The Thrill of Victory and the Agony of Defeat
Politically speaking, I feel a little hung over. Maybe it is just the inevitable let down after having invested so much hope in this election cycle. It was bound to happen. But my candidate won, and I hope that I chose well. I can not imagine the alternative, so I have to believe that this is what is right. I see now that the election was the easy part. Now we have to do what we said needed to be done. Our hope can now turn into change. But now we must hold ourselves and our elected officials accountable for what they said.
I am not so naive to think that everything President-Elect Obama said will come to pass. It doesn't work that way. But we can demand from him the kind of behavior and decision-making that we have come to expect from him. He is a fresh face and we need that every once in a while. Let's make sure that he is more than a face. Let's do our part too. Let's support him as our leader, in whatever way we can. If that means a protest, so be it. If that means writing a letter, great! Sometimes though, it might mean sacrifice on our part. Our leaders, whatever we think of them, have all sacrificed privacy and autonomy to be where they are. They lay it on the line for all to see and sometimes we need to do the same. What kind of sacrifice? I do not know. But you will know it when you see it. These are just some ideas of how this system can be improved by our participation. Obama has said that this is about how we, not he, can bring change. Let's not let the opportunity pass us by.
Speaking of opportunities passing us by, California just took a step backwards. By a measure of 52% to 48%, voters passed a measure that makes same-sex marriage illegal. If you are a Christian and voted to pass Prop 8, you should be ashamed. Why? We are called to love our neighbor, and telling someone that who they love and, in effect, who they are is illegal is NOT loving our neighbor. It is telling them that we do not accept them as part of our society. But then again, most people are not comfortable with homosexuality. Most Christians frame it in terms of sin, instead of framing it as people. Real people. People making decisions, just like you and me. Shame on us. We could have loved our neighbor in California, but instead we alienated them. Shame on us.
I am not so naive to think that everything President-Elect Obama said will come to pass. It doesn't work that way. But we can demand from him the kind of behavior and decision-making that we have come to expect from him. He is a fresh face and we need that every once in a while. Let's make sure that he is more than a face. Let's do our part too. Let's support him as our leader, in whatever way we can. If that means a protest, so be it. If that means writing a letter, great! Sometimes though, it might mean sacrifice on our part. Our leaders, whatever we think of them, have all sacrificed privacy and autonomy to be where they are. They lay it on the line for all to see and sometimes we need to do the same. What kind of sacrifice? I do not know. But you will know it when you see it. These are just some ideas of how this system can be improved by our participation. Obama has said that this is about how we, not he, can bring change. Let's not let the opportunity pass us by.
Speaking of opportunities passing us by, California just took a step backwards. By a measure of 52% to 48%, voters passed a measure that makes same-sex marriage illegal. If you are a Christian and voted to pass Prop 8, you should be ashamed. Why? We are called to love our neighbor, and telling someone that who they love and, in effect, who they are is illegal is NOT loving our neighbor. It is telling them that we do not accept them as part of our society. But then again, most people are not comfortable with homosexuality. Most Christians frame it in terms of sin, instead of framing it as people. Real people. People making decisions, just like you and me. Shame on us. We could have loved our neighbor in California, but instead we alienated them. Shame on us.
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