Unity Of Purpose

I, like many others, had the opportunity to watch Barack Obama as he was inaugurated as the 44th president of the United States.

I'm sure many of the people who watched were visibly moved by his ability to deliver a speech - Mr. Obama's eloquence has been well demonstrated in the past, with his speech at the 2004 Democratic Convention acting as first exposure for many in the public at large.

And many were visibly moved by the event itself - I'm sure numerous people had their doubts that an African-American would ever be elected to the most powerful office on the planet, not to mention elected in their lifetimes.

Yes, I too was moved by the moment playing out before me on the television screen for the reasons mentioned above, but it is my nature to view things with as unbiased and as objective an eye as possible.

What Mr. Obama laid out was a beautiful in nature - people taking personal responsiblity for their actions, and breaking down the barriers that tend to divide us, such as those the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. (to whom our current president owes a huge debt of gratitude) alluded to in his famous "I Have A Dream Speech" 45 years ago, to function as a working whole. As Obama stated himself in his speech, "On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord."

That is a wonderful vision - people joining together despite the differences to overcome the obstacles which now face us all as a country.

But is it possible? Is it really? My objective mind says I'll believe it when I see it. However, my heart ever slightly tilts more to the hopeful and optimistic rather than the skeptical and pessimistic.

I wish our new President and we as a country the best over this first term.