaigns, the games of semantic Twister, the sex scandals and the inevitable racial/religious blunder.  My mentality became, "What's the point?"  My faith in democracy vanished.  

Enter Robert.  Ok, I'll try again.

So, I marched right out and bought "The Audacity of Hope" by Barack Obama (I'm going to read McCain's book if I can find it.)  I wasn't sure what to expect, but the very first chapter picked me up and shook me to my core.  And the rest hasn't disappointed yet.

Now, before I go on, I'm going to point out that I'm still not sure where I stand on all of this.  I'm still searching for what rings most true to me, and I'm holding off on making any real decisions until I know all the facts.  And both the candidates. 

That being said, Obama's book has restored my faith in American politics.  At least in the promise of American politics.  It has also made me proud, very proud, to be American.  In this book Obama talks about the rise of the current political mess we have.  He talks about how there doesn't need to be such polarity between parties.  Democrats who vote pro-life and Republicans who are anti-gun do not have to be isolated, tossed aside as renegades.  He so beautifully explains the complexities of most Americans, and the overriding will to make this country a better place.  That's one thing I am very pleased with in this book.  Instead of focusing on the negative sides of people he doesn't agree with, Obama (according to himself) attempts to find the common ground; he tries to see the argument through the eyes of the other.  

I had not realized how much of my view of politics came from an extremely polarized system.  You either agree or you disagree.  For us or against us.  A good person, or an idiot.  There's no middle ground.  The media serves mainly to fan the flames, and, the people just stop caring.  We stop feeling we actually have a voice.  Or we stop listening. We stop believing any of the talking heads are saying anything of worth or import.  Some politician is talking?  Who cares, he's probably just bashing the other side.

"After a few paragraphs, the reader can conclude that Republicans and Democrats are just bickering again and turn to the sports page, where the story line is less predictable and the box score tells you who won." (Obama, 2006, p.125)

Obama calls for a nation that is no longer divided, but that still has its own opinions.  Surely this is possible.  If not, I'm afraid for America.  "A house divided cannot stand" and won't be one country for long.  

I don't know.  The man is a brilliant writer, an extremely gifted orator.  (www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kf0x_TpDris)  Perhaps I am falling victim to his rhetoric.  Perhaps he will not be willing or able to make the changes he claims to dream of.  Doesn't matter.  The simple fact that he says the things he says gives me hope.  The very fact that he thinks that saying these things is what the American public wants to hear, that his idea of America will get him elected, excites me.  Hearing someone tell me that we don't have to scream at each other, and that we don't have to watch helplessly, is invigorating.  Even if it's just what I want to hear, I never realized it until now.  I need to hear that being an American can truly mean living with integrity, hope, determination, and compassion.  Maybe he can't fix anything, but the conversation has begun!