a place for philomaths...
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If you see something
that is particularly
beautiful or
something that works
particularly well,
remember: it is the
way that it is because
of the way that it was.
Leave it alone.
John Eigenauer
Tuesday November 4, 2008
The United States breathed a collective sigh
of relief tonight: the reign of a corrupt,
misguided, and indifferent dictator has
ended. George W. Bush has been deposed
through democratic means; Barack Obama
has been elected 44th President of the
United States of America.
Never in recent memory has a single
election meant so much to the world;
people across the globe celebrated Obama’s
victory because it means hope: hope that
wars will cease, hope that senseless
indifference toward human life will end, hope
that we will use our technology to sustain
the planet’s life, hope that the impoverished
will have hope again, hope that reason will
be a part of the decisions we make. At this
precious moment in time—a moment like
the days following 9/11—the world stands
behind us. Miraculously, we have been given
a second chance.
Thanks to that second chance, we can now
restore civility and reason to public
discourse. We can choose to not merely
avoid sloganism at home and international
hooliganism abroad—we can denounce
them. We can collectively claim that we as a
country do not stand for what George W.
Bush stood for. We can admit that we
made a terrible, terrible mistake, and say
that we are ready to lead again.
But if we are to lead again, it must be in the
spirit that we felt just after 9/11: that we
are all New Yorkers. Our task requires
sobriety, conscience, and a sense of duty
toward humanity. It is not Barack Obama’s
job to wipe away the damage; it is our job.
He is our leader, but his first message was
clear: he is but one man with an army of
work in front of him. It is our job to restore
civility, prosperity, hope, concern, and
peace. It is our job to act with a sense of
purpose to restore decency and reason to
everyday life so that our communities emit
pride, so that our cities exude hope, so
that our states work with unity, so that our
country can be great again.
Let us use our second chance wisely. Let us
act with dignity.
Dr. John D. Eigenauer