In this time of tremendous change and political upheaval, there is very little in American politics that I feel I can be proud of or that I can stand by. However, while I watched with millions of Americans on Tuesday night as President Barrack Obama presented his final farewell address, I couldn’t help but realize that there were ideals that President Obama upheld throughout his terms that I am going to dearly miss in the next several years.
Many of my personal beliefs do contradict with some of the policies and ideologies that President Obama has chosen to support in his time in office. However, despite political affiliations, I believe that what our country needs most is outside the realm of public policy, international relations and political theory. Our country is desperately lacking in the moral ideals of unity, comradery and acceptance of equality that are become necessary for the stability of society. It is in the advancement of these ideals that President Obama has made his mark on America, and it is for this that we, the people of America, need to be grateful for his service.
Our country is in a dangerous place. Speaking from the side of a Republican, I know that we are hoping that our country will magically be healed once a conservative thinker with a capitalistic plan for the economy takes over the Oval Office. We are hoping that a firm hand will solve all of our problems in international relations, and we are hoping that a straightforward speaker will alleviate all of the hostility and suspicions felt toward our government.
Unfortunately, I think we are also willing to compromise the elements of peace, love and acceptance that are so vitally necessary for our country to be whole, in order to achieve the level of prosperity and comfort that we have become accustomed to.
In the last eight years, President Obama has proved countless times that he is a President of the people and that he truly cares about the people in this country. To some it may not seem like much, but for America to finally have a minority president in some way bridged the long divided gap that people have sorely felt throughout history. His presence in such a position alone allowed many to finally believe that they would no longer be marginalized or overlooked. He has lead crusades to incorporate the acceptance of people of all races and sexual preference. These crusades have stirred a myriad of emotions from the American people ranging from discomfort to relief, and from violence to love, but it is crucially important that these issues have finally been addressed. Even the slightest acceptance of marginalized peoples goes an immeasurable distance to those that feel that they have no place or believe that they have less worth than the people around them.
The identity that I share with my party in no way alleviates the apprehension I feel for the future of American in the next four years. More and more I feel that our country is only becoming more and more divided. And with our newly appointed leadership, I fear that the progress President Obama has made in unity will more quickly be undone by hate.
The predominate problem in our country is that while we live in an age of diversity, pride and privilege, our country has somehow forgotten how to forget ourselves and love others. Many of my fellow Republicans can talk all day about how our country will never again be great until we achieve healthcare privatization, education reform and welfare reduction. Our society likes to blame the problems of the world on things like economy, war, and quality of life. However, if we were to truly analyze the root of our problems today I think we would discover that what our country needs the most is a regeneration of acceptance and cooperation. Our country will never be whole again until we can set aside the things that may offend us about one another, and work to build the bonds that we have, not because we are of one race, or one gender, or because we are Americans, but because we are people. This is the bond that we all share, and none of us can transcend our humanity to be able to be greater or more deserving than our neighbors.
