So the day is finally here. Today was the inauguration of President Barack Obama. It is a day that I have expected and been waiting for since he first spoke at the Democratic National Convention in 2004. He was everything that I hoped, and his speech was incredible. I don't really know what to say about it (it is for greater men than me to critique it). I will say that there will be a day in the future that I get to bring my children to DC and to a new monument that reads the following passage from the speech:
As we consider the road that unfolds before us, we remember with humble gratitude those brave Americans who, at this very hour, patrol far-off deserts and distant mountains. They have something to tell us today, just as the fallen heroes who lie in Arlington whisper through the ages. We honor them not only because they are guardians of our liberty, but because they embody the spirit of service; a willingness to find meaning in something greater than themselves. And yet, at this moment -- a moment that will define a generation -- it is precisely this spirit that must inhabit us all.
For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies. It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break, the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours. It is the firefighter's courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent's willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate.
Our challenges may be new. The instruments with which we meet them may be new. But those values upon which our success depends -- hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism -- these things are old. These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history. What is demanded then is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility -- a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation and the world; duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task.
This is the price and the promise of citizenship.
I will say that I am grateful for my company. They provided us with an hour of time today to take part in the ceremony in our break room. There were no less than 50 people there, from all walks of life, and you could tell that every single one of them was inspired.
That is the biggest difference. I have now voted in three presidential elections. All three times I voted on the issues, and not based on parties. I have been alive for 8 inaugurations (though I really only remember 5 of them). This one appears to be the first one that was actually inspirational for the vast majority of the people in the country. He truly seems to have created a sense of Camelot that I imagine was what people felt in 1960 when Kennedy was elected. I have high hopes for him and the change that he promises to bring, and I plan on doing my part.
Congrats to you and your family, and godspeed.
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