Paradigm Shift...

"We refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation..."

--Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

In America, almost every child is told by some adult, most often a Parent, Grandparent or sometimes a Teacher, at some point during their childhood: " One day you could grow up to be President..."

I remember being told this myself when I was young. I remember how proud and empowered this assertion made me feel every time I heard it.

I can also remember when the statement lost its magic, its power, its promises of unlimited potential for me. Because when I looked into a mirror, a brown face looked back at me. A brown face like my Mother's, like my Father's, like my Grandparents. But, I was smart and observant enough to realize, it was a brown face unlike any of the Presidents in my schoolbooks. That was when the promise the possibility of becoming president became mythic and apocryphal.

Today, 5 November 2008, the Sun rose on a different America. An America where any child, of any colour, first the first time has unlimited future potential. Last night the Citizens of our country spoke to our future generations with their votes, the message is that we are all Human and we are all Americans, regardless of our colour, race or ethnicity.

"So we have come to cash this check -- a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice..."

I am grateful that the Creator blessed me with the opportunity to both vote for President-Elect Obama and to see him victorious. One year ago, I would have never believed this to be possible within my lifetime; someday, but not today. I'm so glad I was wrong about that.

This day, 5 November 2008, finds me with renewed faith in both my country and my fellow citizens. I am, once again, proud to be an American...

--ryan

20. January 2009: The End of an Error