Morning in America
I woke up this election-day in another country, thinking of my great-grand-parents, all of whom emigrated from Europe to the United States a little over a century ago. They came variously from Russia, Italy, Ireland, England and Sweden - all common people of no particular status who came to America, as millions of others before and since, in search of an opportunity to create new and better lives for themselves and their families.
For them, "Hope" and "Change" were not vague and airy terms. These words represented possibilities that were entirely real to them, and worth risking a great deal to pursue.
For four hundred years, the particularly American promise of hope and change has moved millions of people the world over - moved them not just in their hearts, but in their wills, in their bodies. "Hope" and "Change" moved them to uproot their families and cross the oceans to take their chances in a new and unfamiliar country.
Barack Obama's campaign, from its inception to this day of decision, has been an act of faith in America and its people - "faith" not in the sense of a desperate and irrational hope, but rather in the sense of a serene and absolute confidence.
In his words and actions, as well as in the overall spirit of his campaign, he has demonstrated a faith in the American people that many of us had come to lack. He has been not just a symbol, but a catalyst - an engine of renewal in our country.
Whatever the result of today's election, Barack Obama's message of "Hope" and "Change" has recalled us to the best of what we are as a nation, and what we always have been.
That is leadership.
For them, "Hope" and "Change" were not vague and airy terms. These words represented possibilities that were entirely real to them, and worth risking a great deal to pursue.
For four hundred years, the particularly American promise of hope and change has moved millions of people the world over - moved them not just in their hearts, but in their wills, in their bodies. "Hope" and "Change" moved them to uproot their families and cross the oceans to take their chances in a new and unfamiliar country.
Barack Obama's campaign, from its inception to this day of decision, has been an act of faith in America and its people - "faith" not in the sense of a desperate and irrational hope, but rather in the sense of a serene and absolute confidence.
In his words and actions, as well as in the overall spirit of his campaign, he has demonstrated a faith in the American people that many of us had come to lack. He has been not just a symbol, but a catalyst - an engine of renewal in our country.
Whatever the result of today's election, Barack Obama's message of "Hope" and "Change" has recalled us to the best of what we are as a nation, and what we always have been.
That is leadership.