A New Nation

Those of us who woke up in America woke up in a new nation.



Alright, it may be a little different from a room full of old, upper-class, white men, but I don't think it is very different from the ideals they posited for the United States.

Throughout this entire day, I have felt a warm swell of pride for a country I had almost lost hope in. But, mixed with that pride, I feel a muddled skepticism--I keep asking myself: "can it really be true?" To be honest, as good as it feels, I'm a little scared of what this all means. I cannot anticipate with a calm assurance what the next era will be like, and that scares me a lot. I felt a similar wash of anticipation and fear right before going off to college . . . and for that matter, both times I graduated college.

But, just like in those instances, I know that it is time. Like a grad student that spends years to finish his thesis or dissertation, it is time for the United States to be true to the vision put forth by the founding fathers and allow the most qualified man to take one of the most powerful positions in the world, regardless of the color of his skin or the foreign timbre of his name.

I also know that a great majority of the world celebrated this epic event with us. The united voice of the American people may have restored our dignity in front of the rest of the world.

As a philosopher interested in social justice, I would like to add that I am glad that we have regained some consistency with our nation's ideals and founding documents. Now, we are a country that has proven that all men are indeed equal, though we may not treat them that way. There is still work ahead for Obama and the rest of us (God knows not all causes important to me were successful yesterday), but today let us all celebrate a victory and a step in the right direction.

It has been a hard, uphill climb, but a black man will now enter the White House, not begrudgingly, but carried in by an overwhelming majority of American voters.



Here is a link to the international celebrating:

Yahoo News!

And, just in case you haven't seen it, here is the first part of Obama's acceptance Speech: