I'm not sure exactly what is true about Obama and what is fake. He would not be the first person to use a good thing in order to do worse. But interestingly enough, I felt that America itself suffers from a confidence problem. People suffer from a confidence problem. The great problems of our nation and our world, it's all very easy to talk about. Like any addict, knowing the problem and being able to discuss the problem- while it may be a great first step and all- is nothing without taking the next step. I remember one of the great reasons why I thought Obama was going to be the great change he promised. Because he seemed to embody the things I believe we all want out of our lives, no matter who we are. Change for the better, confidence and empowerment, and a genuine sense of hope to get us through the process. My disillusion with Obama is only underlined by my knowledge that the very same con Obama used was used again and again in history where other people fell under the same con and marched behind monsters and other men of low scruples simply because they waived a golden dream in front of them. It's kind of one of those things where when something goes bad in life you feel like giving up on life itself, but when I think about it, just because Obama, himself, is a liar doesn't mean the words he used to deceive were not true- in and of themselves. As a people, as a community, and as a nation- not perfect or self-righteous- there should be a sense of "yes we can", and there should be a movement to change for the better, always. We should always have the hope for a better tomorrow, but the thing that separates that vision of America from the reality of America is the ability of every person to act on it. Politics often seems like a blame game where the victories and the calamities are all placed on the heads of the people you elect. If the country does well, we think it's because the President did a good job, and not because the millions of people who make up the nation came together and got the job done. When something goes bad...the same, and it's akin to idol worship. The country may be worsening, and at this time we might be able to hear the roof creaking and the walls giving out like a house about to fall and people can either run away from their home, sit inside and ignore it until it comes crashing down, or they can shore up the wall and fix the roof. We aren't children and I won't patronize people with myths of the American spirit because there was never such a thing. You can't label good morals and virtues "American". I think we are people, and once we get past this culture of competition that secretly or blatantly makes us cheer to get ahead of the competition we call our neighbors, we'll realize exactly what teamwork means. That a community is about me wanting the best things for myself, and that feeling gives me the empathy to realize that other people want the same as well as the desire to help them...HELP THEM...achieve it. I don't think it's an easy thing to contribute time to other things, especially with a fair amount of obligations on peoples shoulders. But helping out can also be defined by what you do not do, by what you do not endorse, and by promoting- through action, through thoughts, conversation, or whatever- good things. Stand up for the best things, and it may not be popular but you build a house of strength and real heart one brick at a time. That's what we need. Not this illusion of America, but a real and just America. Changing our world doesn't require bullets or a revolution of guns, but a revolution of thought. If 310 million people do not want their country to do something and refuse to go along with it, 2 or 3,000 people cannot make us do it. No amount of money can stand against a union the size of a nation with only one great rule. That we be treated good and fairly, and we treat all others the same. Is America perfect, no. Can we fix it? Yes we can. Can we simply elect someone to do the job for us? No. Can we blame them when the job is not done? No. We are a people of personal responsibility. When the house is a mess, it's our job to clean it up. If someone keeps making a mess, it's our job to teach them, and if they can't be taught better, than get rid of them. A good nation doesn't need to be perfect or impossible. It's not about being American, it's about being good people. If we can be good, then we can spread goodness. If we make goodness a world culture, than I am all for globalism. But we know what is good and what is bad, and at no point can we allow bad to be done in the name of good. That's warped thinking and an obvious con. I think we can build a great country, yes we can, and it starts by admitting what is right and what is wrong...and being able to act for the better, even if it costs us.
The majority of Americans are complacent with the way politics operate in the United States. No President can perform drastic change.
