To Believe Again
ByWe grew up during the 60s and we were hopeful for the betterment of our country and the world. We were not just idealistic then but tender-hearted. We not only wanted a better world, we fully believed it was possible. Maybe that’s just part of being in your mid-20s, maybe not. But that’s who we were.
Then Jack Kennedy was assassinated. Then Robert Kennedy. Then Martin Luther King. And the Vietnam war was in full rage. Riots across the country. Kent State – students shot. The government—Lyndon Johnson (Democrat) and Richard Nixon (Republican)—seemed to be lying without conscience.
For us, first came disillusion—“I can’t believe they’re doing this.” Then confusion—“I don’t know what to do.” Then rage—“Tear it all down.” Then resignation—“What’s the point?” And finally apathy— “Why the hell bother?”
The last was the worst. A whisper announcing the loss of belief—even the possibility of belief.
We were . . .
Without a place—inside or out. Without a sense of belonging. Without any desire to belong.
Hope? Only a set up.
Care? For what?
Consciousness? Emotionally too expensive.
Conscience? What was that again?
Bleak. Only the past was open to remember. The future? Without light.
Until . . .
This morning when we awoke, delighted with Obama’s victory last night.
And, during two conversations—
One with Jae Jans and his wife Andrea Segovia, in their mid-20s, and wise beyond their years . . .
And the other with our friend Tom Justin, our age, a big-hearted conservative . . .
We spoke of something we’d never felt or were aware of before. Our realization emerged in pieces until finally we saw clearly that all those years ago we’d not just become disaffected with politics and politicians—we’d lost our souls, at least that part of our soul that is made up of and needs to participate in the common good.
We both cried—from realizing the loss and from the joy of an awakening.
Yes we supported Obama. We’ve never not been liberals. We were thrilled to hear him talk about hope—the hope in possibility. But we had not realized, not until this morning, how lonely we were for that part of ourselves that Obama’s win allowed us to touch—and believe in again.
Because It Truly Is All in the Connection,
Judith & Jim
PS — Have you been moved by this election? We’d love to hear.
Here in Australia we experienced a similar change 12 months ago. It has allowed us to lift our heads and not feel ashamed of our participation in Iraq, for example. Many of us watched attentively through the US campaign, concerned that the polls could be wrong and now relieved and delighted that they weren’t.
The only caution I would raise is that change takes time, that the people will need to be patient. Obama’s victory speech was great but he’ll need time to change the reality, particularly in this world financial crisis.
Good luck and enjoy the feeling of belonging, not just in America but in the world.
I’m a child of the 60’s, in that I was BORN in the 1960’s.
Ask any astrologer about this, and it’s a known fact that my generation was born into the same kind of turmoil that you guys were living through.
I believe that it affected us as well, even though we were babies and children.
My first name is John, named after John F. Kennedy.
I feel that many of my generation are here to help heal the people and the planet. Your generation had the right ideas, but it may take “the children” (your children, now us as adults) to be able to bring it about.
I spontaneously had tears streaming down my face this morning watching Obama’s entire acceptance speech on the Internet. What a great time that we live in, to have that luxury. I truly hope that change is coming.
Many people say that Obama doesn’t have enough experience to be President. I say, that’s EXACTLY why he should be President. I just came up with this today: by the time people in Washington, DC have enough “experience” to run for president, they have usually sold their soul for the money.
Maybe it’s because Obama and I are from the same generation (he’s only five years older than I); but I think that because he’s not been jaded by life; because he’s not been seduced by the corruption in Washington; I think because he’s young and idealistic = that’s why he deserves “a shot at the title.”
He is inheriting a very bad situation all around in this country. I wish him the best of luck, and I know we’re all rooting for him. I believe that his heart and head are aligned in the right place.
We’ll see. I hope so.
[...] November 5, 2008 Coach Louise To Believe Again [...]
Born in 1965 but with brothers who were already teenagers, I have often felt that I was a child of the 60s. Many times in my 30s I looked back and was angry at your generation for “giving up” and becoming a part of the establishment.
I, too, understand the cycle all too well: disillusionment, confusion, rage, resignation and apathy. But then, I was blessed to find conscious business owners like you. People with a dream and faith in the best of mankind. You hadn’t “given up” after all. You never really stopped believing. You found a way to keep the dream alive in your own special way.
The light never went out and the torch has been handed over, shining more brightly than maybe even the most starry-eyed among us ever imagined.
Thank you.
Appreciating the connection,
Lisa
[...] November 5, 2008 at 6:21 pm (Uncategorized) To Believe Again [...]
As we spoke about on the call, I’ve felt for as long as I can remember
“what’s the point?”
It seemed like half the time (if not more) that the government was corrupt against it’s own people and that the great ideals that founded this country (the UNITED States of America) had gone down the toilet with the rest of politics.
Did this election move me?
You betcha!
It demonstrated to me that REAL people who show and demonstrate they care can make an impact in the world.
I told my subscribers that one of the biggest impacts on my choice for voting was based on character.
Barack Obama has shown integrity throughout the election and proves that you don’t need to play dirty (like his oponent did) to win.
This is inspiring on so many levels because I so often hear that people think you need to trick others into getting your way in business and in life.
Obama’s character and unchanging message shows that you don’t need to trick others to profit but can and should be consistent in your message and you will succeed.
Thanks for shedding light on what you went through in the past and highlighting the shift in consciousness that we are so fortunate to finally see during our lifetime.
-Jae Jans
Were the voters in America really aware of the huge responsibilty they had, did they realise that they were also voting on behalf of all of us around the planet. For each voter they were voting on behalf of atleast 10 others around the world.
I thank you American voter–you did well.
Doug
Judith and Jim,
Your letter moved me to tears. Just as waking to a new found hope this morning with our newly elected president did. As a gay woman, the pride that I feel for this man, coupled with the disgust that I feel for the ignorance around the country of those opposing gay marriage, is beyond words. I finally am allowing myself to feel hopeful again – to feel like our president is someone of whom I can be proud. Even though Dawn and I are living in Mexico, we feel differently today about being Americans. With Obama in the White House, we feel that we could travel the world now, holding our heads up high and saying we’re Americans. Not with arrogance, but with pride that we have someone who can stand his ground in any political or personal venue worldwide – someone with intelligence and compassion for others. Of course, now we can hope that in our lifetime we can elect a gay man or woman to the Oval Office. Who knows? Maybe we already have!
Tina Jo Stephens (and Dawn, too!)
http://WeAreAbundance.com
http://TheYouthJuice.com
I believe Nov.4, 2008 will leave reverberations around the world for years to come, and not just within the political sphere.
It is part of the collapse –really thawing or melting away — of the old, patriarchal order that has managed things poorly. It’s not over, by a long shot but it’s underway.
I cried. My wife said “I feel like a baby’s been born.” Indeed.
It sounds like we come from the same generation. Back in my teens I got caught up into the political activism of my contemporaries. We did it then for the fun of it and because there were a few people we could believe in. Then all the pain and disappointment of the 70’s happened. There were even some years i voted for Donald Duck just to vote my objections to the status quo. It is a delight to see something so different happen with this election. I agree with your evaluation of what it is about President-elect Obama that is appealing. It is his integrity. For the first time in years there was a limit to the muck slinging during an election. That alone was inspiring. Senator Obama wanted to discuss issues. Most inspiring was that this is a man who could rally a significant part of the country–and not because he is African American, but because he is thoughtful and intelligent and he knows how to make people believe that we can come together and create peace.
When i went out this morning everyone I saw appeared to be smiling broadly. Was it just my own filters? No. There appears to be an undercurrent of enthusiasm in the air. Perhaps it is Hope.
I sat glued to the TV watching the returns and when they announced Obama, I began to cry and laugh at the same time. Yes, I voted for change and for this young man who may be untried but who is steady and thoughtful and brilliant. At that moment I realized that I had been silent about my support since many of my friends were so against him. They had been sending me lots of negative emails that were very fear-based. At that moment-I decided I would not stand in fear.
As I watched the crowds what I saw was HOPE and yes, belief that “Yes, we can!” Young people, old people, black, brown, yellow and white–Obama had managed to unite so many who are lost like sheep without a shepherd.
I also felt that the rest of the world gave a sigh of relief that Americans had come to their senses. I believe we will once again be looked up to by the peoples of the world. Early in this president’s first term, I had to travel to Europe 1-2 times a year to teach. I felt embarassed that I was an American and yet my Italian and German students consoled me that I wasn’t responsible for what our government was doing in the world. I believe they have a much longer history of being patient than we Americans.
Obama will get us out of these ill-begotten wars and once again lead us to take moral positions. I pray that Obama will not be tainted by the corruption of Washington or overwhelmed by the tasks ahead. It is time for all of us to pull together no matter which side of the aisle we may stand. McCain was very gracious in his speech. I pray that he will now take a position of leadership in the senate and aid this new president.
When I woke on Thursday morning (in Australia) I said to my daughter, “the suns shining twice as bright, the air is noticeably cleaner and the birds are chirping twice as much ……… all because Barak Obama has been elected. She laughed and said, “of course daddy, what did you expect?”
Straight after that something started to bug me inside and I realized that while about 52% of voters had voted for O about 47% had voted for McCain. To me M had run the worst campaign in my time of following US politics (40 years), yet 47% had voted for him.
How come I asked myself?
Then I recalled something that happened around the time of Watergate. One of our top radio journalists was in Washington interviewing a long time friend who was a doyen of the White House Press Corp and the interviewer was saying how he couldn’t work out what was happenning with Waterggate and how it didn’t make sense to him. His friend laughed and said, “I know you, I bet you are starting with the assumption that those invloved are honest”. The interviewer said,” well, ….. yes I am”. The friend said, “well start with the assumption that everybody invloved is dishonest and see what happens”. The interviewer thought for a moment and said, “WHEN I DO THAT, EVERYTHING FALLS INTO PLACE”.
Then I understod how the GOP could get 47% of people to vote for M.
My observation was that the number one and only campaign strategy from M was LIE.
I think that what I am trying to say is while everything about O is fantastic you in the US still have nearly half the voters believing a party that will do anything to win next time.
And maybe the biggest challenge for good hearted people is next time